2017 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits Minor inflation means small, but notable, changes for the new year. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors Each October, the Internal Revenue Service announces changes to annual contribution limits for IRAs and workplace retirement plans. Are any of these limits rising for 2017? Will IRA contribution limits go up? Unfortunately, no. Annual contributions for Roth and traditional IRAs remain capped at $5,500 for 2017, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution permitted...
How Will the Market Respond After the Election? We may see some volatility, but equilibrium could quickly be restored. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors What will happen on Wall Street after November 8? We can shrug and say, “who knows,” and that simple answer may be as good as any other. Trying to predict which way the market will go is difficult, even when it comes to a single trading session. All that said, investors...
Provided by Peck Financial Advisors Many people deal with credit card debt all of their lives with most of them giving little or no thought to what happens with their debt after they die. The fact that nearly 60% die without a will is a strong indication that they’ve given absolutely no thought to it. As a consequence, those that survive the debt holder are often left to deal with a myriad of issues that...
Updating Your Estate Plan When should you review it? What should you review? Provided by Peck FA An estate plan has three objectives. The first goal is to preserve your accumulated wealth. The second goal is to express who will receive your assets after your death. The third goal is to state who will make medical and financial decisions on your behalf if you cannot. Over time, your feelings about these objectives may change. You...
The figures out last year show that the average amount of student loan debt a student graduates with is a little more than $35,000. Most graduates are carrying multiple student loans from multiple sources, and the cost and complexity of managing them can become overwhelming, especially if they are unable to secure steady employment with sufficient cash flow to make the payments. One option that has always been available to indebted graduates is a college...
Stocks & Presidential Elections What does history tell us – and should we value it? Provided by Peck Financial Advisors As an investor, you know that past performance is no guarantee of future success. Expanding that truth, history has no bearing on the future of Wall Street. That said, stock market historians have repeatedly analyzed market behavior in presidential election years, and what stocks do when different parties hold the reins of power in Washington...
The A, B, C, & D of Medicare Breaking down the basics & what each part covers. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors Whether your 65th birthday is on the horizon or decades away, you should understand the parts of Medicare – what they cover, and where they come from. Parts A & B: Original Medicare. America created a national health insurance program for seniors in 1965 with two components. Part A is hospital insurance. It...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/upshot/why-land-may-not-be-the-smartest-place-to-put-your-nest-egg.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad Article by Robert Schilling in New York Times on 7/15/16. It’s true, as the adage goes, that they’re not making land anymore, but technology that allows more intensive use of land has held down values in the long term.
The Brexit Shakes Global Markets A worldwide sell-off occurs after the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors A wave of anxiety hit Wall Street Friday morning. Thursday night, the United Kingdom elected to become the first nation state to leave the European Union. The “Brexit” can potentially be finalized as soon as the summer of 2018. 1 Voters in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were posed a...
You may be aware of some of the more prevalent fraudster activities, such as “phishing” which fraudsters use to trick you out of sensitive information. Now we are learning about a new and even more audacious ploy called “email spoofing” in which the fraudsters not only steal your information, they then send counterfeit emails that mimic your email account to your financial advisor requesting wire transfers. While we haven’t personally seen any incidents of email...
Sometimes the Pundits Get It Wrong In fact, many predictions about Wall Street have misread the market’s direction. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors Trying to determine how Wall Street will behave next week, next month, or next year is difficult. Some feel it is impossible. To predict the near-term direction of the market, you may also need to predict upcoming earnings seasons, central bank policy moves, and the direction of both the domestic and global...
How Millennials Can Get a Good Start on Retirement Planning Some simple steps may make a major financial difference over time. Provided by Peck Financial Advisors If you are younger than 35, saving for retirement may not feel like a priority. After all, retirement may be 30 years away; if your employer does not sponsor a retirement plan, there may be less incentive for you to start. Even so, you must save and invest for...
