IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, there are signs saying “we buy junk houses” and “we buy ugly houses.” These businesses target undesirable homes—those that have fallen on hard times and can’t be easily sold.
Maybe the homeowners couldn’t afford the upkeep or got tired of caring for the place. Whatever the reason, the result is houses that look sad and have lost market value. Contrarian buyers see the houses not for what they are, but for what they could be.

I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I memorized all sorts of statistics about professional athletes. Baseball is my favorite sport so I could easily recite batting averages, home runs, and earned run averages. 
I was a kid in Atlanta when the Braves came to town in 1966. I would listen to baseball games on my transistor radio and keep my own score book. Of course,

Seniors may be susceptible to participating in grey area fraud – my term.
Many seniors routinely have their toenails trimmed under Medicare. It’s a covered expense but only under certain medical conditions like a diabetes complication, but it’s convenient, less costly than a pedicure and many podiatrists are willing to oblige. 
Physical therapy is unlimited under Medicare as long as it is necessary for existing conditions and there is progress treating a condition. But hey it feels good.

In my analysis it will be less expensive for him to stay on employer sponsored coverage than going on Medicare. My understanding is that he could sign up for Part A but if he does he cannot contribute to his HSA.
Anyone have any insight on this, in general?

FIFTY YEARS AGO, when the first index funds were getting started, critics wasted no time attacking the idea. They called it “un-American” and a “sure path to mediocrity.”
But over time, indexing has grown to the point where it now accounts for more than half of all U.S. mutual fund assets. Last year, research firm Morningstar declared that “index funds have officially won.” But this victory seems to have only increased the level of criticism.

Several years ago I found a web site that listed fiduciary money managers nationwide and would list ones in your area and if they had been any complaints or they had been in trouble. I think this was a non profit website maybe run by the organisation who licenses them. I am not talking about a website like smart asset that these businesses pay to be listed and then you get bombarded by continuous e-mails afterwards.

My wife and I are 58 and 66, respectively. She’ll be retiring soon, but expects to launch herself in a new job for at least several years. I expect to continue working until just after turning 70. I’m in my dream job as the president of my local community bank. We are in our forever home enjoying single floor living. We’re both healthy and travel for a short and long vacation annually. Our four  kids are launched in their careers and doing well;

WHICH FINANCIAL dangers should we focus on? The possibilities seem pretty much endless. In fact, five years ago, I decided to make a list—and ended up offering readers 50 shades of risk.
Yet our notion of risk used to be far more circumscribed.
In the late 1980s, when I started writing about personal finance, insurance was considered important, but it wasn’t much discussed. Instead, the only risk that seemed to merit serious analysis was investment risk,

If I save on an after-tax basis in a 401k, (plan permitting) the earnings, upon distribution, are taxed as ordinary income and subject to RMDs. However, withdrawing my after-tax contributions only count toward the RMD until they are exhausted. If I save after-tax in a Roth account, the earnings are tax-free with no required withdrawals.
There are earnings limits on contributing to a Roth, but no income or account balance limits on Roth conversions. 
Roth distributions are excluded from MAGI and thus substantial income may not count toward IRMAA premiums,

Lately I’ve been thinking about the Fidelity ZERO series of funds. These are broad stock index funds, which is good, and they have zero fees, which is better. The downside, if it even is one, is that they track Fidelity proprietary indexes rather than industry standard ones. Fidelity also has outstanding standard index funds that track the industry standard broad indexes for low fees. My question to myself, and to anyone who cares to opine: is the difference worth any fee at all when I can pay zero?

The Employee Benefit Research Institute,  surveyed 3,600 retirees in 2024. The survey found younger retirees were much more reliant on Social Security than older ones. The oldest retirees, ages 74 and 75, reported that 52% of their income came from Social Security. The youngest, ages 62 and 63, said they drew 67% of their income from the retirement trust fund.
What is that telling us? Older retirees are more likely to have a pension. Younger retirees are not accumulating sufficient retirement assets?

TED BENNA IS OFTEN called the “father of the 401(k).” In 1980, he implemented the first 401(k) plan based on his somewhat bold interpretation of the Revenue Act of 1978. He certainly couldn’t have envisioned the $11.4 trillion in “defined contribution” 401(k) and 403(b) accounts that we have today.
Individual retirement accounts also took off in the early 1980s, and traditional IRAs now hold an additional $11.3 trillion. Combined, that’s an impressive $23 trillion in tax-deferred retirement assets.

In honor of my late father’s birthday today, I’ve decided to post an article I wrote many months ago but never released to Jonathan for publication. 
MY FATHER’S FINANCES has some parallels to my own. Like me, he saved his end of year paystubs. Using an inflation calculator, I was able to compare his earnings to mine. He was an accountant who rose to the highest level of his company, while I was an engineer who topped off at senior staff level,

We have been discussing the value of a 60/40 investment portfolio in HD as a way to balance risk/reward over the long term.
A report I read today suggests an all-equity portfolio, with a focus on international stocks, could be the key to maximizing retirement wealth compared to  60/40 allocation or target-date funds. It says an all equities portfolio is the far better way to build the largest nest egg possible for retirement; to generate a larger paycheck in retirement;

How much should we rely on studies, surveys, academically-generated tools and guides? I’m not sure, but they are used by policy makers so I guess we should pay attention. 
However, that doesn’t mean they are meaningful in personal retirement planning- that is unless you are average or typical. I’m guessing HD readers know that, but just I case. 
Consider the Elder Index from the University of Massachusetts. According to their website:
“The Elder Index can be a powerful tool for state and local advocates and aging service providers to educate policymakers,