Morningstar Runs the Numbers

Inspired by Harper's Index (with a tip of the hat to FiveThirtyEight's Significant Digits blog), Morningstar Runs the Numbers uses a numbers-based approach to highlight recent Morningstar research, along with some outside news stories.

5 Over five days this week, Christine Benz's 2019 Portfolio Tuneup special report aimed to help troubleshoot problem spots and put your portfolio on track for the year ahead. She tackles portfolio viability, asset allocation, holdings quality, volatility, and offers her model portfolios.

75 Aron Szaprio looks at a legislative proposal that could dramatically change RMDs. It would push them to age 72 in 2023 and then to age 75 in 2029, up from age 70 1/2 today. But he says there's no way to avoid the fact that RMDs are the other side of the tax-deferred account bargain.

2018 Karen Wallace writes about alimony deductions with the new tax laws. She says a tax deduction for the payer is no longer allowed, but the new tax laws may not apply to you if your alimony payment is part of a divorce settlement that was reached before Dec. 31, 2018.

13 Russ Kinnel says after the end-of-year sell-off, some areas look cheaper than others now, including small value and foreign value. He offers 13 funds for 2019 and beyond.

28% Jason Kephart analyzes fees in target-date funds, and he says over the five years ended Oct. 31, 2018, fee differences accounted for roughly 28% of the performance difference between top-quintile and third-quintile 2040 funds, but only 7% of the same gap in 2020 funds.

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