Kmpzzz / Shutterstock.com On Dec. 23, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion package that keeps the federal government from shutting down while also handing out legislative goodies for the holidays. These include, among other things, revisions to retirement law through the Secure 2.0 Act and to Medicare coverage through the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. The … Read more

Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com As you age, you probably hope to be healthy and mobile enough to live in your home for the remainder of your life without assistance from live-in caregivers. However, that vision for your golden years often doesn’t work out for many older adults. Many people won’t be able to age in … Read more

I’m a big fan of the Roth IRA and investors that understand it’s massive tax-free benefits are also. Recently a reader sent in this question about it: “I’ve been investing in a Roth IRA for several years thanks to your blog! I initially started in a basic index fund but after doing more research I … Read more

Cookie Studio / Shutterstock.com We’ve all had brainstorms that didn’t work out. But some awful ideas get made into products that cost big bucks to promote and then become embarrassing belly flops. Those products live on in our collective memory, a reminder that even CEOs and high-paid marketing whizzes are capable of blowing it. Here’s … Read more

wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com It’s a good time to own a home anywhere but especially in the South. The National Association of Realtors recently unveiled its forecast for 2023 and beyond. The NAR identified 10 U.S. real estate markets that it expects to outperform other metro areas in 2023, and all of them are in the … Read more

If you are a Costco member, you probably love the fact that fuel at the warehouse retailer is often much cheaper than you will find at many other gas stations. However, there are situations in which Costco gas might lose a bit of its price edge, at least for a period. As it turns out, … Read more

fizkes / Shutterstock.com Even though the annual inflation rate was 7.1% as of November 2022, according to the government’s most recent measurement, some items actually got cheaper this year. Here are some good places to start if you’re looking for good deals. 1. Smartphones insta_photos / Shutterstock.com According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) … Read more

Sharkshock / Shutterstock.com Aldi is a grocery store chain based in Germany that is quickly becoming a favorite alternative to other U.S. discount grocers like Walmart. The chain is known for carrying its own brands, which are generally less expensive than but comparable to national brand names. In fact, more than 90% of products at … Read more

Teddy Leung / Shutterstock.com Looking for a used car? Smart decision: Buying a gently used vehicle is almost always a better value than purchasing something brand new. But you need to do your homework before deciding on a make and model. Some used cars are a better deal than others, as a recent analysis from … Read more

Do you have $30,000 burning a hole in your pocket? You’ll be rewarded if you can invest it for the long haul. As this compound interest calculator demonstrates, investing $30,000 at a return of 8% for 20 years will leave you with $138,828. If you can secure a return of 10% over that time, you’ll … Read more