4 Foreign Funds to Profit from Global Turmoil

Stock prices overseas already reflect a lot of bad news—and then some. The situation is even more dramatic for emerging-markets stocks.

By Steven Goldberg, September 5, 2014

Terrorists are ravaging Syria and Iraq, stoking fears of an ever-wider conflict in the oil-rich Arab world. Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine, threatening to ignite an economic war with Europe. Eurozone economies are faltering and flirting with deflation.

The Starting Out Guide to Cheap International Travel

Save on flights, lodging, ground transportation and more, so you can explore the world while you're still young.

By Miriam Cross, September 19, 2014

When you're young, facing a mountain of student debt, subsisting on an entry-level salary and dealing with the everyday expenses of living on your own for the first time, the idea of embarking on an overseas adventure might seem indulgent. But your youth might also afford you certain discounts and advantages that can help you travel on the cheap.

Strategies to Pay for Retiree Health Care Costs

Plan ahead by including medical expenses as a line item in your retirement budget.By Susan B. Garland., From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2014 Follow @susanbgarland

 

When you draw up a retirement-spending budget, you're likely to account for utilities, car insurance and lawn care. But have you given the cost of health care a hard look—or are the numbers too scary to contemplate?
One of the most important moves preretirees can make is to see that “their financial plan explicitly accounts for health costs in retirement,” says Sunit Patel, senior vice-president of Fidelity Benefits Consulting. On average, a couple age 65 will spend $220,000 on health care costs during retirement—and that does not include potential long-term-care costs, according to new estimates by Fidelity Investments.

Why You Shouldn't Put All Your Money in Index Funds

Stock index funds are performing superbly as the bull charges ahead. But don’t look for them to protect you when the market stumbles.

By Steven Goldberg, August 21, 2014

Among mutual fund analysts, John Rekenthaler is one of the best. A Morningstar veteran, he writes a regular, must-read column. So I was surprised to read the first sentences of a recent piece: “Do active funds have a future? To cut to the chase: Apparently not much.”
Rekenthaler is as dead serious as, in my view, he is dead wrong. Look at his case: Over the 12-month period that ended June 30, 68% of new fund investments have gone into index mutual funds, index exchange-traded funds and other passive strategies (passive means a human is not picking the stocks and bonds). A mere 32% of fresh cash went into actively managed funds — those run by well-paid managers who decide what to buy and sell.

Tax-Free Savings for Precollege Education Expenses

With a Coverdell education savings account, you can take tax-free withdrawals for a primary or secondary student if you use them for qualified expenses.

By Kimberly Lankford, August 26, 2014

My daughter is just starting the 10th grade, and I have a Coverdell education savings account for her. I understand that even though she’s still in high school, I can tap the account tax-free for certain expenses. Which ones qualify?

How to Earn More or Survive on Less

Advice from around the Web that can help you make more and make the most of what you already have.

By Cameron Huddleston, September 17, 2014

There seem to be two camps when it comes to advice on improving your finances: spend less or earn more. Both approaches have their pluses and minuses. Spending less might allow one parent to stay at home with the kids while the other works, but it also can mean watching every penny. Earning more certainly can put you on the path toward financial security, but it might mean working long hours and sacrificing time with friends and family. So I've rounded up tips on both strategies. Certainly, most of us would benefit from spending less AND earning more.

Money-Saving Travel Tips From Around the Web

Advice from personal finance bloggers about how to find the best deals on hotels, flights and more.

By Cameron Huddleston, August 20, 2014

Fall is almost here, which means shoulder season is upon us. This is the period between summer and the holidays when fewer people are traveling, so you can find deals on hotels and flights. Plus, it can be a good time to book your holiday travel because prices tend to be lower and more seats are available. You can save even more, though, by following these tips I found from some of our favorite personal finance bloggers. Plus, check back Friday for my round-up of affordable shoulder season destinations.

Retirees Fare Poorly in Pension Advance Deals

Exchanging future pension payments for a lump sum is a costly transaction. By Eleanor Laise, From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, September 2014 Follow @EleanorLaise

 

It sounds like a win-win: Retirees looking for fast cash sell their future monthly pension payments, and individual investors who are buying them get steady income. But retirees on both sides of such transactions are getting hurt, regulators and consumer advocates say.
State and federal securities regulators, along with the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, are casting a critical eye on "pension advance" transactions. In these deals, a consumer signs over to a pension-advance company a certain number of future monthly pension or disability payments in exchange for a lump sum, which can be significantly less than the value of the future payments.

8 Ways to Beat Rising Food Prices

Use these smart shopping strategies to pay less when your favorite foods including bacon start to cost more.

By Cameron Huddleston, September 16, 2014

Get ready to adjust your budget for higher prices at the supermarket. Eight common food items are expected to cost more this fall, according to a report by DealNews.com. Prices of oranges, bacon, chocolate, cheese, deli meats, chicken, butter and pasta will increase -- sharply in some cases -- for a variety of reasons from disease and drought affecting supply to increased consumer demand and manufacturing costs.

Smile! You Can Retire

You could be overestimating your retirement expenses and underestimating your income.

By Janet Bodnar, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

Here’s a tantalizing prospect: Suppose you really do have enough money to retire. That’s not the message we usually get from downbeat commentators, but it’s the refreshing perspective senior editor Jane Bennett Clark offers in How Much You Really
Need to Retire. Jane points out, for example, that retirement planners generally recommend that you have enough savings at the end of your working life to replace 70% to 85% of preretirement income—and sometimes even more. But your biggest spending years are when you’re raising kids. Depending on your lifestyle preferences in retirement, “you might get along just fine with 60% of your preretirement income,” Jane writes.

All the Things Thomas Pikkety Got Wrong

The author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century has a flawed view of capitalism.

By Jeremy J. Siegel, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which examines the long-term changes in the distribution of income, has become an unexpected best seller in the U.S. Piketty concludes that the rich have become wealthier at the expense of the poor, and he claims that basic forces in a capitalist economy are the cause. He advocates a global “wealth tax” to redress the inequalities that he asserts undermine all democracies.

7 Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next 15 Years

Some of Disney's prime assets are folks who never ask for a raise, including Goofy, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker.

By James K. Glassman, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

My advice to investors has always been to buy stocks for the long term. What’s long? When you purchase a stock, you should think of yourself as a partner in the business forever—or until you need the cash. But forever, or even 30 years, is way out on the dim horizon. A more manageable view might be 15 years. If you invest $10,000 today in a stock that returns an average of 12% per year (a return that is two percentage points higher than the historic long-term return of Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index), you’ll end up with about $55,000.

Mergers Designed to Avoid U.S. Taxes: Is This Ethical?

Firms should stay and fight for comprehensive tax simplification that would lower the top C-corp rate.

By Knight Kiplinger, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

Q. I’m appalled that many U.S. companies are moving their official headquarters to countries with lower corporate tax rates than ours. What do you think about this?
A. This trend of reincorporation overseas (through merger with a foreign firm, a strategy called inversion) is perfectly legal under current tax law. The U.S. company benefits because it reduces its total global income taxes, enabling it to compete better with multinationals based in countries with much lower taxes. The top corporate tax rate on a U.S. company’s earnings anywhere in the world—not just in this country—is 35%, the world’s highest.

Three Reasons You Will Never Retire

These common mistakes can derail your retirement plans. Here's how to avoid them.By David Muhlbaum, September 3, 2014

Create a Plan for a Meaningful Retirement

A retirement plan is not just about money. It is also about figuring out how you want to spend all your newfound free time.
By Susan B. Garland, From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, September 2014
Follow @susanbgarland

 

When it comes to your nest egg, you made all the right decisions, saving enough to turn your retirement dreams into reality. But as the big day approaches, you realize you've forgotten to answer a couple of crucial questions: What exactly are my dreams? How can I make the next 20 or 30 years purposeful?
Some people enter retirement with a full-blown plan. Other new retirees struggle to fill a blank canvas. And as the soul-searching baby boomers march into this stage of life, a cottage industry of retirement and life-transition coaches are helping them explore the nonfinancial, emotional side of retirement.

Cash Out Your Lease on Your Car

You could walk away with a check if your vehicle is worth more than the purchase price written into the lease.

By Jessica L. Anderson, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

Three Great College Towns for Retirement

Cities with universities offer quality health care and lifelong learning for retirees. Watch the video.
By Sandra Block  August 21, 2014

Do you want the amenities of a big city without the traffic and high cost of living? Consider retiring to a college town. College towns offer plays, concerts, sports and great food, plus the opportunity to keep your mind engaged through no-cost or low-cost university courses. Plus, you’ll have access to high-quality health care, often through hospitals associated with the university. Most of the college towns on our top 10 list are also located in tax-friendly states and have a low cost of living.

How to Get an iPhone 6 for Less

There are ways to avoid paying the full retail price for Apple's newest smart phone.

By Cameron Huddleston, September 19, 2014

If you haven’t already pre-ordered the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, you might be doing yourself a favor by taking a little extra time to compare all the offers available on Apple’s latest smart phone. The standard price on the iPhone 6 starts at $199 with a two-year contract, and the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 with a two-year contract. Without a contract, the phones start at $649 and $749, respectively. But discounts, trade-in credits and other incentives can reduce the price you pay for your iPhone.

The 7 Best ETFs for Dividends

These exchange-traded funds have delivered solid returns by owning stocks that share the wealth

By Nellie S. Huang, August 29, 2014

Just how important are stock dividends? Over the long haul, these cash payouts have accounted for about 30% of overall U.S. market returns. In periods of poor performance, they’ve played an even larger role in overall market returns. For that reason, we set out to find the best exchange-traded funds that invest in dividend-paying stocks. As you’ll see, every dividend index fund has its own strategy. The funds are listed in alphabetical order. All returns and yields are through August 20.
Current yield: 3.3%
Assets: $802 million
Expense ratio: 0.40%
Top five holdings: Williams Cos., Windstream Holdings, Frontier Communications, Intel, Cablevision Systems-NY Group

3 Reasons Investors Should Ignore the Doomsayers

The global and U.S. economies aren't as feeble as many of the scarier headlines proclaim.

By Jeffrey R. Kosnett, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

A reader named Bill just e-mailed me to ask if he should dump some holdings. “I’m worried about all the things going on in the Middle East, Russia and Israel,” he wrote. Beyond his general concern, he specifically asked whether he should retain his positions in Occidental Petroleum (symbol OXY) and Dodge & Cox Income (DODIX).

You Still Have Time to Undo a Roth Conversion

If you converted a traditional IRA to a Roth in 2013, you have until October 15 to move the money back.

By Kimberly Lankford, September 15, 2014

I converted my traditional IRA to a Roth last year, and my investments have lost money since I made the conversion. Is it too late to change back?
It’s not too late, and losing money in your Roth IRA can be a good reason to undo the conversion. You have until October 15, 2014, to undo a conversion you made in 2013 (a process called recharacterization). After you move the money from the Roth back into a traditional IRA, you can file an amended tax return and get back the money you paid in taxes on the conversion.

8 Things New Grads Don't Yet Know About Saving Money

Ignoring these personal finance tips can have costly consequences.By Neal M. SweeneySee my bio, plus links to all my recent stories., August 22, 2014

If experience is indeed the best teacher, then 2014’s new grads are learning a lot of valuable lessons about money management as they settle into the real world. However, waiting to learn everything on your own can prove costly.
Here are eight things that most new grads don’t yet know about saving money -- but should. The payoffs can be significant and immediate.

When to Start Making Catch-Up Retirement Contributions

Supercharge your nest egg by upping your savings in the year you turn 50.

By Kimberly Lankford, September 24, 2014

I turn 50 in January. Can I make a catch-up contribution to my IRA for 2014, after my birthday, because I’ll be 50 before the April 15 deadline? Or do I have to wait until 2015 to start catch-up contributions?
That’s a good question. You have to be 50 by December 31 to make a catch-up contribution for 2014, so you will have to wait until 2015 to make your first catch-up contribution. But you can make the contribution as early as January 1, even if it’s before your birthday.

5 Cash-Back Web Sites for Online Shoppers

Get a portion of the money you spend returned when you make qualifying purchases from eligible retailers.

By Cameron Huddleston, September 2, 2014

When you shop online, don't limit your money-saving efforts to coupon codes, deal alerts and price comparisons. You can also benefit from cash-back sites that let you earn back a percentage of the money you spend on qualifying purchases.
Here's how it works: You register with a cash-back site typically by providing an email address and creating a password. Any time you want to shop, sign in and then click on a store from the site’s list of retail partners. If you buy something, the cash-back site gets paid a commission by the retailer. The site then shares a percentage of that commission, in the form of cash back, with you.

Worst U.S. Airports for Wi-Fi

Don't plan on surfing the Web for free at these eight major hubs.

By Rebecca Dolan, September 15, 2014

As if you didn’t already hate flying enough, having to pay for wireless Internet access at the airport just makes it worse. You might think in this day and age when major airports feature everything from spa services to upscale restaurants, a basic amenity such as free Wi-Fi would be a given. Unfortunately, there are still a few holdouts.

Safeguards for Debit Card Users

Some debit-card users soon will benefit from zero liability for fraudulent purchases.By Lisa GerstnerSee my bio, plus links to all my recent stories., From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014 Follow @LGers

Until now, the best way to minimize the chances of fraud when you swiped your debit card was to sign your name rather than punch in your PIN. By signing, holders of cards backed by MasterCard or Visa—the two dominant networks among debit cards—were assured of the same zero-liability coverage for unauthorized purchases that the com­panies extend in case of credit card fraud.

What to Expect From Your Health Insurance in 2015

An annual survey estimates the increase in costs and cost-sharing next year.

By Kimberly Lankford, August 22, 2014

I get health insurance through my employer. What changes should I expect in my coverage for next year?
The National Business Group on Health’s survey of large employers usually provides the first glimpse of changes employers will be making to their health insurance plans for the coming year. The survey focuses on large employers, who tend to pay a bigger portion of the costs than small employers, but the same trends apply no matter where you get your insurance.

Best Buys During Labor Day Sales, 2014

You'll find great deals on appliances, bicycles, outdoor items and more over the long holiday weekend.

By Cameron Huddleston, August 25, 2014

Many retailers will be marking down items for Labor Day sales this weekend, but sometimes it’s hard to know whether you’re really getting a good deal. In fact, more than half of those surveyed recently by deal site Offers.com said they don't know which sales are best. Well, we can help.
Here are five items that retailers will mark down most during Labor Day sales -- as well as items you should hold off buying because you’ll find better deals on them later in the month or into fall.

How Much It Costs to Boost Life Insurance Coverage

With term life insurance rates relatively low, it’s a good time to add coverage.

By Kimberly Lankford, September 16, 2014

I just moved for a new job and bought a new house, and I’d like to increase the amount of my life insurance. I have a $500,000 20-year term policy. How much would it cost to boost it to $1 million?
If you’re pretty young and healthy, it costs a lot less than you’d expect. A 30-year-old woman could pay as little as $214 per year for a $500,000 20-year term insurance policy and $354 for $1 million, says Byron Udell, CEO of AccuQuote.com. A healthy 30-year-old man would pay $244 for $500,000 and $421 for $1 million.

10 Ways to Save Money at Target

Put these strategies to use when you're shopping at this popular big-box retailer.

By Cameron Huddleston, August 22, 2014

I’m convinced that many of the residents of the small city where I live go to Target when they have nothing better to do (which, in a small city, is most of the time). And I frequently see friends post on Facebook that they went to Target -- or Tar-zhay, as some like to say -- to buy one thing but left with 20. So even though the big-box retailer’s sales and profits were down last year, there still are plenty of people spending a lot of money at Target stores.
If you’re a fan of the chain’s inexpensive-but-trendy products or like being able to buy food, toiletries, clothing, electronics and furniture all in one spot, there are several strategies you can use to spend less and save more the next time you shop at Target. As a bonus, you'll have even more opportunities to save now that Target plans to keep its stores open later.

Bargain or Trap?

It happens all too often: What seems like a bargain turns out to be a bad deal in disguise. If you've ever shelled out money for something you didn't need, bought shoddy merchandise because it cost less, or overspent on something you could have gotten cheaper elsewhere, you've been lured into wasting your money.
Don't take the bait. Try our nine-question quiz to see if you can sniff out the true bargains and avoid the traps.

View the original article here

New Reverse Mortgage Rules Protect Younger Spouses

If the older spouse dies, the younger spouse can stay in the home, but there is a cost.By Pat Mertz EssweinSee my bio, plus links to all my recent stories., From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014 Follow @PatEsswein

 

Poon Watchara-Amphaiwan
New rules are a relief for Wayne and Lynn Caudill.

Wayne Caudill took a reverse mortgage on the house he owns with his wife, Lynn, in 2012, after a job loss threatened the ability of the couple to keep their Roanoke, Va., home. Wayne, who was 62 then, met the minimum age to qualify, but Lynn, 55, was too young to be named a co-borrower; if he died or left the home permanently, she'd have to pay off the loan, most likely by selling the house. "It would be like being evicted from my own home," says Lynn.

How Credit Scores Can Boost Home Insurance Premiums

Got so-so credit? You are likely paying more in premiums than people with excellent credit.

By Kimberly Lankford, September 5, 2014

I know that your credit score can affect your car insurance premiums. Can it also affect your homeowners insurance rates?
Yes, in most states your credit score can make a big difference in your home insurance rates. A recent study by InsuranceQuotes.com, a Bankrate company, found that homeowners with poor credit pay 91% more for home insurance than people with excellent credit. Even people with median credit pay 29% more than those with excellent credit. “Insurers have found a direct correlation between a consumer’s credit and the likelihood that he or she will make a home (or auto) claim,” says Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst for InsuranceQuotes.com. The study defined “excellent” credit as the top 10% of credit-based insurance scores.