Christine Williams

Building wealth has grown more accessible than ever, thanks to declining trading costs and fractional share investing. Many brokerage firms already offer zero-commission online and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading, and now, behemoth financial firm Fidelity Investments has brought one more… read more…

Long-term financial planning can be difficult, and while new automatic enrollment and contribution escalation make it easier than before to save for retirement, actually reaching retirement can be even more stressful. Switching from saving mode to the active retirement phase… read more…

Retirement plan participants broke record levels of savings in 2021, with higher levels of participation and contributions leading to an average 10% increase in account balances over course of the year. Yet, confronted with increasing inflation and uncontrolled healthcare costs,… read more…

Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) can prove a powerful tool in your retirement plan, so it may come as no surprise that Roth conversions are a popular method of bypassing Roth IRA income limits. However, many retirement savers are unaware… read more…

Investors interested in non-retirement investment accounts have likely heard of or already have a brokerage account. However, in recent years, many brokerage firms have also begun offering cash management accounts to their clients. Although offered by the same financial institution,… read more…

One of the most popular and enduring government programs in U.S. history, Social Security has funded the lives of senior citizens for more than 80 years. As a result, today the senior poverty rate clocks in at a mere 9%.… read more…

Regularly meeting with a financial advisor can help you maximize your money and keep on top of your long-term financial goals. Financial advisors can help you save more, reduce your debt and invest more wisely. Experts recommend speaking with your advisor… read more…

The key to gaining financial security is to set financial goals and keep re-evaluating your progress. Without working toward anything specific, you’re likely to spend more than you should without realizing, leaving you vulnerable to life’s unexpected moments. Financial planning… read more…

Deciding between a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) and a Roth IRA can be difficult. Choosing when or if you should convert your IRA funds to a Roth account can be even more daunting. Experts commonly recommend that investors compare… read more…

Financial advisors are people and services that help you create a plan for meeting your financial goals and manage it along the way. With the help of a financial advisor, you could reduce your debt, save more and invest in ways that might not have been possible if you did it on your own. However,… read more…

Sometimes it feels like you’re spinning your wheels and every paycheck is gone before you’ve spent it. You might wonder why you try so hard to save but that number never seems to grow. The key to reaching financial security… read more…

After beginning the year at record levels, global events have caused market volatility to jump and equities to fall. The S&P 500 Index is experiencing its first major correction since 2020, so investors are understandably looking to safeguard their assets.… read more…

When it comes time to buy a house, you need to have certain types of insurance in order to secure a mortgage. As part of the lending process, your mortgage provider may ask for proof of those insurance policies, such… read more…

Investors who buy and sell stocks and options usually know how much they pay their broker per trade, but many people don’t know that bond trades also carry broker fees. Commonly called “markups,” these bond commissions are often baked into… read more…

With market volatility running high, even seasoned investors may feel the need to reduce their equity exposure in favor of less-risky investments. Some may have already moved their assets into money market funds or cash. However, experts say that acting… read more…

With bonds and stocks selling off side by side, retirees may have a reason to fear their well-diversified portfolios may not prove enough for retirement. Fixed-income investments are experiencing one of the worst years in decades, and stocks have fallen roughly 17% year to date. According to investment research firm Morningstar, the 60/40 portfolio is… read more…

High inflation has pinched many wallets this year, but perhaps none so much as retirees’. Not only do rising healthcare costs rank as one of the most pressing concerns for Americans on a fixed income, jumping prices have put even more strain on those budgets. In 2020, life events affected retirement timing for nearly half… read more…

Cash serves a valuable purpose in many investment portfolios, but when the stock market dives, many investors turn to cash in a knee-jerk reaction to avoid losses. However, depending on the reason, moving all your investments from equities to cash… read more…

Retirement is a big milestone for many, and planning for retirement can constitute a large financial goal that takes years to reach. In fact, data from the Federal Reserve indicates that the majority of Americans only have $65,000 saved for retirement–far less than most experts recommend. Investment giant T. Rowe Price has released an updated… read more…

When you’re in the market to buy a home, there is a good chance you’ll need to finance your purchase with a home mortgage loan. From start to finish, you’ll likely speak to many people before finally closing on your… read more…

U.S. savings bonds are a low-risk investment product backed by the U.S. government. Used by generations of Americans to generate a stable return on cash savings, savings bonds are purchased through the U.S. Department of Treasury and earn interest over time. Today, you can buy only two types of savings bonds–Series EE and Series I… read more…

In an effort to streamline the regulation that governs how retirement accounts can be used, the IRS has proposed a change for 403(b) plans — a type of workplace retirement plan used mostly by public and non-profit employees. Employer-sponsored plans… read more…

Healthcare ranks as one of the most pressing concerns for retirees, and with medical expenses rising every year, two out of three Americans worry about high healthcare costs in retirement. Models estimate that a retired couple at age 65 will need roughly $200,000 saved for healthcare alone–exceeding the average American’s total savings. As part of… read more…

Roughly 80 million U.S. investors own or have invested in digital currencies, and with a growing appetite for such alternative investments, retirement savers can now benefit from yet another way to invest. Financial firm Fidelity Investments has announced an expansion… read more…

When you first opened your account, you hopefully thought long and hard about how to allocate your money, putting a certain percentage towards riskier stocks and other money towards safer investments like bonds. But have you thought about rebalancing since… read more…