NEW YORK -- Preparing for an annual financial review may be easier with a checklist to help you focus on important matters. With that in mind, here is the balance of the list we started earlier this month of key considerations that you may want to discuss with your financial advisor.Am I taking full advantage of tax-advantaged accounts? Remember that certain types of investments ...

NEW YORK -- Preparing for an annual financial review may be easier with a checklist to help you focus on important matters. With that in mind, here is a partial list of key considerations that you may want to discuss with your financial advisor.Do I need to rebalance my asset allocation? Depending on the performance of your investments, you may want to examine whether your mix of ...

NEW YORK -- The typical American family reflected in iconic television shows of the 1950s and 1960s, in which the husband went off to work each morning and the wife happily played out the role of homemaker, is firmly in the minority. By 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that six in 10 families with children have two working parents. What's more, the majority of Americans ...

NEW YORK -- The typical American family reflected in iconic television shows of the 1950s and 1960s, in which the husband went off to work each morning and the wife happily played out the role of homemaker, is firmly in the minority. By 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that six in 10 families with children have two working parents. What's more, the majority of Americans ...

NEW YORK -- When was the last time you checked your beneficiary designations for your individual retirement account (IRA), employer retirement plan, annuity or life insurance policy? If you haven’t examined it since the account was set up, you are not alone. But don’t hesitate.Due to changing circumstances and shifting priorities, you may find that your named beneficiaries are no longer ...

NEW YORK -- In today’s Internet-enabled, do-it-yourself world, many investors are opting to go it alone. They pick their own stocks, bonds and funds; choose their own strategies; and make their own buy-and-sell decisions. While this self-directed approach may work for some, it may not be the wisest course for many.Investment Complexity May Require Professional AdviceInvestors today can ...

NEW YORK -- Last week we looked at performance and fees. Today we focus on key points for investors to take away from the active vs. passive discussion.Since the first index fund was invented in 1975, the debate has raged between active and passive investing styles. Passive investors adhere to the principal of market efficiency, which holds that all information available about a company ...

NEW YORK -- Since the first index fund was invented in 1975, the debate has raged between active and passive investing styles. Passive investors adhere to the principal of market efficiency, which holds that all information available about a company is reflected in its current stock price. Rather than trying to second-guess the market, passive investors buy the entire market, or a ...

NEW YORK -- Maintaining stable prices is one of the three pillars of US monetary policy. Although commonly associated with inflation, price stability also seeks to manage lowflation, or worse deflation, which is just as disruptive to a growing economy.Measuring the Impact of Falling PricesThe U.S. economy had two periods of sustained price declines in the past 100 years. From late 1929 ...