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Mike Obel

Mike is a senior editor at SmartAsset, assigning, editing and publishing freelance articles and editing and publishing news pieces. He graduated with a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His experience includes writing and editing for TheStreet.com, Fox Business, International Business Times, the Oil and Gas Journal and The Associated Press. Mike also has done contract writing and editing for ConocoPhillips and BP plc. His work focuses on retail investors as they seek insight into equity and fixed-income markets, domestic and global economic trends, as well as financial and retirement planning. Mike's work has appeared in a wide range of weekly and daily publications, including the New York Times.

Posts by Mike Obel

SmartAsset: Backdoor Roth IRA Preserved
Retirement

This Lucrative Retirement Tactic Dodged Biden’s Axe

President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022. This is a trimmed-down version of the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion social spending initiative that had struggled to get votes in Congress. The expanded bill… Read more…

MLK as financial advisor
Financial Advisor

Martin Luther King Jr. As Financial Advisor: Here’s What He’d Recommend

While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his pioneering fight for civil rights and racial equality, he also promoted valuable practical wisdom about how to handle your money. Financial planning firm Facet has collected five of his top… Read more…

SECURE 2.0 Act Delays Start of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Retirement

Your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Have Officially Been Pushed Back

The SECURE 2.0 Act, signed by President Biden in December 2022, includes dozens of changes to provisions related to tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Among the most important changes is a provision, which took effect Jan. 1 of this year, that delays… Read more…

Morningstar's Financial To-Do List for 2023
Investing

Morningstar’s Financial To-Do List for 2023

New financial challenges and opportunities confront investors each year, but what’s not new is the optimal time to jump on many of these challenges and opportunities. Financial services firm Morningstar released a month-by-month guide of specific financial tasks to tackle… Read more…

SmartAsset: 3 Reasons Your Portfolio Is Underperforming and What to Do
Investing

Fidelity Breaks Down 3 Reasons Your Portfolio Is Underperforming: Here Are the Solutions

It’s no secret that equities and bonds took a shellacking in 2022. The downdraft from the highest inflation in four decades, sharply rising interest rates and persistent supply chain disruptions combined to hammer the S&P 500 some 25% by midyear.… Read more…

SmartAsset: What to Do With an Orphaned 401(k)
Retirement

Don’t Let Your Old 401(k) Become an Orphan: Here’s What to Do

U.S. workers have left more than $1 trillion in 401(k)s with former employers. That might not be all bad, especially if those plans are doing well. However, sometimes they aren’t, and these tax-advantaged accounts are neglected by their owners. Before… Read more…

SmartAsset: You’ll Never Guess What You Can Use Tax-Loss Harvesting On
Investing

You’d Never Guess You Can Use Tax-Loss Harvesting On This Asset

Bonds have taken a beating in 2022, but the damage to your portfolio may be less than meets that eye, provided you handle those losses in a tax-smart way. That’s because a technique more commonly associated with equities can ease… Read more…

401(k) statement
Retirement

41% of Americans Think They Pay Nothing in 401(k) Fees (They’re Wrong)

Fees are eating away at Americans’ retirement savings. And they’re woefully ignorant about this occurrence. That’s according to a study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that nearly 40% of 401(k) plan participants don’t understand the fees they… Read more…

SmartAsset: Saving 15 Years Earlier Can Earn You Over $1 Million More in Retirement
Retirement

T. Rowe Price Says Saving 15 Years Earlier Can Earn You Over $1 Million More in Retirement

A study by T. Rowe Price has found that the age at which you start saving for retirement can make a huge difference in the amount you will have accumulated by the time you retire. The study compares the effect… Read more…

Medicare Part B documents
Retirement

Why 2022 Medicare Part B Premiums Soared

The surprisingly big jump in Medicare Part B premiums for 2022 reflects the sky-high cost of a controversial Alzheimer’s disease drug. The premium hike will put more than a dent in the newly increased Social Security cost-of-living allowance, which worked out… Read more…