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About 145 million American adults say that they own or have owned cryptocurrency. Statistically, that's more than half of your co-workers, neighbors and friends.
It's also about the number of Americans who own stocks.
Even though it's not regulated by a government agency, cryptocurrency is becoming mainstream. However, President Biden recently signed an executive order to address cryptocurrency risks with a whole-of-government approach that could make cryptocurrency even more attractive to investors as well as traditional banks and credit unions.
SEE MORE Crypto Has Been Through the Wringer in 2022: What Now?
For the near term though, cryptocurrency remains a volatile, speculative asset that will likely continue its gut-wrenching booms and busts. That's not to say that cryptocurrency doesn't belong in a well-diversified portfolio, but I recommend that my clients first educate themselves about cryptocurrency before deciding whether or not to invest.
As Warren Buffet said about investing in cryptocurrency: "I get into enough trouble with the things I think I know something about. Why in the world should I take a long or short position in something I don't know about?"
Here are some important concepts to get comfortable with.
How Cryptocurrency Works: The Basics
Say you order a new set of patio furniture online. A credit card company or p
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Congress is on a bit of a roll these days. Despite deep political divisions within the country, they've managed to send several major bills to the president's desk so far this year addressing semiconductor manufacturing, veterans' benefits, gun safety, climate change, and more. And they might not be done yet. Lawmakers in Washington are currently considering two separate bills that would make substantial changes to how Americans save for and are taxed in retirement. And one of the major areas of focus in these bills is reforming RMDs (i.e., required minimum distributions).
The SECURE Act, which was enacted in 2019, extended the age at which you must start taking RMDs from 70½ to 72. That was a big boost for seniors, who can now keep money in their tax-free retirement accounts longer. But that wasn't enough help for retirees in the eyes of many lawmakers. So, as soon as the ink was dry on the SECURE Act, a few key members of Congress began planning additional legislation to help more people save for retirement and hold on to their money longer in retirement.
Those efforts resulted in two bills that are now before Congress: the SECURE Act 2.0 and the EARN Act. The SECURE Act 2.0 was passed by the House of Representatives in March with a 414 to 5 vote. The EARN Act was introduced in the Senate in September. Both bills would make significant changes to RMDs, but there are differences in the two bills' RMD provisions.
SEE MORE The Basics of Required Minimum Distributions: 12 Things You Must Know About RMDs
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