Many older homeowners are renting out their spare rooms trough Airbnb.

Seniors are the fastest growing demographic of Airbnb hosts in the United States, according to statistics by the travel website.  Nearly tep-thirds of all senior hosts are women, the company reported, and women age 60 and olderare consistently rated the best Airbnb hosts in the U.S.

Check out Airbnb.

The recent drop in the cost of oil has been a happy surprise for drivers, who are enjoying the cheapest gas prices at the start of summer in 12 years.

Oil prices have dipped into bear market territory and gasoline prices have followed, falling every day since June 2, according to AAA.

The average price nationally for a gallon of regular is now $2.28, down 10 cents since the start of the month.

Americans aren't known for being great savers.

In a recent GoBankingRates study, 69% of adults admitted to having less than $1,000 in the bank, while 34% said they actually don't have any savings at all. But apparently, this collective lack of savings doesn't get all that much better with age.

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found not so long ago that almost half of Americans die nearly broke. Of the general population, 46% of retirees die with savings of $10,000 or less. But that number climbs to 57% among retirees who are single.

Lets pretend you have a million bucks in your retirement portfolio....

The S&P 500, with an average yield of 1.9% would generate just $19,000 in yearly income.

Ten-year Treasuries are a bit better, but at 2.25%, you’re only getting $1,875 a month, or $22,500 per year, on a million bucks.

Most retiree's we know need more income....tricky when yields are so low. 

In 2017, the annual HSA contribution limit for individuals is $3,400 and $6,750 for families.

Currently, HSA's are only available to people whose health insurance plans have high deductibles, $1,300 for individual coverage and $2,600 for families.

HSA's offer a triple tax break.  Contributions are tax-deductible, assets grow tax free, and distributions are tax-free if used for qualified medical expenses.  Once you turn 65, you can use HSA funds for any purpose penalty free, but if used for nonmedical expenses, they are subject to income tax.

Brad Thomas is the editor of The Forbes Real Estate Investor, he is extremely knowledgeable in the REIT sector and helps retiree's with income generating REIT ideas.   Make sure to consult your investment advisor for income ideas!

REIT (real estate investment trust) income should be a part of the retirement process and investors should take a closer look at the asset class that offers an outsized dividend yield along with very predictable sources of income.

However, REITs should not be painted by the same brush - just because you are an investor in a REIT does not guarantee that the dividend income will be sustainable. Most all retirees are counting on the income to fund expenses or enjoy their quality of living, a dividend cut could mean be devastating.

Here's one suggestion and a link to the Forbes article:

Omega Healthcare (OHI) is the largest “pure play” REIT that invests in Skilled Nursing buildings. As of Q4016 Omega had an operating asset portfolio of 981 facilities with approximately 99,000 operating beds. These facilities were spread across 79 third-party operators and located within 41 states and the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday Fidelity Investments slashed online retail commissions for U.S. stock and exchange-traded fund trades to $4.95 from $7.95.

Just hours after Boston-based Fidelity Investments said it would slash its standard commission for online stock trades and ETFs by nearly 40% to $4.95, its San Francisco-based rival, Charles Schwab, matched the lower price.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed about 30 points higher and notched its ninth straight record close, with Dupont and 3m contributing the most gains.

Dow closes at 20,775.

The NASDAQ Dividend Achievers Index is made up of 272 stocks with 10+ consecutive years of dividend increases that meet certain minimum size and liquidity requirements.
The downloadable Dividend Achievers Spreadsheet List below contains the following for each stock in the index:
Sector
Dividend yield
Name and ticker
Price-to-earnings ratio
Forward price-to-earnings ratio

Sixty percent of employer 401k plans offer a Roth feature....Start saving now for tax free withdrawals in retirement!  Call your plan administrator and see if your employer offers the Roth.

• DOW 20,269

• NASDAQ 5,734

• S&P 2,316

 The U.S. stock market extended gains to close at a fresh record Friday as investors cheered President Donald Trump's promise to introduce tax reforms in the next few weeks.

The S&P 500 climbed 8 points, or 0.4%, to close at 2,316. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 98 points, or 0.5%, to end at 20,270 and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 18 points, or 0.3%, to close at 5,734.

All three benchmarks set new records for a second day in a row.