You've decided to pass your home on to your children, but you haven't settled on the best method to transfer ownership. You are also questioning whether you want to stay in the home or to a smaller place. What factors should you be consider...

Are you counting on Social Security for most of your retirement funds – and if so, how comfortable are you that the funds will be there at retirement? According to the recent , you probably aren't comfortable at all. A surprising 76% of survey...

How's your retirement plan holding up? If you are a woman, you're probably having more difficulty with retirement plans than your male counterparts. Despite advances, women still face lower average salaries – 82% of the average man's...

As can be seen from , an individual desiring $4,000 of monthly net income in retirement can need in excess of a $1,000,000 retirement portfolio to supplement his or her Social Security and pension income. As can be verified by this calculation, there...

"Strangle options" have a violent name, but have a vital role in investments. Strangle options are use both put and call options effectively to place bets on how stable the movement of a stock will be, regardless of the direction of the mov...

The recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) gave most Americans a break on their upcoming taxes – but you don't need legislation to cut your taxes even further with sound investment strategies that focus on tax optimization. Here are a few...

Are you planning to work in retirement? If so, is it because you need money? The recent American Working Conditions Survey (AWCS) from the Rand Corporation think tank suggests another reason – you want to be there. A Rand brief on the AWCS survey co...

How's your 401(k) or IRA doing? A typical 401(k) plan returns from 5% to 8% based on a portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds and other conservative investments. If your retirement plan is not meeting expectations, you may be tempted by the high...

What are hedge funds, and why are they so revered by some and hated by others? Hedge funds are simply pools of money from specific investors designed to outperform the market through alternative investment strategies. Hedge funds involve higher risk...

Airline fees are pervasive these days. Baggage fees are particularly obnoxious, because passengers are increasingly forced to check in bags thanks to the shrinking amount of carry-on space. We do not know where the space is going, but we are pretty s...