Personal Finance

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T052-C000-S002-we-rank-the-online-brokers.html

As investor needs and preferences change, brokerages must adapt. Brokerages' mobile apps have grown more sophisticated as more clients have demonstrated that they like to do business on the go. And as investors have demanded lower costs, brokerages have trimmed commissions and fees across the board.

But brokerages also need a keen ear for clients' particular needs. Some clients want to be left alone to do their own thing, while others want their hand held. Some want to pay as little as possible to invest, and others are willing to pony up enough in assets to gain access to their own personal planner

Our 2019 online broker ranking recognizes that no brokerage can hit the bull's-eye for every type of client, and that the firm with the broadest appeal may not meet your specific needs. But ultimately, we favored firms that could do the most for most investors.

Check out our rankings. We also note special perks each broker offers.

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T052-S002-best-online-brokers-2019/index.html

There's a good chance that many adult children will have to get involved with their parents' financial lives as they age. Yet, an overwhelming majority of adult children - 73% - have not had detailed conversations with their parents about their finances, according to a survey by GOBankingRates. One of the primary reasons why survey respondents said they haven't had "the talk" yet with their parents is because they don't know how to have the discussion.

Fortunately, talking to your parents about their finances isn't as difficult as it might seem. That's because there are several ways to start the conversation. Here are 10 tried and true approaches from my book, "Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances." Decide which conversation starter will work best to get your parents to open up and start talking.

If you're on the fence about whether you want to go through with this, here's something very important to consider about why you need to have this conversation sooner rather than later. "You're either going to do it by plan or by crisis," financial psychologist Mary Gresham said. "It is going to happen." Ideally, you want the conversation to happen when your parents are in good health, are mentally alert, and aren't an emotional mess (nor are you) because a crisis has struck.

The good news is that your parents probably won't resist your efforts to get them to share at least some of their financial information with you if you use one of these conversation starters. John Cooper, a financial planner with Greenwood Capital, said he's learned by talking to many retirees that they recognize the importance of sharing financial information with their children. "There are really a lot of people out there who are interested in having these conversations with their children," he said. "They just need to be asked." So what are you waiting for?

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/T013-S001-talk-to-your-aging-parents-about-their-finances/index.html

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T001-C032-S014-a-401-k-may-be-worst-account-to-have-in-retirement.html

The idea of disruptors - single companies that (usually quickly) change the landscape of an entire industry or sector - isn't new. Henry Ford and Ford Motor (F) revolutionized automaking in the early 1990s. Phil Knight's Nike (NKE) forever altered the athletic-shoe industry.

In the process, these and other similar game-changers were colossally successful stock picks, shooting higher year after year as they ate the rest of their industry's share.

Today, institutional investors with deep pockets still are committing large sums of capital to disruptive technologies. For instance, in Canada, Quebec's largest pension fund - Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec - recently announced that it would invest up to $2 billion in public-company stocks and pre-initial public offering (IPO) companies with the potential to become leaders in their industries.

Here in the U.S., investment managers such as Ark Investment Management LLC, are focused exclusively on disruptive innovation. Ark defines disruptive innovation "as the introduction of a technologically enabled new product or service that has the potential to change an industry landscape by creating simplicity and accessibility while driving down costs." This sounds like the kinds of innovations harnessed by Ford and Nike in their heydays.

Today, we'll explore 10 stock picks that have the potential to be disruptors themselves. A few of these are established companies that are delving into new markets, while others are younger companies that are only starting to be a thorn in other companies' sides. Just be cautious. A few aren't even profitable yet, which makes them considerable risks and more suitable for aggressive allocations.

Read more: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T052-S001-disruptors-10-innovative-irritating-stock-picks/index.html