Effects of Capital Accumulation Ratio on Wealth

 

Harness, N.J., Finke, M.S., & Chatterjee, S. (2009). The effects of the capital accumulation ratio on wealth. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 20(1), 44-57.

Brief Description: The capital accumulation ratio (CAR) is a measure of household portfolio quality used by financial practitioners and in academic research. It measures investment assets divided by net worth. This study tested whether a higher CAR impacted household wealth over a specific decade (1994 to 2004) among respondents in the accumulation stage …

Racial/Ethnic Differences in High Return Investment Ownership

 

Hanna, S. D., Wang, C. & Yuh, Y. (2010). Racial/ethnic differences in high return investment ownership: A decomposition analysis. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 21 (2), pp. 44-59.

Brief Description:  Research on ownership of high risk/high return assets shows that Black and Hispanic households are much less likely to own them than are White households, even after education is taken into account. This study uses a decomposition strategy to examine how minority households would invest if they had …

Assertiveness and Investment Risk of Married Couples

 

Gilliam, J., Dass, M., Durband, D. B. & Hampton, V. (2010). The role of assertiveness in portfolio risk and financial risk tolerance among married couples. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning 21 (1), pp. 53-67.

Brief Description:  Couples who were clients of financial planners were surveyed regarding their assertiveness, risk tolerance and investment portfolios. No relationship was found between assertiveness and risk tolerance or portfolio risk level. There was a positive relationship between wife’s proportion of asset holding (higher relative …

Women’s investment decision-making

 

Loibl, C., Lee, J., Mentel-Gaeta, E., Fox. J. (2007). Women’s high-consequence decision making: A nonstatic and complex choice process. Financial Counseling and Planning, 18(2), 35-47.

Brief Description: Using qualitative data from a focus group of female investors, this study examined choice processes used when making mutual fund decisions in employer retirement plans. It found that investment decision-making is a compromise between the goals of increased accuracy and a desire to limit cognitive effort. Observations included a lack of investment information …

Assessing Farm Households’ Investment Education Needs

 

O’Neill, B., Porter, N. M., Pankow, D., Schuchardt, J. & Johnson, J. (2010). Online investment education: Listening to learners to develop an effective financial literacy program for farm households. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 21 (1), pp. 25-42.

Brief Description:  Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from farm households to better understand their investment attitudes, practices, and learning preferences in order to adapt an online investment course for their needs. Researchers found that farmers are a distinct audience …

Automated Saving and Investing Strategies

 

O’Neill, B. (2007) Overcoming Inertia: Do Automated Saving and Investing Strategies Work? Journal of Family and Economic Issues 28(2), 321-335. http://www.springerlink.com/content/wt1653190x010357/

Brief Description: Various automated strategies have been implemented by employers with the objective of increasing retirement plan participation. Automatic strategies work by proactively arranging some type of action (e.g., plan enrollment) to occur unless people specifically opt out. This article examines and synthesizes previous empirical research about five automatic savings and investing strategies: (a) automatic retirement savings plan …

Educating Widows in Personal Financial Planning

 

Korb, B. R. (2010). Financial planners: Educating widows in personal financial planning. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning 21 (2), pp. 3-15.

Brief Description:  Financial planners and their widowed clients were interviewed. Research revealed that widows vary by age in terms of their knowledge level and risk tolerance as well as their needs for financial advice and education, with the younger widows were less risk adverse and more financially literate but in need of financial guidance for a longer time …

How do I get less FICA tax taken out of my paycheck?

The percentage of income for FICA tax that workers pay is determined by federal law and is the same for everyone. The only way to pay less FICA tax (as a dollar amount, not a percentage of pay) is to earn less income. FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. FICA consists of two separate payroll taxes: Social Security (6.2% of pay) and Medicare (1.45% of pay), for a total of 7.65% of pay.

FICA tax is paid by workers …

Does the exception to the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules apply to self-employed persons who are still working and have SEP plans?

You are referring to the “still working exception” for the required minimum distribution (RMD) from tax-deferred retirement savings plans. This exception applies to employer-sponsored retirement savings plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s. If you have one of these plans, you can delay the beginning date of your RMD to April 1 of the year following the later: the year you turn 70½ years of age or the year you retire, unless you own more than 5% of the company. The …

I am 79 years old. What is the required minimum distribution (RMD) for my IRA and 401(k) plan?

This worksheet will help you determine your required minimum distribution (RMD): http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/ira-table.asp. As you can see in the table, the divisor for age 79 is 19.5 years. Thus, you must divide the total of your assets in all types of tax-deferred retirement savings plans (e.g., 401(k)s and IRAs) by 19.5 and withdraw and pay tax on at least this amount. You can, of course, withdraw more money but will owe taxes on the distributed amount.

To determine your minimum …