HERE ARE THE LATEST trends in the world of investing:

The S&P 500 climbed 10.2% in 2024’s first quarter, adding to 2023’s 24.2% gain. Stocks are now up 46.9% since the October 2022 market low. These figures don’t include dividends.
The broad U.S. stock market, developed foreign markets and emerging markets all posted gains in 2024’s first three months. But mirroring much of the past 15 years, growth stocks—especially large-company growth stocks—fared better than value stocks,

JUST AS YOU CAN purchase umbrella liability insurance to protect your personal life, there are policies that cover business liability. These might be part of a business owner’s policy that also provides property coverage, or they can be bought separately.
General liability insurance typically covers bodily harm and property damage. But what about the risk that someone sues you for, say, behaving negligently or making a damaging mistake? For that, you might take out professional liability insurance,

GOT MONEY IN a regular taxable account? If you lose a lawsuit, the plaintiff won’t have much trouble claiming that money—which is why you might want umbrella liability insurance, sometimes known as excess liability insurance.
With homeowner’s and auto policies, a big chunk of your premium payment goes toward buying liability coverage. If somebody sues you because they’re hurt at your home or because you cause an auto accident, your homeowner’s and auto policies will cover your attorney’s fees and any judgment against you.

THE PHRASE “homestead exemption” occasionally refers to a break on property taxes that’s available in some states. But at issue here is something quite different: In some states, you can’t be forced to sell your home to satisfy the demands of creditors.
In states such as Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico, the amount of protection is capped at a relatively modest level. But in other states, such as Florida, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas,

IF YOU FILE FOR bankruptcy, the money in your retirement accounts should be protected from creditors. For employer-sponsored plans, such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans, the amount is unlimited. For IRAs, the protected sum is increased every three years and, as of April 1, 2025, stands at $1,711,975. If you roll over money from an employer’s plan into an IRA, this money should remain fully protected and not count toward the $1,711,975. But as a precaution,

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “asset protection”? It’s about fending off creditors who have a legal claim on your assets. That claim might arise because you took on too much debt or because you ended up on the wrong end of a lawsuit. While these might seem like two quite different problems, in both cases you could end up filing for bankruptcy.
By the time bankruptcy or litigation is threatened, however, there isn’t much you can do.

IF YOU RENT A HOUSE or apartment, your landlord’s insurance policy might cover the building, but it typically won’t cover your possessions. That is where renter’s insurance can come in handy.
The policies cover personal possessions, including furniture, computers, televisions and jewelry. If these items are stolen or damaged by a fire or broken water pipes, you should be reimbursed either for the current cash value or for the replacement cost. A policy might provide $50,000 in total protection,

HOMEOWNER’S insurance protects your house and personal belongings against risks such as fire, falling trees, theft and water damage from burst pipes, while also providing coverage if someone has an accident at your home and sues you. But are you fully protected?
Take a look at the policy’s coverage limits. Would you be able to rebuild your house for the sum specified—or should you call your insurer and ask that it be increased? Rebuilding could be far more costly than you imagine,

MANY DRIVERS VIEW auto insurance as protection in case they wreck their car or the vehicle gets stolen. But the policies serve another, equally important purpose: They protect you in case you’re sued. Here are the key elements of an auto policy:
Liability coverage. This tells you the maximum the policy will pay if you cause an accident in which somebody is hurt or which damages another vehicle or other property. Because of the risk of lawsuits,

THROUGH THEIR JOB, many people have disability insurance, which provides them with income if they can’t work. The term “disability” might suggest some sort of injury, but the vast majority of long-term work absences result from illnesses, such as heart disease or cancer. Don’t have disability coverage through your employer? You might want to buy a policy on your own.
Think of it as protection for your human capital’s income-earning ability. Disability insurance can be especially important for those who are single.

THIS IS A DEBATE between the confused and the self-interested. Ordinary consumers are typically confused by cash-value life insurance and leery of the steep premiums involved. Meanwhile, insurance salespeople are big proponents—but also biased because cash-value policies pay them hefty commissions.
In pushing cash-value policies, salespeople tout the investment advantages, forced savings, chance to earn additional dividends and ability to borrow against the policy. But in the end, the case for life insurance rests on two unique advantages.

MOST INSURANCE companies are either stock companies, meaning they are publicly traded and hence have outside shareholders, or they’re mutual companies, which means they should be solely focused on helping policyholders. In practice, this oversimplifies the issue. Even a mutual company has multiple constituencies that it needs to keep happy, notably its salesforce and headquarter staff, including senior executives. Result: Just because you buy a cash-value policy from a mutual insurer doesn’t mean that the salesperson isn’t collecting a sizable commission or that the policy’s ongoing costs will be low.

INTRIGUED BY cash-value life insurance? There are three types to choose from:
Whole life. This is the most conservative type of cash-value life insurance, with the insurer guaranteeing that your premiums will remain the same and that the policy’s cash value will earn a minimum rate of interest. A whole-life policy can also earn additional dividends that help your cash value grow faster, though these additional dividends aren’t guaranteed.
Whole life has received a big push from advisors who advocate BYOB,

WHILE MOST FOLKS don’t continue term insurance into retirement, permanent insurance is designed to provide lifetime coverage. Also known as cash-value life insurance, a permanent policy involves far higher premiums, because part of each premium goes into an investment account. When you die, the investment account’s cash value is used to pay the policy’s stated death benefit. If the cash value is less than the death benefit, the difference is paid by the insurance company and represents pure insurance,

LOOKING FOR LOW-COST insurance coverage that will deliver a big payout to your family if you die prematurely? Term insurance, which provides a death benefit and nothing more, will likely be your best bet.
When you first buy, you typically need to take a medical exam. Many term policies are convertible into permanent life insurance. Most are one of two types: annual renewable term or level-premium term.
Level-term policies are priced so you pay the same premium every year for,