Are ETFs or mutual funds better? Depends
The last five years have been very good for diversified common-stock portfolios with mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The annual costs for both types of fund have never been lower. This has certainly made it easier for investors to have excellent results.I can’t forecast the future, but I believe it is prudent (even for retirees) to maintain a significant percentage of... READ MORE
Worldwide funds that hedge currency risk
Here’s a trick question: Are Spanish stocks up or down this year?For someone sitting in a Barcelona cafe, the answer is obviously up. Spanish stocks have climbed 10.9 percent in euros. But for someone counting in U.S. dollars, each of those euros is worth less than at the start of the year, so the same MSCI Spain index is down 1.7 percent in dollar terms.Such is the conundrum for U.S. ... READ MORE
What should you ask a financial adviser?
A reader wrote recently about a common conundrum. At 65, he and his wife are nearing retirement and had plans to meet with a financial consultant to discuss how to make their investments last.“I wish you could be there with us,” he wrote, “but since that isn’t going to happen, I would like to ask you: What are some of the most important questions we should be asking... READ MORE
Social Security if you’re single or divorced
When it comes to Social Security, if you’re single, you have fewer options than your married friends. But you can still take steps to increase your lifetime benefits. And divorced people may still be able to claim benefits based on their ex’s earnings.Here are some strategies to maximize your benefits.Single retirees who never married don’t need to concern themselves with... READ MORE
Small impact potential from Fed rate hike
Nobody knows when exactly, but the day will eventually come when the Federal Reserve nudges its benchmark lending rate from next to zero to something slightly higher.When that happens, it will put upward pressure on borrowing rates throughout the economy — for credit cards, mortgages and student loans. But that doesn’t mean the era of incredibly low interest rates will soon be... READ MORE
Some brokers, banks will pay for accounts
If you want a great return on your money, forget about the interest rates and look for accounts that offer cash bonuses.In an effort to poach customers from their competitors at a time when interest rates are excruciatingly low, banks and brokers are offering cash giveaways.Although these bonus payments won’t make you rich, they do offer a certain return in an environment where a... READ MORE
Plan ahead to avoid probate’s costs, delays
Probate is a process by which property is distributed to a decedent’s beneficiaries. In most situations, it is time-consuming, offers no benefits, and can result in expensive, avoidable legal expenses.In probate, the will is filed with a local court; the decedent’s property is identified and appraised; debts are paid; challenges to the will’s validity are adjudicated; and... READ MORE
Most mutual funds doing well this year
Sometimes, nearly everyone wins.Last quarter was a winner for the vast majority of mutual-fund investors, as 87 percent of all funds delivered gains. Rising stock markets around the world and a drop in interest rates drove the returns, continuing a years-long run for funds.To be sure, the gains were typically smaller than what investors enjoyed earlier in this bull market. But they were... READ MORE
The ABCs of picking a Medigap policy
People enrolling in traditional Medicare should buy a supplemental insurance policy to cover the substantial gaps left by deductibles and co-payments, according to consumer advocates.But choosing a private Medigap plan can be daunting.That’s what Joyce Katen discovered when she turned 65 last May. “I got so confused,” says Katen, a clothing manufacturing consultant in New... READ MORE
Lawmakers debate right-to-die legislation
When Maryland Del. Shane Pendergrass (D-Howard) was a teenager, she watched her grandfather suffer terribly from Parkinson’s disease.So when Roger “Pip” Moyer, the former Mayor of Annapolis, and Richard E. Israel, former assistant attorney general, who both also had late-stage Parkinson’s, asked Pendergrass to sponsor legislation that would allow Marylanders with... READ MORE
