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Benjamin Curry

Editor

About

Ben is the Retirement and Investing Editor for Forbes Advisor. With two decades of business and finance journalism experience, Ben has covered breaking market news, written on equity markets for Investopedia, and edited personal finance content for Bankrate and LendingTree.

  • 8 Best Cannabis Stocks of May 2024

    Cannabis is now legal in 37 states for medical use and fully legal in 23 states, but on a federal level, its status has barely changed since the 1970s. Cannabis currently shares the same federal classification as heroin, ecstasy and...
    8 Best Cannabis Stocks of May 2024

  • 7 Best Safe Investments Of May 2024

    Keeping a portion of your portfolio in safe investments is a smart source of diversification. When volatility spikes and markets swoon, you’ll benefit from the stability provided by holding safe, highly liquid investment assets. Low price volatility and little chance...
    7 Best Safe Investments Of May 2024

  • Best Long-Term Investments Of 2024

    The best way to build wealth is to put your money to work in the market. But the seemingly unlimited range of available investment choices can be intimidating for regular folks wondering how to get started. A great way to...
    Best Long-Term Investments Of 2024

  • Forget Black Friday, Stocks Are On Sale Today

    Happy Black Friday! While I’m a frugal person by nature, even I am struggling to avoid the siren call of the Black Friday deals. At moments like this, I try to keep in mind that the greatest gift you can...
    Forget Black Friday, Stocks Are On Sale Today

  • Is The Mega Backdoor Roth Too Good To Be True?

    A mega backdoor Roth is a special type of 401(k) rollover strategy used by people with high incomes to deposit funds in a Roth individual retirement account (IRA) or Roth 401(k). This strategy only works under very particular circumstances for...
    Is The Mega Backdoor Roth Too Good To Be True?

  • Can Tax Loss Harvesting Improve Your Investing Returns?

    When you start investing, you don’t set out with the goal of losing money. But part of having a well-diversified portfolio is embracing the reality that while some stocks perform well, you always pick a few duds. Luckily, you aren’t...
    Can Tax Loss Harvesting Improve Your Investing Returns?

  • Capital Gains Tax Rates For 2023 And 2024

    You earn a capital gain when you sell an investment or an asset for a profit. When you realize a capital gain, the proceeds are considered taxable income. The amount you owe in capital gains taxes depends in part on...
    Capital Gains Tax Rates For 2023 And 2024

  • What Is A Roth 401(k)?

    A Roth 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement plan that's funded by after-tax dollars. It shares certain similarities with a traditional 401(k) and a Roth IRA, although there are important differences to understand. What Is a Roth 401(k)? A Roth 401(k)...
    What Is A Roth 401(k)?

  • What Is A 401(k) Match?

    A 401(k) match is money your employer contributes to your 401(k) account. For each dollar you save in your 401(k), your employer wholly or partially matches your contribution, up to a certain percentage of your salary. Employer matching is a...
    What Is A 401(k) Match?

  • 403(b) Vs. 401(k): Which Is Better For Retirement?

    Employers offer 403(b) and 401(k) plans to help their employees save for retirement, but chances are you won’t have to choose between them. These two tax-advantaged retirement plans are designed for different kinds of companies: 403(b)s are earmarked for non-profit...
    403(b) Vs. 401(k): Which Is Better For Retirement?

  • What Is A Defined Contribution Plan?

    A defined contribution plan is an employer-sponsored retirement plan funded by money from employers and employees. The money you save for retirement in a defined contribution plan is invested in the stock market, and you may also get valuable tax...
    What Is A Defined Contribution Plan?

  • Pension vs. 401(k): What’s The Difference?

    When it comes to job benefits, an employer's retirement offerings can be the most valuable part of the deal. Pensions and 401(k)s are among the most common retirement benefits you’ll encounter, although they work in dramatically different ways. What Is...
    Pension vs. 401(k): What’s The Difference?

  • Can You Have A Roth IRA And 401K?

    Saving for retirement is a marathon, not a sprint. The more you can contribute today, the better off you’ll be once you start approaching retirement age. For many people, contributing to a Roth individual retirement account (IRA) and a 401(k)...
    Can You Have A Roth IRA And 401K?

  • When Can You Withdraw From A Roth IRA For A Home Purchase?

    In most cases, you can’t withdraw money from your tax-advantaged retirement accounts without penalty until you turn age 59 ½. One exception to this rule is funding a home down payment. Here’s an even better deal: If you withdraw funds...
    When Can You Withdraw From A Roth IRA For A Home Purchase?

  • 401(k) Contribution Limits For 2024

    A workplace 401(k) plan helps you save a substantial amount each year for retirement, but there are annual limits on contributions by you and your employer. Whether you choose a traditional 401(k) for the upfront tax break or a Roth...
    401(k) Contribution Limits For 2024

  • SEP IRA vs Solo 401(k): Which Should You Choose?

    The ranks of self-employed Americans have grown. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 16.5 million Americans reported themselves as self-employed in September 2023. That's more than 10% of all working Americans. Working for yourself doesn’t mean you...
    SEP IRA vs Solo 401(k): Which Should You Choose?

  • What Is A SIMPLE IRA?

    A SIMPLE IRA is a retirement savings plan tailored to the needs of small business owners and sole proprietors. Like other workplace retirement plans, both employers and employees can contribute to a SIMPLE IRA and get access to valuable tax...
    What Is A SIMPLE IRA?

  • SEP IRA: Simplified Employee Pension

    A SEP IRA is a retirement plan designed for self-employed people and small business owners. Formally known as a Simplified Employee Pension, this type of plan lets entrepreneurs establish and contribute to individual retirement accounts for themselves and their employees....
    SEP IRA: Simplified Employee Pension

  • What Is A 401(k)? How Does It Work?

    A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. Commonly offered as part of a job benefits package, employees may save a portion of their salary in a 401(k) account, subject to annual limitations. Employers often match a portion of their...
    What Is A 401(k)? How Does It Work?

  • 403(b) vs. 457(b): What’s The Difference?

    Employees of nonprofit organizations and state and local governments benefit from tax-advantaged retirement savings in 403(b) and 457(b) plans. Many workers employed by government entities and nonprofits get either a 403(b) account or a 457(b) account, but in some cases...
    403(b) vs. 457(b): What’s The Difference?

  • 403(b) Plans Help Non-Profit Employees Save For Retirement

    A 403(b) is a tax-advantaged retirement plan designed for non-profit organizations and certain government entities. The 403(b) works a lot like its better-known counterpart, the 401(k), although it offers a few unparalleled benefits like enhanced catch-up contributions for tenured employees....
    403(b) Plans Help Non-Profit Employees Save For Retirement

  • Retirement Basics: What Is A 457(b)?

    A 457(b) is a type of tax-advantaged retirement plan for state and local government employees, as well as employees of certain non-profit organizations. While the 457(b) shares a few features with the more familiar 401(k) plan, it also has some...
    Retirement Basics: What Is A 457(b)?

  • 4 Reasons To Choose A Roth IRA

    Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) give investors a fantastic opportunity to save on taxes. Pay your future self by investing in an IRA, and you can also lower your income tax bill. Clever retirement investors know an even better strategy to...
    4 Reasons To Choose A Roth IRA

  • How To Maximize Your IRA Contributions

    You put money in an individual retirement account (IRA). Great! A whopping 42% of those under 30—and 26% of those between 30 and 44—have no retirement savings, according to recent research by PwC. So just by doing that, you’re already...
    How To Maximize Your IRA Contributions

  • Bitcoin IRA: How To Invest For Retirement With Cryptocurrency

    For many fans of cryptocurrency, investing in Bitcoin for retirement is a natural choice. They believe in the long-term potential of crypto, and they understand the substantial risks of holding BTC over the long term. If you’d like to hold...
    Bitcoin IRA: How To Invest For Retirement With Cryptocurrency

  • What Is The Prime Rate Today?

    The prime rate is one of the main factors banks use to determine interest rates on loans. If you’re in the market for a new variable rate mortgage or a personal loan, understanding the prime rate and how it works...
    What Is The Prime Rate Today?

  • How Married Couples Can Save For Retirement With A Spousal IRA

    Generally, you can’t contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) unless you earn an income in a given year. The spousal IRA, however, is an exception to this rule, allowing each spouse in a couple to contribute up to the...
    How Married Couples Can Save For Retirement With A Spousal IRA

  • What Is a Roth IRA?

    A Roth IRA is a type of investment account that can provide you with tax-free income in retirement. You contribute after-tax dollars to a Roth IRA—in return, withdrawals in retirement are not taxed. Roth IRAs provide additional flexibility for tax-free...
    What Is a Roth IRA?

  • What Is The 10-Year Treasury Yield?

    The 10-year Treasury gets more press than any other government security. Investors pay keen attention to movements in 10-year Treasury yields because they serve as a benchmark for other borrowing rates, such as mortgage rates. When the 10-year yield fluctuates,...
    What Is The 10-Year Treasury Yield?

  • Recession Or Soft Landing: What’s Next for the U.S. Economy?

    Investors are more confident that the U.S. economy can avoid falling into recession in the months ahead. A so-called soft landing, the sweet spot between cooling inflation and a still-growing economy, appears to be a real possibility. Nevertheless, threats remain...
    Recession Or Soft Landing: What’s Next for the U.S. Economy?

About

Ben is the Retirement and Investing Editor for Forbes Advisor. With two decades of business and finance journalism experience, Ben has covered breaking market news, written on equity markets for Investopedia, and edited personal finance content for Bankrate and LendingTree.