Personal Finance News

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered tax rates and nearly doubled the standard deduction, which is expected to reduce taxes for about 65% of taxpayers, according to the Tax Policy Center. But an estimated 29% of Americans will see no change to their tax bill, and 6% of you will pay more. If you're one of the unfortunate taxpayers who don't get a lower tax bill, it might be because the tax overhaul scrapped or capped some popular tax breaks.

Here are 8 common tax deductions that were repealed or limited by the new tax law.

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/taxes/T054-S010-8-tax-deductions-affected-by-the-new-tax-law/index.html

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T039-C001-S003-how-does-the-government-shutdown-affect-medicare.html

The partial U.S. government shutdown is now into its fourth week, making it the longest-ever political standoff of its kind.

While critical functions such as defense and mail delivery still are operating, other less-vital units have been mothballed, including several national parks and many Washington, D.C., monuments. A handful of agencies are somewhere in between, furloughing some nonessential workers while keeping essential ones at work to maintain the absolutely necessary aspects of their service.

The ripple effect of the shutdown, however, has extended well beyond the circle of government employees and agencies. While government shutdowns typically don't hamper the stock market, a few publicly traded stocks and privately owned companies are starting to feel the pinch. These firms either provide contracted services and goods for the government, or cater to government employees who (for now) aren't receiving a paycheck.

Here are seven companies that have been (or that analysts think could be) adversely impacted by the shutdown.

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T052-S001-7-companies-hit-2018-19-government-shutdown/index.html

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/credit/T005-C000-S001-federal-bank-holidays-2019-is-my-bank-open-today.html

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T039-C001-S003-switching-to-a-new-medicare-advantage-plan-2019.html

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/business/T049-C032-S014-a-huge-hiring-mistake-most-professionals-make.html

Wall Street pros, the analyst community and individual investors alike were thrown for a loop in 2018. American tariff disputes with the rest of the world, wild energy-price swings and global growth concerns not only ravaged the market at various points, but also has the experts preaching caution as we enter the new year. The best ETFs for 2019, then, are going to need to accomplish a couple specific goals.

For one, you'll want some ETFs that position you defensively while still allowing you to enjoy at least some upside should the market head higher despite all the headwinds it faces. Numerous expert market outlooks have the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index climbing in 2019, but none of them are exuberant and all of them warn of numerous potential pitfalls. Anchoring your portfolio with funds that emphasize, say, low volatility or income can put you in a strong position no matter what the market brings.

You also need to take your shots - stocks may end up being sluggish as a whole, but that doesn't mean certain areas of the market can't explode all the same. So some of the top ETFs for the year ahead will focus on specific sectors, industries and even other areas of the world to try to generate outperformance.

Here are the best ETFs to buy for 2019. These 19 funds run the gamut, from highly diversified baskets invested in thousands of companies, to concentrated portfolios that use just a couple dozen stocks to benefit from a specific theme. There are ETFs for conservative investors and risk takers alike. And while most of these picks are passive index funds, there are even a few ETFs that tap the brainpower of skilled active management. Take a look:

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T022-S001-the-19-best-etfs-to-buy-for-2019/index.html