Svetikd | E+ | Getty Images Roth individual retirement account conversions are a popular way to reduce future levies on pretax 401(k) or IRA withdrawals — and you can smooth out the upfront tax hit with a “Roth conversion ladder,” experts say. Roth conversions transfer pretax or nondeductible IRA money to a Roth IRA, which offers future tax-free
Personal finance
Grace Cary | Moment | Getty Images Whether you’re mid-career or nearing retirement, it’s important to know where you’re investing — and how those accounts could impact future taxes, experts say. Many workers are heavily concentrated in tax-deferred savings via a pretax 401(k) plan or traditional individual retirement accounts, which incur regular income taxes on
Ridvan_celik | E+ | Getty Images Employment scams surged last year, as criminals leveraged artificial intelligence to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting job seekers, experts said. Consumer reports of job scams jumped 118% in 2023 from the prior year, according to a recent report by the Identity Theft Resource Center. Thieves generally pose
Vanessa Acosta marries Sam Roberts in their backyard in Pasadena, California, on May 25, 2024. Courtesy: Vanessa Acosta Last year, Vanessa Acosta and Sam Roberts found their dream venue for a black-tie wedding. But a series of family events made the couple reconsider their plans: “We don’t need to do this big thing where we’re
Erin Collins, national taxpayer advocate at the Taxpayer Advocate Service, speaks at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images There’s a pileup of tax identity theft cases at the IRS — but the agency is working on a “range of improvements” to speed up
Johner Images | Johner Images Royalty-free | Getty Images Many retirees don’t think about taxes until it’s time to withdraw funds from a pretax account, which can be a costly mistake, financial experts say. Only 3 in 10 Americans have a plan to reduce taxes on retirement savings, according to a Northwestern Mutual study from January
Tolgart | E+ | Getty Images Cybercriminals are targeting wealth accounts by tapping into a victim’s emotions. So-called romance scams involve building a relationship and trust with the victim so that the target willingly provides access to their accounts or transfers money to the criminal, explained Tracy Kitten, the director of fraud and security at
Skaman306 | Moment | Getty Images It wasn’t long ago that investors earned practically 0% returns on cash. As the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates high to combat high inflation, you can easily earn 5% annual percentage yields on savings accounts and other low risk vehicles. Some experts are now warning it’s possible to
Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images Although the unemployment rate has spent 30 months at or below below 4% — a near record — not everyone who wants a job has one. And not everyone even wants a job at all. Some, referred to as “NEETs,” which stands for “not in employment, education, or training,” are
Peopleimages | Istock | Getty Images To effectively plan for your retirement, experts say, you need to watch your savings rate and total nest egg. But how much you really need to have set aside depends on another number — your life expectancy. Yet that figure is also the most elusive — no one knows
Spotmatik | Photodisc | Getty Images While lawmakers have a growing interest in taxing the ultra-rich, last week’s Supreme Court ruling could threaten future wealth tax proposals, experts say. In Moore v. United States, the Supreme Court blocked a challenge to the “mandatory repatriation tax,” a one-time levy on certain foreign investments enacted in 2017.
U.S. President Joe Biden is flanked by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as he speaks about administration plans to forgive federal student loan debt during remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 24, 2022. Leah Millis | Reuters The Biden administration is pausing student loan payments for about