Your investment is usually protected against market downturns, in that most products, you are guaranteed to never have a return below 0%. However, your earnings are generally capped at a certain amount, so any index gains that are above the stated maximum percentage are not credited to your annual return.

As a result, I commonly get approached by individuals who are looking for advice on what their upcoming divorce means to their 401k, IRA, or other retirement plan. Divorce planning is tricky anyhow, but when you throw in retirement assets it opens up to a whole new dimension. 

There are requirements for a spousal Roth IRA that you should be cognizant of when looking into setting up this plan. First and foremost, you must be married legally by a court of law.

Many eRollover readers have expressed a concern about Identity Theft. While Identity Theft is outside the scope of our normal conversations, I would like to address the issue and explain how your credit profile, banking information, or Identity can be hijacked. 

Today, Identity fraud has become one of the most common consumer thefts of the decade. It has been featured in different kinds of magazines and tv shows. It appears that each year the quantity of cases being released increase drastically. In America alone, over 27 million cases

Retirement planning is a vital step for all of us. However, retirement planning is not an easy topic for any of us to jump into since there is quite a bit of fear of the unknown. You can take control of your retirement though, by starting to educate yourself about the process, and putting the building blocks in place by way of a financial plan. 

Ideally, you want to be able to enjoy our golden years comfortably without having to worry about running out of money. Planning your retirement is a key component to enable that your ultimate retirement goal comes to fruition

Making a spur of the moment sale based solely on emotion can have long term ramifications. In the graph below, you can see where the S&P 500 dropped from right around 1,160 to 1,065 rather quickly.

Over 90% of deferred annuities are never "annuitized", that is, converted to that monthly check in the mail. So let's take a look at some of the attributes of annuities and, in the process, clear up many misunderstandings about this vehicle.

A new 3.8 percent tax on high income taxpayers’ unearned income, including annuity withdrawals. The tax will take effect in 2013.

If a 401k transaction such as a rollover is done incorrectly, major penalties and complications may arise. If done correctly, you can continue with a more comprehensive financial plan. Depending on the number of years that you have with a company, your 401k nest egg could be substantial. Therefore, regardless of the reason for the separation of service, it is important to handle this transaction very carefully.

It is almost April 15th, the day of reckoning for taxes. Individuals are scrambling to find tax deductions, yet the one thing that many forget for some reason is to make a contribution to their IRA. Depending on the type of IRA, this whole amount can be taken out of your gross income. Here are the different types of IRA plans, along with the contribution limits for each plan.

Any individual can open and make contributions to a traditional IRA, as long as you, or your spouse (if you file a joint return), received taxable earned compensation during the year and you were not 70 ½ years old by the end of the year..

Federal income tax time is here again, and many look with fear and apprehension to April 15th. However, since taxes are the only thing certain besides death, here are certain things that you should think about as the filing date looms.

With the tax filing deadline close at hand, here are the top 10 tips the IRS wants you to know if you are still working on your federal tax return.

While financial considerations cannot be understated, long-term care insurance isn't only about money. It's also about peace of mind. Having it ensures you'll have access to first-rate care when you need it. It also means you won't have to be dependent on others or be a burden to your children. 

There are countless ways that new technologies have helped people get a handle on their finances. Whether it is the internet itself, the rise of the number of business cable networks, or some other variation, consumers are better informed than ever. 

Podcasts have played an explosive role in the education of the average investor since you can download them automatically to your favorite music device or phone. I know many people that have abandoned music while running or lifting weights, instead choosing to spend the workout listening to programs that will keep them informed and keep them in the loop. Since there are a tremendous amount of financial podcasts to choose from, we have gone out to the net and come up with our own "Best of" list of podcasts.

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