Senior Associate Jarrett McKenzie, CFP®,CWS®, and Principal Jennifer Thomas, CFP®, delve into a case study of a couple who are taking more money than they need out of their retirement accounts because of required minimum distributions. The planners discuss ways to minimize the RMDs and how to reinvest the assets.
Stocks kicked off the week on a positive note ahead of the presidential election. Their climb continued on Tuesday ahead of election results. Crude oil prices slipped slightly after the Energy Information Administration boosted its forecasts for U.S. oil production. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 0.07% to settle at $45.44 a barrel. Stocks ramped up Wednesday in post-election momentum, as Donald Trump won the presidential election. Financial and health care brands led the way up. In other releases, Energy Information Administration figures showed domestic crude oil supplies rose by 2.4 million barrels in the week ended November 4. Indices closed with mixed moves on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P 500 added points while the NASDAQ ended in red territory. Financial stocks posted gains, while Technology brands led the NASDAQ lower. Looking elsewhere, initial jobless claims decreased last week. Department of Labor data showed new claims fell by 11,000 to 254,000. Indices closed out the week mixed on Friday. The Dow and NASDAQ stepped up while the S&P 500 shed some points. Energy brands led decliners while Technology stocks rebounded from Thursday’s downswing. In a preliminary measure, the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment index ticked up to 91.6 in early November, from 87.2 in October.