What are your options for insuring yourself prior to age 65? If you retire before age 65, you must be prepared to address two insurance issues.One, finding health coverage in the period before you can sign up for Medicare. Two, finding a way to pay for that coverage. You know it will probably be expensive, but do you realize just how expensive? A single retiree may pay as much as $500-1,000 per month for private health insurance. For a couple, the monthly premiums can surpass $2,000. These are ballpark figures; fortunately, seniors without pre-existing health conditions can locate some less expensive plans offering short-term coverage, albeit with high deductibles.1,2 If you find yourself in

Some alterations to the Internal Revenue Code were less publicized than others. Late last year, federal tax laws underwent sweeping changes. Nearly a year later, you can be forgiven for not keeping up with them all. Here is a look at some important (yet underrecognized) adjustments that may affect the numbers on your 2018 federal return.1 First, most miscellaneous itemized deductions are gone. The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated dozens of them through the year 2025. Tax preparation expenses? You can no longer deduct those. Expenses linked to a hobby that made you some income? In 2018, no deduction available. Legal fees you paid that were related to your work as an employee? No, you ca

After you get that first card, how can you build up your FICO score? Good credit opens doors.It is vital to securing a loan, starting a business, and buying a home. When you establish and maintain good credit in college, you create a positive financial profile for yourself that can win over lenders, landlords, and potential employers. Unfortunately, some college students do not have good credit. In fact, Credit Karma says that the average 18- to-24-year-old has a credit score of 630, which verges on bad. A FICO score of 730 or higher is considered good.1 What are the steps toward a good credit score? To start, you need to utilize credit. About 15% of your credit score is built on the length

Unmarrieds need to approach retirement planning pragmatically. In an ideal world, it would be simple to prepare for a solo retirement.You would just save half as much as a couple saves, buy half as much insurance coverage, and expect to live on half the income. Reality dictates otherwise. Real-world planning for a solo retirement begins with an assumption. You assume, at some point, that you will retire alone. You may be ready to make that assumption at age 40. Or, that distinct probability may emerge at age 55. These midlife assumptions aside, you should acknowledge the possibility that you may end up spending some of your retirement alone, even if you retire with a spouse or partner. As a

As you start a family, consider these ideas. Being a parent means being responsible to a degree you never have been before.That elevated responsibility also impacts your financial decisions. You are now a provider and a protector, and that reality may make the following financial moves necessary. Think about a budget.As a couple, you may have lived for years without budgeting. As parents, this may change. You will face new recurring costs: clothes, toys, diapers, food. Keeping track of weekly or monthly expenses will be handy. (The Department of Agriculture has an online calculator where you can estimate the total cost of raising a child to adulthood. The math may surprise you: the U.S.D.A.