Kate Ashford's Image

Kate Ashford

Contributor

About

I'm a freelance journalist, content creator and regular contributor to Forbes and Monster.[author_bio_separator] I've written for AARP, the BBC, Family Circle, LearnVest, Money, Parents and Prevention, among others. Find me at kateashford.com or follow me at @kateashford.

  • 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

  • Are You Self-Employed? Check Out a Solo 401(k)

    Just because you’re self-employed doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of a workplace retirement plan. Check out a solo 401(k), which offers similar tax benefits to an employer-sponsored 401(k), plus you can sock away almost 10 times more per...
    Are You Self-Employed? Check Out a Solo 401(k)

  • 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?

  • 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 Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)?

    A qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) is a type of annuity contract specifically designed to keep you from outliving your retirement savings. As a deferred annuity, QLACs provide you with a guaranteed stream of income later in life. In addition,...
    What Is A Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)?

  • What Is An IPO?

    An IPO is an initial public offering. In an IPO, a privately owned company lists its shares on a stock exchange, making them available for purchase by the general public. Many people think of IPOs as big money-making opportunities—high-profile companies...
    What Is An IPO?

  • What Is Deflation? Why Is It Bad For The Economy?

    When prices go down, it’s generally considered a good thing—at least when it comes to your favorite shopping destinations. When prices go down across the entire economy, however, it’s called deflation, and that’s a whole other ballgame. Deflation is bad...
    What Is Deflation? Why Is It Bad For The Economy?

  • The Life-Changing Magic Of Compound Interest

    Compound interest is when the interest you earn on a balance in a savings or investing account is reinvested, earning you more interest. As a wise man once said, “Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes money.” Compound...
    The Life-Changing Magic Of Compound Interest

  • What Is A Money Market Fund?

    A money market fund is a type of mutual fund that invests in cash and low-risk, short-term debt securities. Money market funds are considered one of the least risky investment vehicles available, generating income—usually on par with short-term interest rates—that...
    What Is A Money Market Fund?

  • What Is Cryptocurrency?

    Cryptocurrency is decentralized digital money that's based on blockchain technology. You may be familiar with the most popular versions, Bitcoin and Ethereum, but there are more than 9,000 different cryptocurrencies in circulation. How Does Cryptocurrency Work? A cryptocurrency is a...
    What Is Cryptocurrency?

  • What Is Market Volatility—And How Should You Manage It?

    The stock market never stays still. Market indexes see gains and losses every day—in more settled periods, the S&P 500 gains or loses less than 1% a day. But from time to time, the market experiences dramatic price changes, a...
    What Is Market Volatility—And How Should You Manage It?

  • Understanding Defined Benefit Pension Plans

    A defined benefit plan, more commonly known as a pension, offers guaranteed retirement benefits for employees. Defined benefit plans are largely funded by employers, with retirement payouts based on a set formula that considers an employee’s salary, age and tenure...
    Understanding Defined Benefit Pension Plans

  • How To Open A Brokerage Account

    Opening a brokerage account may feel like a daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be. Before you begin, you need to understand the kinds of brokerage accounts available and which features are most important for your investing goals. “What...
    How To Open A Brokerage Account

  • What Is A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)?

    A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is an individual financial advisor or a company that provides its clients with financial advice. Unlike other types of financial advisors, RIAs have a fiduciary duty to act in your best interest. Here’s what you...
    What Is A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)?

  • What Is A Managed Payout Fund?

    Managed payout funds are mutual funds that offer regular and predictable income to investors. Like annuities, these products provide a steady income stream, but unlike annuities, the income isn’t guaranteed and payments can fluctuate. Although these products gained steam after...
    What Is A Managed Payout Fund?

  • What Is Bitcoin And How Does It Work?

    Not only is Bitcoin (BTC) the first cryptocurrency, but it’s also the best known of the more than 19,000 cryptocurrencies in existence today. Financial media eagerly covers each new dramatic high and stomach-churning decline, making Bitcoin an inescapable part of...
    What Is Bitcoin And How Does It Work?

  • How To Invest In A Startup

    It can be challenging to offer a precise definition of a startup: It can be a business creating a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty, or a company aiming to solve a problem where the solution is...
    How To Invest In A Startup

  • Buying on Margin: What Is a Margin Account?

    A margin account is a type of brokerage account that lets you borrow money to purchase securities. Buying on margin lets experienced traders make larger investments with less of their own money. Using a margin account as part of your...
    Buying on Margin: What Is a Margin Account?

  • What Is A Brokerage Account? Why Do I Need One?

    A brokerage account is a tool you can use to invest in the stock market. They are also called taxable investment accounts to differentiate them from tax-advantaged retirement accounts like 401(k)s. You can open a brokerage account with online brokers...
    What Is A Brokerage Account? Why Do I Need One?

  • The Pros And Cons Of IRA CDs

    An individual retirement account (IRA) is a great way to supplement your retirement savings. An IRA gives you valuable tax advantages when you invest in securities like stocks, bonds and mutual funds—and it’s not tethered to an employer, like other...
    The Pros And Cons Of IRA CDs

  • CFP, CPA, CFA, Oh My! What Do Financial Advisor Titles Mean?

    Are you looking for a financial advisor? You may have already encountered an alphabet soup of different professional credentials. CFA, CFP and CPA are only three of the most common certifications financial advisors add to their titles—there are others. Trouble...
    CFP, CPA, CFA, Oh My! What Do Financial Advisor Titles Mean?

  • Need Cash Now? 10 Alternatives To Tapping Your Retirement Accounts

    Life is full of surprises—not all of them welcome. If you’re facing an unexpected financial surprise, it might be tempting to tap your retirement accounts for cash. Take it from us, there are plenty of better strategies. “When you pull...
    Need Cash Now? 10 Alternatives To Tapping Your Retirement Accounts

  • How To Buy Index Funds

    Index funds, which buy a basket of assets to track the performance of indexes like the S&P 500, are investment portfolio staples due to their low-cost, diverse nature. Here’s how you can easily and cheaply buy index funds to reach...
    How To Buy Index Funds

  • Can You Trade On Margin In An IRA?

    Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) incentivize people to save for retirement by offering valuable tax advantages. In many ways, IRAs work like normal investment accounts, giving you a very wide range of asset classes to invest in. Some IRAs even offer...
    Can You Trade On Margin In An IRA?

  • Cash Account vs Margin Account: Which Do I Need?

    Online brokers offer two types of accounts: cash accounts and margin accounts. Both allow you to buy and sell investments, but margin accounts also lend you money for investing and come with special features for advanced investors, like short selling....
    Cash Account vs Margin Account: Which Do I Need?

  • Tax Loss Harvesting During The COVID-19 Crisis

    The COVID-19 crisis tanked the stock market in 2020, and you might be considering making good news out of bad by claiming tax losses. Tax-loss harvesting is the act of selling losing investments to offset capital gains (either current or...
    Tax Loss Harvesting During The COVID-19 Crisis

  • Pros And Cons Of ESG Funds

    ESG—or environmental, social and governance—investing is a growing field. Globally, more than $1 of every $4 under professional management is invested sustainably, according to a Morgan Stanley report. And 84% of investors are at least “actively considering” adding some socially...
    Pros And Cons Of ESG Funds

  • How To Make A Balance Transfer Card Work For You

    If you’re carrying a balance on your credit card, a balance transfer can help you save money on your debt. According to a 2020 Experian report,  the average credit card balance is $5,315. On a high-interest credit card, that balance...
    How To Make A Balance Transfer Card Work For You

About

I'm a freelance journalist, content creator and regular contributor to Forbes and Monster.[author_bio_separator] I've written for AARP, the BBC, Family Circle, LearnVest, Money, Parents and Prevention, among others. Find me at kateashford.com or follow me at @kateashford.