Most investors seek to avoid downturns in the financial markets. Unfortunately, volatility is an unavoidable part of being a long-term investor. The best time to plan for any type of volatility or financial crisis is in advance. But, even down markets and short-lived selloffs can present financial planning and investment opportunities. Here are three money moves to consider when the stock market is down. Put Extra Cash To Work With few exceptions, keeping excessive amounts of cash hurts your ability to build wealth. Even in periods of higher interest rates, the real return on cash after taxes and inflation can…

Will the Trump Administration push more beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage managed care plans? Will the Administration limit payments to the insurance companies that run those plans? Will it do both? Whatever Trump does, the consequences will be significant for older adults and younger people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health care. Done well, an overhaul of MA could help plans improve quality of care, operate more cost-effectively, and do a better job coordinating medical and personal care for their members. Done poorly, Trump could force older adults and younger people with disabilities into plans that increasingly cut…

Social Security Administration Eyes Cutting Off Payments For Thousands Social Security Administration officials are considering a policy that could effectively strip benefits from thousands of people. “A proposal to ban payments to people without Social Security numbers is circulating at the Social Security Administration,” reports Government Executive, noting it “could affect thousands of beneficiaries receiving retirement, disability, and low-income benefits.”​ At issue is a little-known practice: SSA sometimes allows an individual without an SSN to serve as a representative payee to manage benefit checks on behalf of someone eligible. The agency can make someone a representative payee even if they…

Eliminate Public Service Loan Forgiveness? A recent Wall Street Journal editorial calls for eliminating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The piece “A Student-Loan Write-Off to Repeal” argues that PSLF has veered far from its original purpose and should be scrapped. The WSJ editorial board notes that PSLF’s “supposed goal was to help government and nonprofit employers compete with private businesses that can pay more.”​ However, the editors claim the reality is quite different. “Instead, it rewards a politically favored group of workers and can make it harder for private businesses to compete,” it writes. The Journal’s message is clear:…

As millions of student loan borrowers try to navigate a repayment system mired in unprecedented turmoil, a new threat looms on the horizon: potential changes to the federal tax treatment of student loan forgiveness and and repayment. Collectively, these reforms may have significant and costly ramifications for many Americans who have student loan debt. Student loan borrowers are already facing a myriad of problems. The SAVE plan, a Biden-era income-driven repayment program that reduced payments for eight million borrowers, remains stuck in limbo as a legal challenge continues, and the plan appears increasingly likely to be struck down or repealed.…

If you’ve shopped for hotel stays and airfare, you may have been shocked by the sharp spike in pricing over the last few years. From revenge travel to treating yourself, you will probably have to work a little bit harder to get more joy from your travel spending. Paying a ton of money won’t guarantee perfect weather or a dreamy resort vacation. Who among us couldn’t use a little more money and a little more happiness? Previously, I had the pleasure of hearing Elizabeth Dunn speak about the science of happier spending at a financial conference. I thought I’d share…

The Final 30 Days To Claim Your Stimulus Check If Eligible For eligible individuals, the deadline to claim your $1,400 stimulus check is only 30 days away. Some Americans may still be eligible to claim the stimulus payment before April 15, 2025, but only if they act fast and file their 2021 tax return in the next 30 days. The IRS has been urging eligible individuals to file their 2021 tax return if they haven’t already received the Recovery Rebate Credit, a refundable credit for individuals who did not receive the last economic impact payments, commonly known as stimulus checks.…

If you have kids approaching college age or you’re planning to pursue a college degree yourself, it makes sense to wonder if your efforts will even pay off in the end. Not only are there college costs to contend with, but a frighteningly high percentage of degrees have been shown to have a negative return-on-investment (ROI). If you’re planning to pursue most liberal arts degrees, for example, you would be financially better off for life if you skip college and do something else instead. Then there’s AI, which is expected to have profound impacts on nearly every industry and potential…

Social Security Reform Should Include Private Investment Accounts, Says Fink BlackRock CEO Larry Fink put Social Security reform in the spotlight, suggesting a potentially controversial change: let Americans invest part of their Social Security taxes into private accounts for retirement. Speaking at BlackRock’s retirement summit, Fink argued this would allow workers to earn higher returns through the market. “The problem we have now, we have a plan called Social Security that doesn’t grow with the economy,” Fink said​ as reported by Semafor, pointing out the current program’s meager bond-bound growth. Social Security Reform: Fink’s Vision Links Retirement To Economic Growth…

Owning a small business can be a solitary grind. Rand Larsen’s SMB Community peer groups give entrepreneurs a place to vent, swap advice, and learn how to survive the chaos. Rand Larsen’s small business is small business. More specifically, his business is providing something like group therapy for other small business owners–over Zoom, and with a yearly $3,000 membership fee instead of an hourly rate. To join, a business must have at least $1 million in revenue. Most members are men in their 30s and 40s, ambitious and family-oriented, trying to build something bigger. The group helps them do that,…