No doubt, you’ve been reading about the SECURE Act’s impact on retirement accounts. The SECURE Act was passed in December 2019. Regulations have not been issued as of yet, so be sure to talk with your attorney or accountant before taking any action.

It’s a new year! If you are one of the millions (99 million, according to WalletHub, a personal finance website) who make New Year’s resolutions, have you started working on any of them?

Last week, we talked about the law on required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2019. As anticipated, the president signed the SECURE Act into law on Dec. 20. As a result, beginning in 2020, RMDs will be subject to some new rules. (If you would like a copy of my May 23, 2019, column on the S…

The SECURE Act, which affects retirement accounts, may be signed into law by the time you read this. I’ll update you next week. In the meantime, let’s talk about the law on required minimum distributions (RMDs) as it stands right now.

Regulators are trying to figure out whether investors know what they are doing. Recent FINRA Foundation studies suggest that they don’t.

If you read last week’s column about mentoring young people to save and invest, let me give you some additional points and resources on 401(k)s to continue that dialogue:

In my column of a few weeks ago, I provided historical stock market data that surprised many of you. Based on your letters, I’m pleased to hear that you want to continue our dialogue on the topic. Come to think of it, this makes a great Thanksgiving topic, much more exciting than, what, politics?

Following up on last week’s column, here are some more mistakes commonly made with 401(k) plans:

Because the 401(k) is a powerful retirement investment tool, you need to put it on track early in your career and be sure that it does not derail. Let’s talk about some common mistakes I have seen people make, so you can avoid them.

A few weeks ago, we talked about a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement initiative that required financial firms to make payments to certain customers who purchased mutual funds with 12b-1 fees. The problem the SEC was addressing was not the 12b-1 fees themselves…

In celebration of National Retirement Security Week (Oct. 20-26), an effort to raise public awareness about the importance of saving for retirement, let’s talk about how to take advantage of one’s youth.

Do you own mutual funds? You may be getting a check in the mail if you bought them through a certain type of financial adviser, one who is both a registered representative of a brokerage firm (for example, Wells Fargo, acting as a broker-dealer) and an investment advisory representative of a…

Have you ever received an email from yourself, only you didn’t compose or send it? You can probably guess that this is a cybersecurity issue. What better time than now to discuss how this sort of thing can happen, since it’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The goal is a safer and mor…

Last week, we talked about finance books. I heard from a number of you suggesting additional books that you found helpful enough to recommend to others.

If you are a reader of this column, I assume that you enjoy reading about finance, investing, taxes and retirement. Do you also read books on these subjects?

Who’s worried about retirement? Would you believe millennials?

If you are a longtime reader of this column, you know I’m a strong supporter of financial literacy education for all, and I’m a big believer in identifying solid, unbiased resources for learning how to make good financial decisions. One of those resources is the Financial Industry Regulatory…

Have you noticed any changes with your brokerage account’s “sweep” account option? Sweep accounts are set up at the time you open your account; usually there is an option to sweep money you deposit into your brokerage account into a money market mutual fund to earn interest until you decide …

Have you ever received a notice from the IRS telling you that you owe money because of a “miscalculation” on your tax return? Millions of taxpayers receive such CP11 notices every year, according to the national taxpayer advocate’s Annual Report to Congress for 2018 (February 2019).

This year, it will be important to start the process of interacting with your tax professional early — perhaps even now. Why? Last year’s tax-act changes caused some surprises, such as underwithholding tax payments.

Where do you turn if you are looking for an accountant? Some suggest asking friends, colleagues and advisers for potential candidates. But before you do that, take time to assess your needs.

If you have an individual retirement account, do you recall filling out a beneficiary designation form? That’s the document that allows you to direct the IRA custodian to transfer your IRA to people you name in the form. The custodian is the institution that holds your IRA assets for you.

How do you do your taxes? Do you or your accountant use tax preparation software? Most people do. Only 10% of taxpayers don’t, according to the national taxpayer advocate’s recent report to Congress. The advocate heads the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

Do you want to start a conversation with a financial professional about relationships and services but don’t know how?