Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.It might not have made the headlines, but a recently passed piece of legislation could affect the IRAs and 401(k)s of millions of Americans beginning in 2020. So, if you have either of these accounts, or if you run a business, you'll want to learn more. The new laws, collectively called the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, include these noteworthy changes: • Higher a...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Have you thought about your New Year's resolutions for 2020? When many of us make these promises, we focus on ways we can improve some form of our health. We vow to get more physically healthy by going to the gym, or we promise to improve our mental health by learning a new language or instrument. But it's also important to think about our financial health – so it's a good idea to develop some a...
According to a recent survey, 76 percent of Americans reported having at least one financial regret. Over half of this group said it had to do with savings: 27 percent didn't start saving for retirement soon enough, 19 percent didn't contribute enough to an emergency fund, and 10 percent wish they had saved more for college.1 The saving conundrum What's preventing Americans from saving more? It's a confluence of factors: stagnant wages over many years; the high cost of housing and college;...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. As 2019 draws to a close, you may be anticipating – or have already received – a year-end bonus from your employer. Or you might be receiving a substantial cash gift for the holidays. (If you’re really lucky, you might get both.) You can doubtlessly think of many ways to spend this money right now, but how can you use it to help yourself in the long run? Here are a few suggestions: • Pay off some de...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. What does investing mean to you? If the word makes you think of transactions – buying or selling stocks and bonds – you're looking at just part of the picture. To work toward all your goals, such as a comfortable retirement, you need a comprehensive financial strategy. And for that, you might need to work with a personal financial advisor. But what, specifically, can this type of professional do for...
It's fairly difficult - even for professional investors - to consistently "beat the market." This realization led to the creation of index mutual funds, which are passively managed investment vehicles designed to match the performance of a particular market index by owning the same securities included in the index. Today there are hundreds of indexes and index funds tracking various types of assets.1 Still, index funds are not the only game in town, and there is plenty of discussion in the...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Why do you invest? For many people, here's the answer: "I invest because I want to enjoy a comfortable retirement." And that's certainly a great reason, because all of us should regularly put money away for when we're retired. But you can also benefit by investing in your family and your community. Let's start with your family members, particularly the younger ones. How can you invest in their future?...
As an investor, you probably pay attention to nominal return, which is the percentage increase or decrease in the value of an investment over a given period of time, usually expressed as an annual return. However, to estimate actual income or growth potential in order to target financial goals – for example, a certain level of retirement income – it's important to consider the effects of taxes and inflation. The remaining increase or decrease is your real return. Let's say you want to purchase a...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. It's probably safe to say that many of us are concerned about having enough money to cover our retirement years. In fact, some surveys have shown that we are more frightened of running out of money than we are of dying. What can you do to help alleviate these fears? Your first move is to create a retirement income strategy and you'll want to develop it well before you need to use it. While there are...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. As you're well aware, we've seen some sudden and sizable drops in the financial markets in 2019. While market volatility is nothing new, the recent plunges happened during a period of general political and economic unease. Still, it can be harmful to overreact to such events – especially if it means making radical changes to your 401(k). And yet, many people do just that. During market downturns, i...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. If you're in the early stages of your working life – or even in the not-so-early ones – the chances are pretty good that you will change jobs at some point. When that happens, you'll probably leave a few things behind – but will one of them be your 401(k)? Of course, you wouldn't really forget about your 401(k). (It does happen, however – over the period from 2004 through 2013, more than 25 million peo...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. It's probably safe to say that many of us are concerned about having enough money to cover our retirement years. In fact, some surveys have shown that we are more frightened of running out of money than we are of dying. What can you do to help alleviate these fears? Your first move is to create a retirement income strategy, and you'll want to develop it well before you need to use it. While there are m...
The Finance Department of the City of Tehachapi recently joined the ranks of local award winners. A very excited Hannah Chung found out at the beginning of September that she had been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for her Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2018 from the Government Financial Officers Association. The 18 member Executive Board of the GFOA bestows this certification on those they feel go above and beyon...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. It might not be on your calendar, but Aug. 14 is Social Security Day. Since it was enacted on Aug. 14, 1935, Social Security has provided some financial support for millions of Americans during their retirement years. While Social Security benefits, by themselves, probably aren't enough to enable you to retire comfortably, they can be a key part of your overall retirement income strategy – if you u...
Each year for its Retirement Confidence Survey, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) surveys 1,000 workers and 1,000 retirees to assess how confident they are in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement. Once again, in 2019, retirees expressed stronger confidence than workers: 82% of retirees reported feeling "very" or "somewhat" confident, compared with 67% of workers. A closer look at some of the survey results reveals various lessons today's workers can learn from current...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. What does investing mean to you? If the word makes you think of transactions – buying or selling stocks and bonds – you're looking at just part of the picture. To work toward all your goals, such as a comfortable retirement, you need a comprehensive financial strategy. And for that, you might need to work with a personal financial advisor. But what, specifically, can this type of professional do for...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. What's going on with the financial markets? Specifically, what's behind the price swings of the past several weeks? And, more important, how should you, as an individual investor, respond? To begin with, the recent volatility was not really all that extraordinary. The daily drops pushed U.S. stocks down about 10% from their recent record highs, although they have regained some of that ground. A 10% dro...
Many investors may be inclined to review their portfolios only when markets hit a rough patch, but careful planning is essential in all economic climates. So whether the markets are up or down, periodically reviewing your portfolio with your financial professional can be an excellent way to keep your investments on track, and midway through the year is a good time for a checkup. Here are three questions to consider. 1. How have my investments performed so far this year? Review a summary of your...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Regardless of what stage of life you're in, you must make financial and investment decisions that will be with you for the remainder of your years. But the moves you make when you're just starting out in your career may be quite different from when you're retired. So, let's look at some of these moves, stretched out across your lifetime. In your 20s and 30s: During this period, you should strive to...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Adviser.As a business owner, you can’t afford to ignore your competition. You can’t afford to miss out on the trends affecting your industry. You can’t afford to alienate customers. And here’s one more item to add to the list: You can’t afford not to create a retirement plan for yourself. Of course, you might think that, one day, you’ll simply sell your business and live off the proceeds. But selling a business...
No matter how much money you have or which life stage you're in, becoming financially independent starts with a dream. Your dream might be to finally pay off the mountain of debt you've accumulated, or to stop relying on someone else for financial support. Or perhaps your dream is to retire early so you can spend more time with your family, travel the world, or open your own business. Financial independence, however you define it, is freedom from the financial obstacles that are keeping you from...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Adviser. If you're a dad, you may well be pleased to unwrap some tools as Father's Day gifts. Of course, it might be a stereotype that all men are handy at repairs; women certainly can be every bit as good when it comes to building and fixing things. In fact, the construction process is valuable for anyone to learn – and the same skills that go in to creating and mending physical objects also can be applied t...
If you're a small-business owner, you probably pour your heart, soul and nearly all your money into your business. When it comes to retirement planning, do you cross your fingers and hope your business will provide the nest egg you'll need to live comfortably? What if you become ill and have to sell your business early? Or what if the business experiences setbacks just before you retire? Rather than relying on your business to define your retirement lifestyle, consider a tax-advantaged...
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Adviser. To achieve any of your financial objectives, you need to save and invest – that much is clear. But just how you save and invest may differ from goal to goal. Let's look at two common goals to see the differences in your savings and investment strategies. The first goal we'll consider is a dream vacation – one lasting a couple of weeks or more, possibly to an exotic locale. So, for the investments you...
A financial crisis can be scary at any age, but this is especially true when you're in your 40s or 50s. Perhaps you're way behind on saving for retirement or have too much debt from unnecessary spending. Or maybe an unexpected challenge, such as a job loss, illness or break from the workforce for caregiving responsibilities, took a direct hit on your finances. Regardless of how you got to this point, it's important to develop a strategy that will help you re-establish financial stability....