When Two Financial Lives Collide Later in Life
Finding love later in life can bring a renewed sense of possibility, but it can also come with homes, retirement accounts, trusts, business interests, adult children and estate plans that make financial decisions more complicated. According to a widely…
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
Once more, there were no bells, no whistles, this time not even two cans of Coca-Cola and a box of See’s Candies. Just a post on the company website and wide-blast press release. Warren Buffett is taking another step down, this time from his role…
Ask the Tax Editor, September 18: What Are Qualified Dividends?
Each week in our Ask the Tax Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week, she’s looking at four tax questions from readers on investments, including one on the definition…
SBA Loan Rules Just Changed: Here’s What Could Sink Your Application in 2026
If you’re planning to apply for an SBA loan this year, don’t assume the process works the way it did 18 months ago. The Small Business Administration has quietly rewritten several of the rules that determine who qualifies, how much collateral…
How Advisers Can Help Women Take the Reins of Their Retirement
Women are stepping into the retirement conversation with more power and purpose than ever. They control a growing share of household wealth, typically outlive their spouses and increasingly hold full authority over the financial decisions that shape…
The Insurance Policies Your Executor Needs to Know About
When you think about the inheritance you’ll pass down to your heirs, you’re likely thinking about your home, your savings, and maybe a few treasured family heirlooms. You’re probably not thinking about things like your home insurance or…
Will This ‘Tax’ Tear Your Family Apart, Even Though Their Inheritance Is Split Equally?
Right now, I’m watching three of my closest friends’ families fall apart in slow motion. The circumstances are different, but the arguments sound remarkably similar: “Mom already gave him money for years.” “Dad told me…
7 Tax Breaks and Strategies Gen X May Often Overlook
For Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, retirement looks vastly different from what it did for many of their parents and grandparents. As traditional pensions phased out, more responsibility for saving and investing shifted to individual…
The Case for Carrying a Mortgage Into Retirement
It’s common advice to try to enter retirement debt-free. The fewer fixed costs you have once your job-related paycheck disappears, the less financial stress you might have. But should your mortgage be the exception? For people who locked in pandemic-era…
Estate Planning Advice on Social Media Isn’t All Garbage, But It Can Still Cost You Dearly
It happens daily. Someone joins a local social media group asking for recommendations for an estate planning attorney. In a matter of minutes, the comments start coming. “You have a will — that’s enough.” “You don’t need an…