Employee benefits

In addition to redesigning its business lines, the $48 billion firm is considering a robo, the president of its broker-dealer said.

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

Surviving spouses will either receive their own Social Security benefit or the survivor's benefit, whichever is higher. But they also may get pushed to a higher tax bracket, which. in turn, could mean higher taxes on Social Security benefits.

Last year alone 226 Vanguard funds and ETFs reported expense ratio declines.

If clients tap their Roth accounts at the wrong time, even after retirement, they could lose out on some potential tax benefits.

Retirement investors may opt for whole life insurance, which offers tax-deferred growth on premiums, or a home, which they can sell with up to $250,000 (or $500,000 for couples) in capital gains tax exclusion.

Naming a young grandchild as beneficiary of a traditional IRA could be a wrong move, as the distributions will be subject to the "kiddie tax."

Investors are about to enter the worst two-month period of the year for stocks, according to an expert with Bespoke Investment Group.

Unlike when they were still working and their employer withheld an amount for their taxes, retirees need to make estimated tax payments to the IRS.

There is a way to help reshape deeply ingrained destructive habits.

Clients should be especially mindful of market movements during the "fragile decade," the span beginning five years before retirement until five years after retirement.

Yes, advisers can invest these funds in nontraditional assets, but you must understand the risks before giving clients the OK.

The agency says its adoption of WebEx will allow for improved outreach with clients in the more rural regions of the country.

The most important consideration is that clients are able to complete the 35-year work period because benefits are based on the 35 highest-paid years from their careers.

Clients should plan to replace roughly 80% of their pre-retirement income after they leave the workforce for good.

Make sure clients understand that a 401(k) rollover could trigger a hefty tax bill, and that liquidating assets before the age of 59 1/2 could mean a hefty penalty.

Clients should work together with their spouses and plan as a couple to develop a Social Security claiming strategy that will maximize their retirement benefits.

The right strategy can save clients thousands of dollars, although the options are complicated.

Only 3% of households earning under $50,000 a year benefitted from the mortgage interest tax deduction.

Employers' 401(k) matching contributions this year are likely to reach 4.7% of worker's pay, up from 3% in 2009.