Insights

Federal employees have access to one of the best retirement packages in the country. Between a guaranteed pension, generous TSP matching, lifelong health coverage, and Social Security, it's an enviable foundation. And yet, a surprising number of federal employees arrive at retirement with less security than they could have had, not because of bad luck, but because of avoidable mistakes made years or decades earlier.

For much of last week, stocks continued a rally that appeared headed for another week of gains. However, investors, who had been clinging to the prospect of monetary easing, had those hopes all but dashed after a better-than-expected jobs report (see below) doused any hopes of an interest rate reduction in the immediate future.

Most people think of Medicare and Social Security as two separate programs that happen to arrive at roughly the same stage of life. In practice, they are quite connected. The decisions you make about one will directly affect how you experience the other. Here is what that relationship actually looks like and why understanding it before you retire is worth your time.

Wall Street ended the week with broad gains, record-setting index performances, and a notable shift toward broader market participation beyond tech and AI shares.

What's Inside: Why Many Paper Millionaires Don't Feel Rich; The Race for AI Could Be Driving Up Your Power Bill; Voluntourism: Getting Away and Giving Back; The Voice of Experience: Advice on Aging from Older Americans; and What Can You Learn from Your Tax Return?

Most people understand, at least in theory, that they should have an estate plan. They know they probably need a will and they may have heard the word "trust" mentioned in a financial article or across a dinner table. And yet the majority of American adults have never actually sat down and done the work.

U.S. stocks opened last week with notable momentum, pushing the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 to record highs by mid-week. Investors apparently ignored lingering inflation and a politically charged Federal Reserve.

If you earn a strong income, you may already know the sting of the Roth IRA income limit. You sit down to make your annual contribution and discover that the IRS has effectively locked the door due to your income being too high to contribute directly to a Roth IRA.