|
It's no surprise that many people who inherit millions of dollars are uncertain about what to do with their newfound wealth. The possibilities of becoming a multimillionaire overnight can be overwhelming, especially during a period when most are grieving the loss of a parent or other loved one.
SEE MORE How Much of Your Estate Will Be Lost to Taxes?
I often work with people in many different age groups who have suddenly become wealthy as the result of a windfall inheritance. While there is a need to develop a comprehensive financial plan, it's not the first step. Instead, I try to determine each person's starting point with money. Many people fall into one of three categories:
They are anticipating how they will handle their wealth, but the money hasn't yet arrived.They have their inheritance — often several million dollars — but they are still grieving the loss of a loved one and are looking for guidance on next steps.
The inheritance has been in their bank account for a long period, but they still lack direction and can't make any decisions.
It is important to listen to each person's personal story with a windfall of money. Losing an important person in your life is difficult, and reflecting on the impact that person made is just as important. Many people express a desire to do something to honor a parent's wishes.
Figuring out how to make the best use of an inheritance
Here is how I generally approach these conversations to help a person make the best use of their inheritance:
Define their relat
|
|
Stocks spent most of Wednesday in positive territory, but went on a roller-coaster ride after the Federal Reserve, as expected, issued its third straight 75 basis point rate hike.
SEE MORE Hedge Funds' 21 Top Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Now
The Fed's rate hike sparked plenty of chatter among Wall Street's experts, with the main focus on what the central bank plans to do next. Today's move brought the Fed's benchmark federal funds rate to between 3.0% and 3.25%, with projections from the 19 voting members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) targeting a range of 4.25% and 4.5% by year's end - a half-percentage point higher than where it was in June. Doing the math, that means rates need to rise another 1.25% over the central bank's remaining two meetings (in November and December).
"Today we heard and saw more of the same, and the market shouldn't be too surprised given the Fed and its officials telegraphed that more big hikes were in the cards for the foreseeable future," says Mike Loewengart, head of model portfolio construction at Morgan Stanley. "The market seems to have hoped beyond hope that they would hear some reference to an end to rate hikes on the horizon, but that's certainly not what we got today."
Sign up for Kiplinger's FREE Investing Weekly e-letter for stock, ETF and mutual fund recommendations, and other investing advice.
And that, in turn, sent the major market indexes moving quickly from green to red in the immediate aftermath of the Fed's announcement. However, the wild ride wasn't over, with stocks temporarily bouncing back before ultimately ending lower. At the close, the
|
|
