Everything You Need to Know About Roth IRAs
Roth IRA contribution and income limits, the ins and outs of the backdoor IRA maneuver, and more.
Christine Benz
Christine Benz is Morningstar's director of personal finance and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances and the Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success. Follow Christine on Twitter: @christine_benz.
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4 Strategies for an Organized Tax Season
Has tax season become a frustrating paper chase? These tactics can buy you some relief.
Ann Garcia: How to Pay for College
The financial planner and author discusses the college application process, strategies for making college more affordable, and how college choice affects success later in life.
Experts Forecast Stock and Bond Returns: 2023 Edition
Thanks to higher yields and lower equity valuations, return assumptions are the highest they’ve been in years.
Retirement Income and Safe Withdrawal Rates in 2023
What high inflation and a poor performance from stocks and bonds in 2022 means for retirees this year.
A Year-End Portfolio Review in 7 Easy Steps
Check up on your portfolio’s health—and that of your whole plan—ahead of tax season.
How Did the Retirement Saver Portfolios Perform in 2022?
Falling stock and bond markets left these fully invested ETF and mutual fund portfolios with few places to hide.
Jeff Levine: Smart Tax Moves for 2023 and Beyond
The financial planning expert discusses Secure 2.0, tax planning before and during retirement, and whether investors should bank on continued low tax rates.
Tips for Last-Minute IRA Contributions
Rushing in a 2022 contribution before the April 18 deadline? Tax and IRA expert Ed Slott shares what you need to know.
3 Tricky Decisions for Every Retirement Plan
Not even experts agree about the ‘right’ withdrawal rate, long-term-care insurance, and annuities.
Mark Miller: Rebooting Retirement
The author and retirement expert discusses inflation’s impact on older adults, the job market for older workers, and practical strategies for maximizing Social Security and Medicare benefits.
How Did the Bucket Portfolios Perform in 2022?
A tough market environment played to the strengths of these conservative-leaning portfolios, though they couldn’t escape losses.
Important Tax Changes in 2023
Inflation is driving higher limits on retirement plan contributions this year, but it’s also lifting the amount of income that’s subject to Social Security tax.
Best of The Long View 2022: Investing
Some of our favorite clips from interviews with portfolio managers and investment specialists in 2022.
Best of The Long View 2022: Financial Planning and Retirement
Some of our favorite clips from interviews with financial planners, advisors, and retirement researchers over the past year.
Pre-Retirees: Is Your Asset Allocation Too Aggressive?
How to determine whether your asset mix is out of whack, your overall portfolio diversification is lacking, or you own too many investments.
4 Portfolio Lessons From 2022
Here are some key takeaways for investors after a tough year for most markets.
Christine Benz and John Rekenthaler: Revisiting What Is a Safe Retirement Spending Rate After a Tough Year
Christine and John discuss the key findings from ‘The State of Retirement Income’ study that they recently published.
Your 2023 Financial To-Do List
As the new year dawns, here’s your plan to get financially fit, one job at a time.
Your 2023 Tax Fact Sheet and Calendar
Bookmark this guide to stay abreast of the tax-related dates and data that should be on your radar this year.
Last-Minute Charitable-Giving Strategies for 2022
Tax and IRA expert Ed Slott shares tips for earning a tax break on charitable contributions.
How Worried Should New Retirees Be About Market Losses and High Inflation?
Sequence-of-returns risk can leave even the best-laid retirement plans in tatters. Here’s what to do about it.
Is Your Portfolio Diversified Enough?
For many investors, the answer is no. Here's how to fix it.
Are You Paying Too Much in Investment-Related Taxes?
Asset location is an important yet often overlooked part of portfolio planning.
Do You Own Too Many Investments?
Holding too many investments across too many accounts can obscure the big picture.
Are You Spending Too Much in Retirement?
When it comes to setting an in-retirement spending rate, flexibility pays.
The Ins and Outs of Tax-Loss Selling
Tax and IRA expert Ed Slott discusses the benefits of selling depreciated securities, along with must-knows about the wash-sale rule and cost-basis elections.
3 Financial To-Dos Before Year-End
Be sure to tend to these money matters before ringing in a new year.
Joe Wiggins: ‘Applying Behavioral Science to Make Better Investment Decisions’
A prominent author and investor shares his thoughts on hubris, choice overload, improvements the fund industry could make, and more.
Tips on Taking Last-Minute RMDs in 2022
Tax and IRA expert Ed Slott says that people taking required minimum distributions may have a bit of sticker shock this year.
What’s a Safe Withdrawal Rate Today?
What declining stock and bond prices and higher inflation mean for retirement income.
Are IRA Conversions in a Down Market a Good Idea?
Tax and IRA expert Ed Slott on when conversions can result in the greatest tax savings—and what to know before you execute them.
5 Strategies for Portfolio Withdrawals in 2022
With both stocks and bonds underwater, here's how retirees can manage portfolio withdrawals this year.
A Year-End Bucket To-Do List
These seven steps tackle a lot of jobs: refilling cash, rebalancing, tax planning, and charitable giving.
An Introduction to Christine Benz's Model Portfolios
These portfolios can help investors meet their needs at any life stage.
Jamie Hopkins: A Framework for Financial Freedom
The author and retirement-planning expert discusses goals-based planning, managing sequence risk, and bucketing.
How to Roll Over an Old 401(k)
Is deciding what to do with an orphan 401(k) on your to-do list? Here are seven steps for getting it done.
3 Ways to Manage Capital Gains Distributions in 2022
Despite poor returns for most funds this year, many are distributing capital gains.
How to Create Your Estate Plan: A Checklist
Follow these steps to tackle this daunting task.
Wesley Gray: ‘I Just Don’t See Human Nature Changing’
The author and founder of Alpha Architect on market efficiency, trend-following, and investor behavior.
The Bucket Approach to Building a Retirement Portfolio
A diversified portfolio with various time frames can help you meet your income needs during retirement.
Dr. Preston Cherry: ‘Money and Life Intertwined’
A financial planner and financial planning professor on the value of mentors at every life stage, the evolution of financial advice, and what works in financial education.
You Can Make IRA Contributions at Any Age. But Should You?
Traditional IRA contributions after RMD age may make sense in a handful of situations, but not many.
If You Haven't Taken RMDs Yet in 2022, Watch This Video
Strategies for making the most of your required minimum distributions in a volatile market.
Morningstar’s Top Minimalist Fund Picks to Simplify Your Retirement Portfolio
Whether you’re seeking a single-fund option or using the building-block approach, here are some of our analysts’ best ideas.
Feraud Calixte: ‘Your Self-Worth Is Not Your Net Worth’
A financial planner discusses how the hourly model for financial advice serves clients who are shut out of traditional advice models.
Is It Too Late to Inflation-Proof Your Portfolio?
Some inflation hedges make more sense than others today.
When Higher Inflation Meets Your Withdrawal Rate
While few are predicting a 1970s-style inflation spiral, it’s still worth thinking through how inflation could affect your plan.
Are Target-Date Funds Good Investments?
They may just be the best development for investors since the index fund.
Positioning a Portfolio in Early Retirement
A frugal couple assesses their portfolio in the midst of volatility and a transition to true retirement.