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Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Collectively, Americans have $7 trillion invested in their IRA accounts. But on an individual level, a recent survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that the typical worker’s retirement account has a balance of only $63,000; among baby boomers, the group now entering retirement, the median balance is just $132,000. That leaves a big gap for people contemplating a $1 million retirement ..read more

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes We have received many questions regarding whether distributions made during 2015 to a charity is tax-exempt. The answer is finally here for many Americans who are age 70 ½ and older.  Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) which expired on December of 2014 has been made permanent by The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 signed into law by President Obama on December 18, 2015.  ..read more

Hiring and wages are both picking up: 72 percent of businesses hired employees in 2014 and 74 percent of them raised salaries in the same time period. That gives potential employees more options, and it makes holding on to your current staff more important than ever ..read more

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes It's contribution season, which means, IRA holders (and/or their employer in the case of an employer-sponsored plan) contribute a dollar amount into their IRA. All IRA contributions must be made by check, wire transfer, or cash. Certain requirements must be met in order to contribute to each account type. IRA contributions are discretionary, meaning that you are not required to make deposits every year. To help our readers understand contributions a bit better, we've answered the most frequently asked questions about Traditional and Roth IRA contribution ..read more

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes The beginning of the year is often a perfect time to look at your finances. The fast approaching tax deadline is an obvious incentive. While working on your tax return, you’ll have to look at what you earned in salary, interest, or dividends, how much you spent, and what you paid in mortgage interest or property taxes the past year ..read more

The first step self-directed investors take when they consider investing for retirement is research. What assets can you invest in? What types of accounts are available? Who offers these accounts? Are they truly self-directed?  How do you open a self-directed account? Research is the first step to performing your due diligence, and shouldn’t be neglected. However, the learning process doesn’t end there. Once you’ve chosen your investment, an account type, an administrator, and opened an account then you’ll want to keep up-to-date and strive to make the most out of your investment ..read more

Self-directed IRA owners can partner with others to take advantage of larger alternative investment opportunities, such as multifamily real estate properties. However, this strategy can only be successful when working within self-directed IRA rules and regulations. The following are three examples of mistakes that can happen when partnering your IRA funds. Protect your nest egg by avoiding them ..read more

Estimated reading time: 2 minute 30 seconds Don’t stress over taxes. Even though April 15 is getting closer, there are still things you can do to make filing your tax return easier. Better yet, you have time to open an IRA (three extra days—until April 18, 2016) or to take advantage of other deductions that can shave dollars off what you may owe Uncle Sam ..read more