Posts by Ben Geier:
A 2019 report from the Federal Reserve on the economic well-being of U.S. households says that only 37% of Americans think that their savings are on track for retirement. The rising costs of living, medical expenses and long-term care can make it difficult to save enough for annual retirement expenses. With this context in mind, SmartAsset compared data from 100 cities nationwide to identify and rank the places where seniors are the most and least financially secure. Read more
While saving up for a down payment and closing costs can be difficult, the U.S. Census Bureau says that individuals in some cities are increasingly buying over renting. According to a recent report, almost three out of 10 owner-occupied homes are one-person households, which means that 36.2 million homes in 2020 were owned by single homeowners. SmartAsset crunched the numbers to identify and rank the cities where single homeowners are buying the most. Read more
The Federal Reserve says that revolving consumer credit debt – including debt from credit cards, home equity lines of credit and personal lines of credit – increased to $974.4 billion in February 2021, marking a 10.1% annual rate increase from the year prior. This is almost one-third of all consumer debt – which also includes student and car loans – and adds up to a grand total of $4.2 trillion. With so many people trying to pay off credit card debt, SmartAsset crunched the numbers to identify and rank the best cities where it’s easiest to do so. Read more
Pfizer is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in the United States. It is one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical corporations and ranked 64th on the Fortune 500 in 2020. The firm was… Read more
The traditional retirement age of 65 is not a universal benchmark, especially for many older workers who are staying in the workforce beyond this age. The Social Security Administration has set the… Read more
College graduation is a significant milestone in a young person’s financial life. At this juncture, millions of young adults a year in the U.S. are entering the workforce, living in their own… Read more
While there is still a long way to go, women have made significant strides over the last few decades to achieve greater equality in education, earnings and business ownership. According to data from… Read more
Divorce is not a particularly happy subject, but it’s something that many people will have to deal with at some point. The end of a marriage, though, needn’t mean the end of financial security for… Read more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that renewable energy can increase power grid reliability, improve air quality and create more jobs. Additionally, renewable energy can lower fuel and… Read more
Many Americans see housing as a more preferable investment when compared to the stock market, according to recent survey data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Of respondents surveyed in… Read more
Divorce is, unfortunately, the end result for many marriages. However, a marriage ending doesn’t need to mean the end of financial security for those involved. If you know the laws in your state and… Read more
Divorce is an unfortunate reality of life, as many marriages simply don’t stand the test of time. Financial issues following a divorce doesn’t have to be the reality, though. To avoid money problems,… Read more
As part of the CARES Act, which was passed in 2020, there is a provision temporarily amending the rules for taking early distributions from retirement savings plans, including 401(k) plans and… Read more
It’s no secret that the U.S. unemployment rate peaked at 14.7% in April 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak — up from a pre-pandemic rate of just 3.5% in February 2020. As the job market… Read more
Divorce is a tough time, but it’s unfortunately a reality for many people. While divorce can have a lot of negative impacts on people, one of doesn’t need to be on your finances. If you know the laws… Read more
Divorce is an unfortunate reality for many people, as marriages sometimes just don’t work out for the long run. A marriage falling apart, though, doesn’t have to spell financial ruin for those… Read more
Divorce isn’t a fun topic by any stretch, but it is an unfortunate reality for many people across the country. While divorce may be inevitable for some people, being ruined financially by a divorce… Read more
Safety is one of the top concerns for many families when picking a place to live. Besides the more recent public health concern of coronavirus infection rates, many Americans have usually looked for… Read more
A marriage can end in divorce, but it doesn’t mean your finances have to take a hit. If you know the law and are careful, you can escape your divorce without having to start over financially in… Read more
Marriage is supposed to be forever, but reality sometimes intervenes, and divorce becomes the only option. While a divorce is a difficult time personally, it doesn’t have to result in financial… Read more
Divorce is sad on many levels, but that doesn’t mean it needs to tragically affect your finances. If you’re considering divorce, you’ll need to make sure that you know the laws of your state so you… Read more
Young professionals have long looked to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other bustling cities as places of opportunity. But in the last few years, migration patterns have shifted to show that a… Read more
No one gets married thinking the union will end in divorce, but for some couples that’s just the reality. Just because a marriage doesn’t work out, though, doesn’t mean that anyone’s financial… Read more
As unpleasant as it may be to think about, sometimes marriages end up in divorce. A marriage ending doesn’t need to cause major financial harm, though. It’s imperative to know the divorce laws in… Read more
Even with everyone’s best efforts, sometimes a marriage doesn’t last and it ends in divorce. If you’re careful, though, a divorce doesn’t have to bring financial ruin. You just have to make sure you… Read more
