Retirement planning

The Internal Revenue Service granted additional relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey on Wednesday by making it easier for 401(k)s and other employer-sponsored retirement plans to give loans and hardship distributions to aid victims.

Hurricane Harvey provides a grim reminder of how traumatic it can be to face the effects of severe weather. Here’s how to be effective if it happens to your clients.

Retirees are likely to have fewer choices when they start shopping around for Medicare Advantage plans during the open-enrollment period that begins October 15.

Clients ready to quit the workforce in advance need to understand the impact of doing so on their Social Security benefits, Michael Kitces writes.

These plans once merely supplemented health insurance. Now they are a vital part of a broader retirement strategy.

The most difficult challenge for a new firm? For some, it’s not location or even hiring.

Clients should consider a dependable second-hand car instead of a new one, and then redirect the money saved into a retirement account.

Certain laws may require them to maintain the coverage with their former spouse.

What clients don’t know could cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The products protect clients against losses, but significant caveats emerge in the fine print.

Can three foreign market index funds outperform a single total non-U.S. market index fund?

Pre-retirees should have Medicare or health insurance in place to cover their medical costs, along with a well-maintained investment portfolio.

Advisors are just one tool in the box.

Retirees who under-reported their income to avoid taxes will also get smaller retirement benefits than they deserve.

Retirees should weigh a number of factors, including the fact that the closing costs for reverse mortgages are higher than those for regular mortgages.

IRA investors should consider implementing a charitable lead annuity trust when converting some of their funds into Roth to mitigate the tax bite.

How an advisor's blog about the Piano Man reaped a $14,000 Social Security payday for her client.

The total out-of-pocket health care expenses of a 65-year-old couple in retirement could exceed $320,000, plus 5% annual increases.

Planning may help high-income seniors avoid paying up to four times the going rate for Part B and Part D coverage.