Medicare Open Enrollment Kicks Off
Medicare’s Open Enrollment period began on October 15 and runs through December 7. If you are covered by Medicare, it’s time to compare your current coverage with other available options. Medicare plans can change every year, and you may want to switch to a health or prescription drug plan that better suits your needs or your budget.
During this period, you can:
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, and vice versa
- Change from one Medicare Advantage Plan to a different Medicare Advantage Plan
- Change from a Medicare Advantage Plan that offers prescription drug coverage to a Medicare Advantage Plan that doesn’t offer prescription drug coverage, and vice versa
- Join a Medicare Part D drug plan, switch from one Part D plan to another, or drop your Part D coverage
Any changes made during Open Enrollment are effective as of January 1, 2025.
Original Medicare (Part A) hospital insurance and (Part B) medical insurance) is administered directly by the federal government and includes standardized premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance costs.
A Medicare Advantage (Part C) Plan is an alternative to Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage Plans cover all Original Medicare services and often include prescription drug coverage and extra benefits. They are offered by private companies approved by Medicare. Premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance costs vary by plan.
Medicare (Part D) drug plans, like Medicare Advantage Plans, are offered by private companies and help cover prescription drug costs.
Key changes for 2025
- Medicare Part D: As of January 1, all Medicare Part D plans will include an annual $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket on costs for prescription drugs covered by the plan. No copayment or coinsurance costs for Part D drugs will apply for the rest of the year. In addition, enrollees can opt in to a Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to pay their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs monthly rather than all at once at the pharmacy.
- Medicare Advantage: During the summer, Medicare Advantage Plans will send out a mid-year statement to enrollees that shows supplemental benefits available but unused and remind enrollees how to take advantage of them.
- Original Medicare: Starting in July, more caregivers of people with dementia who are not residing in a nursing home and are covered by Original Medicare may have access to a model program called Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE). This program, which initially rolled out in July 2024, provides a 24/7 support line, care coordination, referrals to community-based social services, caregiver training, and respite services. Although this program will be expanded in 2025, it won’t be available in all communities. Visit the CMS Innovation website at cms.gov to find out if a program is available in your area.
Compare your options
Start by reviewing any materials your plan has sent you. Look at the coverage offered, the costs, and the network of providers, which may be different than last year. Maybe your health has changed, or you anticipate needing medical care or new or pricier prescription drugs.
If your current plan doesn’t meet your healthcare needs or fit your budget, you can make changes. If you’re satisfied with what you currently have, you don’t have to do anything — your current coverage will continue.
If you’re interested in a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Part D drug plan, you can use the Medicare Plan Finder on medicare.gov to see which plans are available in your area and check their overall quality rating. For personalized information, you can log in or create an account to compare your plan to others and see prescription drug costs.
Get help
Determining what coverage you have now and comparing it to other Medicare plans can be confusing and complicated, but help is available. Call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit the Medicare website to use the Plan Finder and other tools that can make comparing plans easier. You can also call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free, personalized counseling. Visit shiphelp.org to find the phone number and website address for your state.
Can You Access Your Retirement Plan Money After a Disaster?
If you have been affected by Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, or another recent federally declared major disaster, you may be relieved to hear that over the past few years, it has become easier to access your work-based retirement plan and IRA money. Following is a summary of the rules for qualified disaster recovery distributions and disaster-related plan loans. For more information, please contact your retirement plan or IRA Administrator.
Penalty-free distributions
Since 2019, many work-based plan participants affected by disasters have had the option to take a hardship withdrawal from their plan accounts to help recover from qualified losses. Generally, hardship withdrawals are subject to a 10% early-distribution penalty for those younger than 59½, as well as ordinary income taxes.
In 2022, the SECURE 2.0 Act ushered in a new provision allowing retirement savers to take qualified disaster recovery distributions of up to $22,000 in total, penalty-free, from their retirement accounts. Plans include (but are not limited to) 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457(b) plans, and — unlike hardship withdrawals — IRAs.
The distribution must be requested within 180 days of the disaster or declaration, whichever is later. Although ordinary income taxes still apply to qualified disaster recovery distributions, account holders may spread the income, and therefore the tax obligation, over three years.1
Moreover, account holders have the option of repaying the amount distributed, in whole or in part, to any eligible retirement plan within three years, thereby avoiding or reducing the tax hit.2 (Note that if a work-sponsored plan does not accept rollovers, it is not required to accept repayments.)
An individual is qualified for a disaster recovery distribution if their primary residence is in the disaster area and the individual has suffered a disaster-related economic loss. Examples of economic loss include:
- Loss, damage to, or destruction of real or personal property from fire, flooding, looting, vandalism, theft, or wind
- Loss related to displacement from the individual’s home
- Loss of livelihood due to temporary or permanent layoff
This is not a comprehensive list; other losses may also qualify.
Although work-based plans are not required to offer qualified disaster recovery distributions, an individual may treat a distribution as such on his or her tax returns. Qualified disaster recovery distributions are reported on Form 8915-F.
Plan loans
Rather than taking a distribution and having to report it as taxable income, work-based plan participants (but not IRA account owners) may also be able to borrow from their plan accounts.
Typically, plan loans are limited to (1) the greater of 50% of the participant’s vested account balance or $10,000, or (2) $50,000, whichever is less. In addition, loans generally need to be repaid within five years. However, with respect to a qualified disaster, employers may raise the loan limit to as much as the full amount of the participant’s balance or $100,000, whichever is less (minus the amount of any outstanding loans). Employers may also extend the period for any outstanding loan payments due in the 180 days following a disaster for up to one year; the overall repayment period will adjust accordingly.
Employers are not required to offer plan loans or modify plan provisions due to a disaster.
For more information on qualified disaster recovery distributions and disaster loans, please speak with your IRA or retirement plan administrator, and consider seeking the guidance of a qualified tax professional.
For more information about disaster assistance available from the IRS, please visit www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations.
For information specific to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, please visit www.usa.gov/disasters-and-emergencies.
For general information about disaster financial assistance available from the federal government, please visit www.usa.gov/disaster-financial-help.
1) Alternatively, an individual may elect to report the entire distribution in the year it is made.
2) Taxpayers may file an amended tax return for taxes previously paid on the distribution(s).
The Fed Finally Cut Interest Rates. What Could It Mean for Your Finances?
On September 18, 2024, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the benchmark federal funds rate one-half percentage point to a range of 4.75% to 5.0%. It was the first rate cut since the Fed raised the funds rate aggressively from March 2022 to July 2023 to help control inflation.1
The long-awaited policy shift suggests that a soft landing — the rare feat of bringing down inflation without causing a recession — is in sight. It also marks a critical juncture for the economy, with significant implications for consumers, businesses, and investors.
Why now?
The Federal Reserve operates under a dual mandate to foster maximum employment and stable prices for the benefit of the American public. For a couple of years rising prices have been considered the more serious threat, but the inflation rate has moved much closer to the Fed’s 2.0% target.
Officials now see these two risks as “roughly in balance.” In his post-meeting press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, “The labor market has cooled from its formerly overheated state, inflation has eased substantially from a peak of 7% to an estimated 2.2%, as of August.”2
In recent months, job gains have slowed considerably, and unemployment climbed from 3.8% in March to 4.2% in August. Powell maintained that employment data remains at solid levels, but recent changes suggest the downside risks have increased.3–4
Relief for borrowers
Lowering the federal funds rate helps to reduce borrowing costs across the board, creating breathing room in the budgets of many households and businesses.
The prime rate, which commercial banks charge their best customers, typically moves with the federal funds rate. Though actual rates can vary widely, small-business loans, adjustable-rate mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, and other forms of consumer credit are often linked to the prime rate, so the rates on these types of loans should adjust lower relatively soon after a Fed rate cut.
Borrowers with home equity lines of credit, adjustable-rate mortgages, credit card balances, or other outstanding loans with variable interest rates should see their monthly payments fall as well, in many cases within a couple of billing cycles.
Mortgage rates are influenced by a mix of complex factors that includes Fed policies, longer-term inflation expectations, and government bond market dynamics. The rates for 30-year fixed mortgages, which tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, fell steeply in August after government reports confirmed that inflation and the job market were cooling.5
The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.09% on September 19, the lowest in 19 months. This is down from a recent peak of 7.22% in early May. Aspiring home buyers have gained significant purchasing power since last spring and mortgage rates may continue to fall gradually, but it’s also possible that much of the anticipated decline in interest rates has already been priced in.6
Too much cash on hand?
Savers have enjoyed being rewarded for holding cash in high-yield savings accounts and short-term certificates of deposits (CDs). Although it may not happen overnight, they should be prepared for the yields on these accounts to follow the Fed funds rate downward. Some bank CDs had a feature allowing the bank to “call” them before they mature.
Investors who have more cash savings than they expect to need in the next couple of years might consider locking into today’s relatively high yields by shifting money into CDs or bonds with fixed interest rates, without a call feature, and longer terms. For example, someone could purchase bonds that mature when the money is likely to be needed for retirement expenses or to pay for a child’s college education.
Moving more money into stocks, which have historically generated higher average returns over time, is a riskier option that may be appropriate for investors who intend to hang on to them for the long haul, but only if they can endure frequent price swings.
Rate cuts in a strong economy
Past rate-cutting cycles have aimed to boost growth when the economy was in trouble, which doesn’t appear to be the case this time around. Powell stated clearly, “The U.S. economy is in a good place. And our decision today is designed to keep it there.”7
In the second quarter of 2024, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at a healthy 3.0% annual rate, and recent forecasts based on the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model indicate that the economy grew at a similar pace in the third quarter.8–9
The September rate cut — which officials hope will keep job market conditions from worsening — is presumably a starting point. The Fed plans to keep cutting interest rates until they reach a neutral stance that should no longer impact the economy for better or worse. According to current FOMC projections, the fed funds rate could drop an additional 0.50% by the end of 2024, and another 1.0% over 2025.10
It can take time for borrowing rates to respond to changes in the fed funds rate and noticeably impact the decisions of consumers and businesses. This “lag” in the effects of monetary policy is one reason that some people fear the economy is not out of the woods.
Whatever happens next, the Committee intends to make policy decisions “meeting by meeting based on the incoming data, the evolving outlook, and balance of risks.”11
The FDIC insures CDs and bank savings accounts, which generally provide a fixed rate of return, up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured institution. The return and principal value of an investment in bonds or stocks fluctuate with changes in market conditions and, when sold, these securities may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investments seeking to achieve higher yields also involve a higher degree of risk. Forecasts are based on current conditions, subject to change, and may not come to pass.
1, 9–10) The Federal Reserve, 2024
2, 4, 7, 11) The Wall Street Journal, September 18, 2024
3) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024
5) The New York Times, August 8, 2024
6) Freddie Mac, 2024
8) U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024
Required Distributions: Changes You Need to Know
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) changed the rules for taking distributions from retirement accounts inherited after 2019. The so-called 10-year rule generally requires inherited accounts to be emptied within 10 years of the original owner’s death, with some exceptions. Where an exception applies, the entire account must generally be emptied within 10 years of the beneficiary’s death or within 10 years after a minor child beneficiary reaches age 21. This reduces the ability of most beneficiaries to spread out, or “stretch,” distributions from an inherited defined contribution plan or an IRA.
In 2022, the IRS issued proposed regulations that interpreted the revised required minimum distribution (RMD) rules. Final regulations have now been issued and are generally applicable starting in 2025. They basically adopt the proposed regulations, while reflecting some changes made by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and including certain changes in response to comments received on the proposed regulations. Under these regulations, some beneficiaries could be subject to annual required distributions as well as a full distribution at the end of a 10-year period. Account owners and their beneficiaries may want to familiarize themselves with these changes and how they might be affected by them.
RMD basics
If you own an individual retirement account (IRA) or participate in a retirement plan like a 401(k), you generally must start taking RMDs for the year you reach your RMD age. RMD age is 70½ (if born before July 1, 1949), 72 (if born July 1, 1949, through 1950), 73 (if born in 1951 to 1959), or 75 (if born in 1960 or later). If you are still working for the employer that maintains the retirement plan, you may be able to wait until the year you retire to start RMDs from that account. Failing to take an RMD can be costly: a 25% penalty tax (50% prior to 2023) generally applies to the extent an RMD is not made.
The required beginning date (RBD) for the first year you are required to take a lifetime distribution is no later than April 1 of next year. After your first distribution, annual distributions must be taken by the end of each year. (Note that if you wait until April 1 to take your first-year distribution, you will have to take two distributions for that year: one by April 1 and the other by December 31.)
Lifetime distributions are not required from Roth accounts and, as a result, Roth account owners are always treated as dying before their RBD. Prior to 2024, these two special rules for Roth accounts applied to Roth IRAs, but not to Roth employer retirement plans.
When you die, the RMD rules also govern how quickly your retirement plan or IRA will need to be distributed to your beneficiaries. The rules are largely based on two factors: (1) the individuals you select as beneficiaries of your retirement plan, and (2) whether you pass away before or on or after your RBD.
Who is subject to the 10-year rule?
The SECURE Act still allows certain beneficiaries to “stretch” distributions, at least to some extent. These eligible designated beneficiaries (EDBs) include your surviving spouse, your minor children, any individual not more than 10 years younger than you, and certain disabled or chronically ill individuals. Generally, EDBs can take annual required distributions based on remaining life expectancy. However, once an EDB dies, or once a minor child EDB reaches age 21, any remaining funds must be distributed within 10 years.
Significantly, though, the SECURE Act requires that if your designated beneficiary is not an EDB, the entire account must be fully distributed within 10 years after your death.
What if your designated beneficiary is not an EDB?
If you die before your RBD, no distributions are required during the first nine years after your death, but the entire account must be distributed in the 10th year.
If you die on or after your RBD, annual distributions based on remaining life expectancy are required in the first nine years after the year of your death, then the remainder of the account must be distributed in the 10th year. Annual distributions after your death will be based on the greater of (a) what would have been your remaining life expectancy or (b) the beneficiary’s remaining life expectancy.
What if your beneficiary is a nonspouse EDB?
After your death, annual distributions will be required based on remaining life expectancy. If you die before your RBD, required annual distributions will be based on the EDB’s remaining life expectancy. If you die on or after your RBD, annual distributions after your death will be based on the greater of (a) what would have been your remaining life expectancy or (b) the beneficiary’s remaining life expectancy.
After your beneficiary dies or your beneficiary who is your minor child turns age 21, annual distributions based on remaining life expectancy must continue during the first nine years after the year of such an event. The entire account must be fully distributed in the 10th year.
What if your designated beneficiary is your spouse?
There are many special rules if your spouse is your designated beneficiary. The 10-year rule generally has no effect until after the death of your spouse, or possibly until after the death of your spouse’s designated beneficiary.
What life expectancy is used to determine RMDs after you die?
Annual required distributions based on life expectancy are generally calculated each year by dividing the account balance as of December 31 of the previous year by the applicable denominator for the current year (but the RMD will never exceed the entire account balance on the date of the distribution).
When your life expectancy is used, the applicable denominator is your life expectancy in the calendar year of your death, reduced by one for each subsequent year. When the nonspouse beneficiary’s life expectancy is used, the applicable denominator is that beneficiary’s life expectancy in the year following the calendar year of your death, reduced by one for each subsequent year. (Note that if the applicable denominator is reduced to zero in any year using this “subtract one” method, the entire account would need to be distributed.) And at the end of the appropriate 10-year period, any remaining balance must be distributed.
Relief for certain RMDs from inherited retirement accounts for 2024
The IRS has announced that it will not assert the penalty tax in certain circumstances where individuals affected by the RMD changes failed to take annual distributions in 2024 during one of the 10-year periods. (Similar relief was previously provided for 2021, 2022, and 2023.) For example, relief may be available if the IRA owner or employee died in 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023 and on or after their RBD and the designated beneficiary who is not an EDB did not take annual distributions for 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024 as required (during the 10-year period following the IRA owner’s or employee’s death). Relief might also be available if an EDB died in 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023 and annual distributions were not taken in 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024 as required (during the 10-year period following the EDB’s death).
The rules relating to required minimum distributions are complicated, and the consequences of making a mistake can be severe. Talk to a tax professional to understand how the rules, and the new regulations, apply to your individual situation.
New Consumer Protections for Weary Airline Passengers
Banks, hospitals, retailers, and airlines are still dealing with the fallout from the massive CrowdStrike IT outage in July. The tech meltdown impacted businesses across the globe, and airlines were hit particularly hard. This was not good news for the airline industry, which just last year had the highest number of flight delays ever recorded.1
The U.S. Department of Transportation determined that the delays and cancellations resulting from the CrowdStrike outage were “controllable,” or caused by the airline. As a result, most airlines were obligated to provide some sort of compensation and assistance to stranded travelers.2
Fortunately, there could be much-needed relief for airline passengers on the horizon, thanks to a new federal law and rules issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Hassle-free refunds
In the past, airline passengers were forced to figure out how to obtain a refund by researching an airline’s website or waiting for hours on the phone with an airline’s customer service department. Airline passengers will be entitled to an automatic refund for:
- Cancelled or significantly delayed flights (e.g., departure or arrival times delayed by three hours or more for domestic flights and by six hours or more for international flights), regardless of the reason
- Significantly delayed baggage return
- Extra services (e.g., Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment) that were paid for but not provided
Airlines must issue refunds of the full amount of the ticket purchased within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 days for other payment methods. Passengers who accept a ticket for a significantly delayed flight or are rebooked on a different flight to their destination will not receive refunds. The refunds must be in the form of cash or whatever original payment method was used to make the purchase (e.g., credit card or airline miles). Finally, airlines are not allowed to substitute for other forms of compensation (e.g., vouchers or travel credits) unless a passenger affirmatively chooses to accept an alternate form of compensation.
Protection against surprise fees
Many airlines advertise cheap “teaser” fares that don’t take into account additional fees — all of which can significantly increase the cost of a ticket. Airlines will be required to disclose various ancillary fees up front, such as charges for checked bags, carry-on bags, and changing or cancelling a reservation. They must also provide a detailed explanation of each fee before a ticket can be purchased. In addition, under a proposed rule airlines will be prohibited from charging families an extra fee to guarantee a child will sit next to a parent or adult travel companion.
When are these protections scheduled to take effect?
These consumer protections are scheduled to have different implementation periods over the next year. In addition, the rule on surprise fee disclosures was temporarily blocked by a U.S. Appeals Court last week. Visit the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website at transportation.gov/airconsumer for more information.
1-2) U.S. Department of Transportation, 2024
What to Know About T Plus 1 Trade Settlement
On May 28, 2024, settlement cycles on U.S. stocks and other securities will shift from two business days to one. For most investors, this shift will have little or no impact. But it will affect some investors and certain types of transactions. It may be helpful to understand the basics of this important change.
T+1 vs. T+2
The trade date (T) is the day your order to buy or sell a security is executed. The settlement date is the day your order is finalized, and when the funds used to purchase the security and any sold securities must be delivered. Put simply, T+1 means most transactions will settle on the next business day after the trade.
For example, under the current T+2 protocol, if you sell shares of a stock on a Monday, the transaction will settle in two business days on Wednesday. Beginning on May 28, 2024, if you sell shares of a stock on a Monday, the transaction will settle in one business day on Tuesday.
Who will T+1 affect?
T+1 will have minimal or no impact on most investors because most brokerage firms require cash or sufficient margin in an account prior to the investor entering any orders to purchase securities in the account. However, if your brokerage firm allows you to make a purchase without sufficient funds in the account, under T+1 you will need to deliver a check or initiate a funds transfer so that the funds are deposited in your brokerage account no later than the next business day.
Another potential effect of T+1 on some investors may be the tighter timeframe to deliver paper certificates for securities that are sold. This is rare today, because investors typically hold securities in their accounts electronically, and the shorter timeframe should not affect electronic transfers. However, if you do wish to sell a security for which you hold a paper certificate, you should be prepared to deliver it to the brokerage firm no later than the next business day after the trade is executed.
Securities affected include stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, certain mutual funds, municipal securities, real estate investment trusts, and master limited partnerships traded on U.S. exchanges. This change will not affect government bonds and options as their settlement is already set at T+1.
Establishing accurate cost basis
When selling a security, any capital gains taxes are calculated using the security’s cost basis, which is the initial amount invested plus any commissions or fees and reinvested dividends and distributions. Under most circumstances, the change to T+1 will have no effect on figuring cost basis. However, if you purchased a security through more than one brokerage firm, you would have one less day to provide information on the previous purchase(s) to your current firm. Once settlement is complete, your cost basis is established for tax purposes. The best practice is to make sure your current brokerage has full cost-basis information on any securities purchased at previous brokerages.
For more information, see IRS Publication 550, which offers detailed guidance on how to calculate cost basis under different circumstances.
Convenience and close attention
For some investors, one-day settlement may mean greater convenience. In effect, an investor will fully own a security one day sooner than under the current system. This could be helpful for an investor who wants to trade the security quickly or wants to participate in a proxy vote. However, T+1 will also require some investors to pay closer attention to how the shorter settlement time could affect investment, trading, or tax decisions.
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful.
FAFSA Glitches Delay College Financial Aid Awards for 2024-25
It’s been a tough financial aid season for college students and their families. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) was redesigned and simplified for the 2024-25 school year, in what was supposed to benefit families completing the application. But a late rollout and the subsequent discovery of form calculation errors have led to processing delays and, by extension, delays for colleges sending out student financial aid packages for the 2024-25 school year.
Both new and returning college students are affected because students must submit the FAFSA each year to be eligible for federal financial aid. But the series of delays may be particularly painful for new students who are waiting to review and compare financial aid packages from multiple colleges before making a final decision by the general May 1 college admissions deadline.
A slow rollout for the new, simplified FAFSA
The FAFSA Simplification Act (part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021) gave the go-ahead for a shorter, more streamlined FAFSA. The new, simplified form was heralded as a bipartisan breakthrough and a win for families trying to navigate and complete the application. The full redesign was scheduled to take effect with the 2023-24 FAFSA but was delayed a year due to the pandemic.
The new 2024-25 FAFSA arrived with almost two-thirds fewer questions and a mandatory IRS direct data exchange tool to import income information from tax returns, two changes intended to make the form easier to complete. But the public rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA was delayed three months, from the usual October 1 open date to December 31, 2023. This extra time was due to several new calculations and adjustments to the aid formula and the technical integration needed to embed them into the form. Along with a new aid formula, the terminology changed too: a new “student aid index” (SAI) replaced the well-known “expected family contribution” (EFC) as the yardstick for measuring a student’s aid eligibility.
Subsequent calculation errors
Once the 2024-25 FAFSA opened in late December, various online glitches disrupted public access to the form during the month of January. Then on January 30, the Department of Education announced that inflation adjustments were being made to the aid calculation, which opened a potential additional $1.8 billion in aid but would delay processing of the form until March, leading to delays in families receiving aid awards from colleges. (In a typical year when the FAFSA is available in October, students can start receiving college aid awards by the end of the calendar year, though timelines vary by college.)
Then on March 22, the Department of Education announced another form error that affected the student aid index calculation for dependent students who reported assets, requiring another round of reprocessing for all affected applications. The Department continues to provide information and tools for families on studentaid.gov about completing the 2024-25 FAFSA.
Colleges and students left scrambling
In the meantime, colleges need time to review incoming FAFSAs, model student aid eligibility, and package and communicate financial aid offers to students. The result is that high school seniors may not receive their financial aid packages from colleges until April, May, or even June, which means they might have to commit to a college by the May 1 deadline without fully knowing how much it will cost them out-of-pocket.
Families with high school seniors may want to contact individual colleges to see when aid packages might be expected and/or whether the college plans to extend its decision deadline beyond May 1. Returning students may also want to contact their college about their aid package. Due to the new FAFSA formula for calculating aid, returning students may discover that their aid eligibility (in the form of their student aid index) is higher or lower now, which could affect their aid package.
Source) U.S. Department of Education, 2024
International Investing: The Diverging Fortunes of China and Japan
The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed markets outside of the United States, advanced 15% in 2023, while U.S. stocks in the S&P 500 Index returned 24%.1 One of the world’s hottest developed stock markets was in Japan, where the Nikkei 225 rose 28% in 2023, delivering the best performance in Asia.2 On the other hand, in China — which is still considered an emerging market — the benchmark CSI 300 Index lost more than 11% over the same period.3
Investing internationally provides growth opportunities that may be different than those in the United States, which could help boost returns and/or enhance diversification in your portfolio. It may help to consider the risks, economic forces, and government policies that might continue to impact stock prices in these two news-making Asian markets and elsewhere in the world.
A tale of two economies
Ranked by gross domestic product (GDP), a broad measure of a nation’s business activity, China is the world’s second-largest economy after the United States.4 Japan fell from third place to fourth, behind Germany, at the end of 2023.5
In February 2024, the Nikkei surpassed a peak last seen in 1989.6 Conversely, Chinese stocks fell more than 40% from their peak in June 2021, before turning up slightly in February and March.7
GDP growth in Japan has been lackluster; in fact, the nation barely averted a recession at the end of 2023.8 What has been driving the market’s outperformance? After battling deflation (or falling prices) for more than two decades, the emergence of inflation in Japan has been good for businesses. Japanese companies have been putting their capital to work, growing profits, and returning them to shareholders, which has attracted foreign investors. A weaker yen helped by making Japanese products cheaper overseas.9 The Bank of Japan ended the era of negative interest rates when it raised short-term rates on March 19, 2024.10
China’s GDP growth slowed to about 5.2% in 2023, as weaker consumption and investment cut into business activity. China is still growing faster than most advanced nations, but it’s contending with a years-long real estate crisis.11 Deflation has set in, while underemployment and youth unemployment have risen to high levels, damaging consumer confidence.12 Moreover, a visible government crackdown on the private sector has rattled investors and scared away many foreign firms.13 In early 2024, the Chinese government took steps to help stabilize the stock market that included boosting liquidity, supporting property developers, and encouraging more bank lending and homebuying.14
Global economic outlook
The International Monetary Fund sees a path to a soft landing for the global economy, projecting steady growth of 3.1% for 2024, about the same rate as 2023. Inflation, which has fallen rapidly in most regions, is expected to continue its descent.15
The downside risks to this hopeful outlook include fiscal challenges, high debt levels, and lingering economic strain from high interest rates. Price spikes caused by geopolitical conflict, supply disruptions, or more persistent underlying inflation could prevent central banks from loosening monetary policies. The possibility of further deterioration in China’s property sector is another cause for concern.16
A world of opportunity
It can be more complicated to perform due diligence and identify sound investments in unfamiliar and less transparent foreign markets, and there are potential risks that may be unique to a specific country. Mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide a relatively effortless way to invest in a variety of international stocks. International funds range from broad global funds that attempt to capture worldwide economic activity, to regional funds and others that focus on a single country. The term “ex U.S.” or “ex US” typically means that the fund does not include domestic stocks, whereas “global” or “world” funds may include a mix of U.S. and international stocks.
Some funds are limited to developed nations, whereas others concentrate on nations with emerging (or developing) economies. The stocks of companies located in emerging nations might offer greater growth potential, but they are riskier and less liquid than those in more advanced economies. For any international stock fund, it’s important to understand the mix of countries represented by the underlying securities.
It may be tempting to increase your exposure to a booming foreign market. However, chasing performance might cause you to buy shares at high prices and suffer more severe losses when conditions shift. And if your long-term investment strategy includes international stocks, be prepared to hold tight — or take advantage of lower prices — during bouts of market volatility.
Diversification is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss. The return and principal value of all stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Supply and demand for ETF shares may cause them to trade at a premium or a discount relative to the value of the underlying shares. Foreign securities carry additional risks that may result in greater share price volatility, including differences in financial reporting and currency exchange risk; these risks should be carefully managed with your goals and risk tolerance in mind. Projections are based on current conditions, are subject to change, and may not happen.
Mutual funds and ETFs are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.
1) London Stock Exchange Group, 2024
2) CNBC.com, December 28, 2023
3, 7) Yahoo! Finance, 2024 (data for the period 6/01/2021 through 3/20/2024)
4, 13) The Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2024
5) CNBC.com, February 14, 2024
6, 9) The Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2024
8, 10) CNBC.com, March 19, 2024
11, 15–16) International Monetary Fund, January 2024
12) The Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2024
14) Bloomberg, February 7, 2024
Tax Relief Legislation in “Progress”?
Legislation that could benefit parents and business-owners is currently moving through Congress. The House has passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. It now faces an uncertain future in the Senate. The legislation would make changes to the child tax credit and to certain business tax provisions. Some significant provisions in the legislation that may provide tax relief are summarized below.
Child tax credit provisions
If enacted, the legislation may increase the availability and amount of the child tax credit.
- The formula for calculation of the refundable portion of the child tax credit would be modified to take into account the number of children a parent has (effective for 2023, 2024, and 2025).
- The overall limit on the refundable portion of the child tax credit would increase from $1,600 in 2023 and $1,700 in 2024 to $1,800 in 2023, $1,900 in 2024, and $2,000 in 2025.
- The $2,000 maximum child tax credit would be adjusted for inflation in 2024 and 2025.
- In 2024 and 2025, earned income from the prior taxable year would be able to be used in calculating the maximum child tax credit if earned income for the current year is less than earned income for the prior year.
Business tax provisions
The legislation includes several business tax provisions that generally allow the acceleration of expense deductions.
- Under current law, domestic research or experimental expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, must be deducted over a five-year period. The legislation would allow such expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, and before January 1, 2026, to be fully deductible in the year paid or incurred.
- For purposes of calculating the limitation on the deduction of business interest, the legislation would allow adjusted taxable income to be determined without regard to any allowance for depreciation, amortization, or depletion for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2023, and before January 1, 2026 (with similar treatment for 2022 and 2023, if elected).
- In recent years, the special additional first-year depreciation allowance, or bonus depreciation, has been decreasing under current law — reaching 80% in 2023 and 60% in 2024. The legislation would allow 100% bonus depreciation for qualified property placed in service after December 31, 2022, and before January 1, 2026.
- Section 179 expensing allows the cost of qualified property to be expensed, rather than recovered through depreciation. The maximum amount that can be expensed is $1,220,000 in 2024, reduced to the extent the cost of Section 179 property placed in service during the year exceeds $3,050,000 in 2024. The legislation would increase those amounts to $1,290,000 and $3,220,000 in 2024 (and adjust for inflation in 2025).
January 24, 2024 Starts the 2023 Federal Tax Filing
IRS suggest steps to make tax filing easier
- Make sure you have received Form W-2 and other earnings information, such as Form 1099, from employers and payers. The dates for furnishing such information to recipients vary by form, but they are generally not required before February 1, 2024. You may need to allow additional time for mail delivery.
- Go to irs.gov to find the federal individual income tax returns, Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR (available for seniors born before January 2, 1959), and their instructions.
- File electronically and use direct deposit.
- Check irs.gov for the latest tax information.
Key dates to keep in mind
- January 12. IRS Free File opened. IRS Free File Guided Tax Software, available only at irs.gov, allows participating software companies to accept completed tax returns of any taxpayer or family with an adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less in 2023 and hold them until they can be electronically filed with the IRS starting January 29. Beginning January 29, Free File Fillable forms will be available to taxpayers of any income level to fill out and e-file themselves at no cost.
- January 29. IRS begins accepting and processing individual tax returns.
- April 15. Deadline for filing 2023 tax returns (or requesting an extension) for most taxpayers.
- April 17. Deadline for taxpayers living in Maine or Massachusetts.
- October 15. Deadline to file for those who requested an extension on their 2023 tax returns.
Tax refunds
The IRS encourages taxpayers seeking a tax refund to file their tax return as soon as possible. The IRS expects to issue most tax refunds within 21 days of their receiving a tax return if the return is filed electronically, the tax refund is delivered through direct deposit, and there are no issues with the tax return. To avoid delays in processing, the IRS encourages people to avoid paper tax returns whenever possible.
