Health Care: Changes Ahead for Employers, Workers

Health Care: Changes Ahead for Employers, Workers

The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is likely to trigger change in a medical insurance landscape that, until now, has been dominated by employer-sponsored plans. But plan sponsors are not sitting pat. Many either have implemented, or plan to activate, alterations to their existing medical plans, largely to avoid an excise [...]

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The #1 Financial Mistake of 2012

Mistake #1: Focusing on everything else instead of your relationship with money. What I mean by your “relationship with money” is how you personally approach your economic activities like: how you earn money, how you spend it, save it or give it away – and the thoughts and feelings associated with those activities. What I [...]

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Getting Ready for Tax Season: Changes for 2012

Although most Americans will not have to worry about 2012 taxes until early 2013 when 2012 tax returns are due, self-employed individuals or anyone who must pay quarterly tax payments will want to plan ahead. And there’s good news for those that do. The IRS recently announced cost-of-living adjustments for the 2012 tax year that [...]

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Ten Best Advisor Blogs of 2011!

I am pleased to announce that my blog – NewWorldWealthConcepts has been chosen as one of Registered Rep.’s Ten Best Advisor Blogs of 2011! As part of a recent article about blogging basics, author John Kador considered over 50 advisor blogs to make this selection. The blogs were judged based on the quality of the [...]

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Preparing for Health Care Reform: The Summary of Benefits and Coverage

The battle over health care reform is still raging in various federal and state courts and may even make its way to the Supreme Court. But insurers and plan administrators still have to prepare for the eventuality that the new law will take effect as scheduled in 2014. In August 2011, the Treasury Department, the [...]

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Consumer Beware: More Sneaky Bank Fees on the Horizon

Consumer Beware: More Sneaky Bank Fees on the Horizon

Banks and other credit issuers saw their opportunities for generating revenue from fees charged to consumers severely hampered when the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act took effect in 2010. The new regulation capped overdraft fees and charges banks could assess to credit card customers.  As a result, many financial institutions have been [...]

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2012 Limits for Retirement Plans Announced

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans. An increase in the cost-of-living index triggered several changes to limits, which were unchanged from 2010 to 2011. Still undecided is an extension or further reduction to the one-year reduction in Social Security taxes (from [...]

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Households Hurting More Now Than During Recession

Households Hurting More Now Than During Recession

New research confirms a reality millions of Americans already know: Many households are worse off today than they were during the peak of the recession just a few years ago.1 During the recession, real median household income dropped by 3.2%, from $55,309 in December 2007 to $53,518 in June 2009. However, during the “recovery” period [...]

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Heightened Volatility: The New Normal?

It’s not your imagination: The stock market is bumpier than normal. The U.S. economy can’t find its footing — and every piece of bad news, whether at home or abroad, has the potential to send the markets reeling. All that volatility can make it tough on investors to stay the course. Historically speaking, the market [...]

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ETFs Take a Turn Toward the Exotic

Of the top-selling ETF strategies to emerge on the investment scene in 2011, many are first-of-their-kind innovations. For instance, the Asia Local Debt ETF (ALD) from WisdomTree Investments topped the list of launches with $470.98 million in net flows as of June 30, while the Managed Futures Strategy Fund (WDTI) from the same firm came [...]

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