Investors’ lust for dividend stocks is driving up prices and making a simple 3% return harder to find. So I’m replacing 3 picks in my Dividend Income Portfolio.
Estimating how your retirement income will be taxed can be complicated and difficult, but it’s important to know what this expense will be and how you might reduce it.
The percentage of people who say you should cheat on your income taxes “as much as possible” hit 8 percent in 2011, double what it was in 2010.
Why do Mitt Romney and other wealthy investors pay lower taxes on the income they make from investments than they would if they earned their millions from wages? Because Congress, through the tax code, has long treated investment more favorably than labor, seeing it as an engine for economic growth that benefits everyone.
(Reuters) – If the president and Congress are serious about income equality and cutting huge breaks for the wealthy, they should raise the capital gains rate.
Which presidential candidate paid the most in taxes? Who is the most charitable? Here’s an inside look at the top candidates’ 2010 income tax returns.
Tax deductions reduce taxable income, so it pays to choose carefully.
Take a look at the 10 worst states for retirees in 2012, based on a study of the states’ fiscal health, the cost of living, income, property and sales tax rates.
The relationship between happiness and income can be summed up in a simple equation, but really, it’s complicated.
Invest in a variable annuity and you get a guaranteed income stream for life. But variable annuities that guarantee certain benefits might come at a steep cost that’s not readily apparent to retirees, according to new research. The withdrawals won’t keep pace with inflation.
Many older unemployed people — nearly two million over age 55 — must make tough decisions about how to make up for lost income.
Retirees may be past the days of resolving to work out more or buy fewer $4 coffees. Yet when it comes to money in particular, resolutions may be even more important for those living on fixed income.
The income divide in the U.S. is not only evident in unemployment lines and protests outside Wall Street, but also in the way consumers shopped during the holidays.
From fee disclosure to investment lineups to lifetime income options, 401(k)s and other retirement plans will undergo major changes in 2012. Stacey Delo talks with MarketWatch Retirement Weekly Editor Robert Powell about what savers should expect.
Maine is looking to join other mostly Northern states in the battle to keep its seniors from moving to traditional havens as Florida and Arizona, states that have no state personal income tax. It would also join other states in the battle to persuade seniors to relocate to their state from somewhere else.
(Reuters) – When he retired two years ago, David Moskowitz promised himself he’d donate about 10 percent of his fixed income annually to charity. The 63-year-old from Niles, Illinois, had rarely…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Retirement planning almost always starts with one number: A guesstimate of the percentage of pre-retirement income you’re expected to need after you retire. That’s called the…
Take these steps to lower you income so you won’t have to pay higher Part B and D premiums than other beneficiaries.
Focus on your income prospects first. That will inform your investment strategy best.
The federal income tax rate for corporations in the U.S. is 35%. And the top marginal income tax rate for individuals is the same: 35%. But it all gets much more complicated from there, and probably just about everybody can agree the tax code could use simplification. Read that story and more in our Taxing [...]
The official corporate income tax rate in the U.S. is 35%, but plenty of companies are paying no taxes in years when they reap big profits, according to a new report.
Monthly benefit checks have a big role in funding retirement — they make up nearly 40% of retirement income. Still, the size of a typical check is smaller than you might think.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Incomes for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans nearly tripled from 1979 to 2007, far outpacing income growth for all other groups, said a new report that underscored sharply…
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years in October as consumers fretted about job and income prospects.
Social Security represents a staggering share of income for lower- and middle-class seniors — made evident this week in a new government report — and for whom any increase can make a world of difference.
Count disability income when you determine your income for the IRS’ sales tax calculator.
The rising cost of child care has become a heavy burden for cash-strapped parents, particularly in these states, where it averages at least 15% of a family’s annual income.
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The White House is set to propose a “Buffett Rule” aimed chiefly at preventing those making more than $1 million a year from paying taxes at lesser rates than those at lower income levels, according to several published reports late Saturday. The plan, reportedly set to be unveiled Monday as part of [...]
Who knows how many Americans have been pushed into retirement by layoffs? As the US economy struggles, the government is supplying some with 2 income streams.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The ratio of household debt to disposable income fell in the second quarter to the lowest level since mid-2004, according to Federal Reserve data released on Friday.
The current downturn in global markets has created a rare opportunity to buy stocks that will pay high income for boomers’ retirements.
THE ISSUE: As global economic growth slows, the biggest banks are shedding jobs, exiting businesses and scrambling for new sources of income. The question is: Is it time to jump into banking stocks…
More and more financially pressed homeowners are taking in lodgers for the extra income, but they need to know how to avoid potential problems.
The case for dividends is strong. What do investors want most but can’t get easily? Yield and income. So dividend-paying stocks deserve a prominent place in your portfolio — but steer clear of stocks with high yields for the wrong reasons.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Consumer confidence plunged in August as expectations dived, with worsening views on future business conditions, jobs and income, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index fell to 44.5 in August – the lowest level since April 2009 — from a slightly downwardly revised 59.2 in July. “A [...]
International mutual funds and ETFs that focus on dividends may be just the ticket to generate income — especially if the dollar remains weak.
What you do with your 401(k) depends on your need for income and your goals in retirement.
Many blue chips are cheap and have dividend yields higher than that of a 10-year Treasury. Investors have an opportunity to build defensive portfolios that produce reliable income streams.
Income inequality is the spark that could light the fuse of revolution in the U.S., writes Paul B. Farrell. He offers up six reasons no one can stop the coming economic meltdown.
Life Inc.: New report estimates that 46 percent American households will pay no federal income tax this year.
BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is calling on Congress to crank up the tax rate on the “mega-rich,” claiming that many only pay around 15% income taxes due to various taxation loop-holes, which is unfair to middle-class workers. In an op-ed piece that ran in Sunday’s New York Times, Buffett said that last [...]
Generating the most income in the safest fashion from a nest egg is the holy grail of retirement income planning. But there are a couple of generalities and rules of thumb around which you should begin helping your parent structure a nest egg.
Generating the most income in the safest fashion from a nest egg is the holy grail of retirement income planning. But there are a couple of generalities and rules of thumb around which you should begin helping your parent structure a nest egg.
US consumers are increasingly using credit cards to pay for basic necessities as income gains fail to keep pace with rising food and fuel prices.
Locking in a steady income stream is as hard as it’s ever been. But it’s not impossible. Here are strategies to consider.
Children don’t cheat on their taxes, right? Of course not. But if loving aunts, uncles, grandparents or others opened bank accounts for your children in other countries, you’d better start gathering the paperwork. All Americans have to report their worldwide income on their tax returns, writes Eva Rosenberg in today’s TaxWatch column. Even children.
Life Inc.: How do those out of work pay the bills? The most common source of funds were savings and unemployment benefits. About one-third rely on credit cards and/or a partners’ income.
Life Inc.: How do those out of work pay the bills? The most common source of funds were savings and unemployment benefits. About one-third rely on credit cards and/or a partners’ income.
Lifetime income options in 401(k) plans are still under development, but boomers are skeptical.
Financial advisers offer ideas on preserving capital and generating retirement income.
Mutual fund firms have designed target-date funds that pay out regular income for retirees.
Financial firms have introduced several types of products to help retirees manage their income.
More people using their 401(k) as a loan In 2010 about one in seven workers borrowed money from their 401(k) plan. Currently, about 30 percent of all 401(k) holders also have an outstanding loan. That percentage is the highest in recent history, according to data from Aon Hewitt, a human-resources consulting group. According to some [...]
One of the reasons dividend investing has always been so appealing is that it never required much skill. All you had to do was go to the same spots visited by virtually every other income investor — namely, the financial, health care, and industrial sectors — and reel in blue-chip stocks sporting fat yields.
Once unattainable, Western products are ever more in reach for people in historically poorer countries. Middle-class Indian families munch on Kit Kat bars; aspirational Brazilians enjoy Starbucks coffee; and China’s nouveau riche can afford BMWs. The disposable income of tens of millions of people in non-Western countries will continue to explode.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fixed income trading revenue is falling, and some of the best minds on Wall Street disagree on whether this is temporary weakness or slow death.
Annuities are a basic staple of modern portfolios, the financial equivalent of a backstop to guarantee a minimum of income in retirement.
I’m 31 years old. Is there a benchmark established to indicate where I should be financially at my age? What ratio should my investments be relative to income and how much I should be investing? — C. Henry, Las Vegas.
With a combined income of $225,000 and a nest egg of $330,000, Rick and Amy Mendez, 41 and 43, seem like they are in good financial shape. But a closer look reveals that they’re lacking something crucial: emergency savings.
More and more seniors are turning to reverse mortgages to supplement their retirement income. If you are considering making this move, you need to understand some of the options and the initial and recurring costs associated with them.
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Having a baby is very exciting. But after thinking about the associated costs and expenses, all this excitement can quickly turn into stress. Budgeting for a new baby is important to prepare adequately for the arrival of your little one. Parents can fall into the trap of wanting to buy their newborn the best of everything, especially if it’s the first child, which can sometime result in over-expenditure. It is therefore very important to plan and budget for the arrival of your newborn.
Here is an explanation of the fundamentals of financial budgeting to help you better plan your household expenses.