You may have a stock in your brokerage account that has a very large gain since you originally purchased it. If you were to go and sell the stock, outside of a retirement account, you would pay taxes on the profit you made on the investment. This is called a “capital gain”.
If you are the owner of an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) you may be aware that at age 73 (or 75, depending on your birth year), you are required to withdraw a small portion of your account and pay taxes on the amount withdrawn.
This time of year it is not uncommon to find yourself burdened with an abundance of credit card debt. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) provides this list of their top six tips to help you come out from under the weight of credit card debt.
Many young people face the dilemma of looking to purchase a home while still having student loan obligations. For example, you might question, is it better to pay off the student loan in its entirety and then work towards saving for a home purchase? Or continue paying off the student loan while saving for the home purchase?
The theory of, “reduce my risk as I near retirement” has been a long-standing investment mantra for many years. However, a reduction in risk at retirement age may not be the best course of action for every investor. The theory of reduction in risk as you near retirement needs to be looked at more closely.