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Ask a Financial Pro: My Retirement Savings Are Up. Should I Retire This Year? 03/12/2024 08:00pm • The past year was a good year for stocks, with the S&P 500 growing 25% in 2023. In fact, you may have noticed that your retirement savings have grown substantially this year and are wondering whether you can retire now. Before rushing into it, make sure you're ready. The main question you face i 7 Best Vanguard Bond Funds to Buy 03/12/2024 08:00pm • Before 1986, investors looking to incorporate bonds into their portfolios faced limited and often challenging options. They could directly purchase bonds over the counter, entrust the selection to a financial advisor or invest in an actively managed bond mutual fund. Each of these routes came with i Married Couples: Is It Better to File Taxes Jointly or Separately? 03/12/2024 08:00pm • Married couples have a choice to make at tax time: They can file their returns jointly or separately. Many file joint returns, but there are some situations in which filing separately can be beneficial. Morris Armstrong, an enrolled agent in Cheshire, Connecticut, is authorized to represent taxpayer The Best Places to Retire in Mexico 03/12/2024 08:00pm • Mexico is home to many breathtakingly beautiful places that offer a high quality of life at an affordable price, so it's no wonder that a growing number of Americans are heading south. An estimated 1.6 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico, and it consistently ranks as the top destination for U.S. tr The Highest Medical Costs to Expect in Retirement 03/12/2024 08:00pm • Settling into retirement is meant to be a happy time, particularly when you have saved, planned and can live comfortably. Unexpected health-related expenses, however, can get in the way of your bliss. "When people think about saving for retirement, they rarely think about saving for medical costs," West Virginia governor vies for Manchin's US Senate seat, while moonlighting as girls hoops coach 03/12/2024 07:58pm • CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) ��� When West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice recently returned to the spotlight, it wasn���t as the state's top executive. Or a wealthy businessman. Or even as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The term-limited Republican was instead back on the court, guiding a high school team in New York police crack down on vehicles avoiding tolls with fake license plates 03/12/2024 05:22pm • NEW YORK (AP) ��� New York authorities are cracking down on what they call ���ghost cars,��� or vehicles using altered or forged license plates to avoid paying tolls and tickets. A multiagency effort to catch them on Monday resulted in 73 vehicles impounded, 282 summonses issued and eight arrests, G New York's budget season starts with friction over taxes and education funding 03/12/2024 05:03pm • ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ��� New York Democrats who control the state Senate and Assembly have released their budget proposals for the year, setting up potential battles with Gov. Kathy Hochul's office over education funding and income taxes. The spending plans mark the start of the state's budget negotia The IRS launches Direct File, a pilot program for free online tax filing available in 12 states 03/12/2024 04:21pm • NEW YORK (AP) ��� After weeks of testing, an electronic system for filing returns directly to the IRS is now available to taxpayers from 12 selected states. The new system, called Direct File, is a free online tool. Taxpayers in the selected states who have very simple W-2s and claim a standard dedu Editorial Roundup: United States 03/12/2024 03:35pm • Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: March 11 The Washington Post on Biden, taxes and the middle class Like most presidential budgets before it, President Biden���s fiscal 2025 tax and spending blueprint is more of a political statement than an actual legislative proposal Monahan confident in his job and hopeful PGA Tour can strike a deal with Saudis 03/12/2024 03:34pm • PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ��� PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was short on details but overflowing with confidence Tuesday about the future of the PGA Tour, repairing the fractured landscape of golf and his ability to lead the way. ���I am the right person to lead us forward. I know that," Mona Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger 03/12/2024 11:46am • Haiti���s prime minister has said he will resign, bowing to international pressure to save his homeland gripped by violence and controlled by heavily armed gangsters. Ariel Henry made the announcement hours after officials, including Caribbean leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, met Libraries struggle to afford the demand for e-books, seek new state laws in fight with publishers 03/12/2024 10:51am • HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ��� Whenever bestselling author Robin Cook releases a new medical thriller, the head of the public library in West Haven knows demand for digital copies will be high. So will the price. Like many libraries, West Haven has been grappling with the soaring costs of e-books and audi Climate, a major separator for Biden and Trump, is a dividing line in many other races, too 03/12/2024 09:44am • RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ��� The race for the White House isn���t the only one with big stakes for climate policy. In campaigns for Congress and for governor around the country, candidates are talking about how green the grid should be, too. Voters are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change af Sports betting in Maryland up 30% from a year ago (and players do win) 03/12/2024 05:47am • February was a big month for legalized sports wagering in Maryland, with $442.6 million, 30.4% more than a year ago, and the majority of wagers taken in were paid out in prizes. Of February���s total, $4.2 million goes to the state's Blueprint for Maryland���s Future Fund, which supports public s