Sure- it is a taxable event so consult a tax professional.  There are several benefits to conversions:

• Roth withdrawals will be tax and penalty free if you are at least 59 1/2 and the account is at least 5 years old.
• Roth money can continue to grow longer.  You won't be required to started withdrawals at age 70 1/2.
• Your heirs will have to take annual withdrawals, but they won't have to pay federal income tax on the money if the account's been open for at least five years.

The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a warning to ignore phone calls from official-sounding callers who tell you your Social Security number has been suspended due to fraudulent activity and then ask you for your personal information to reactivate your account.  This is a scam.  Your Social Security number is never suspended.

Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 2.8% increase in benefits next year, the largest cost-of-living adjustment since 2012.   A 2.8% increase would boost the average Social Security benefit by $39 to $1,461 per month next year. 

The earnings limit for individuals who claim Social Security before their full retirement age will increase to $17,640 in 2019, up from $17,040 this year.

 According to the EBRI, 62% of retirees stop working with total retirement savings of $250,000 or less.

Using the 4% rule of thumb, in which you spend 4% of your savings each year (and adjust for inflation), that means that the vast majority of retirees are looking at $10,000 or less in income from their retirement savings. That's on top of the average Social Security benefit of $1,404 per month.

Generally most funds have a minimum investment to get started.  The two new Fidelity funds have no minimums-ideal way to get started.

Fidelity^® ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX)

Fidelity^® ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX)

Fidelity Zero Minimum Funds

Vanguard wil offer commission-free trades online trades for nearly 1800 ETF's, up from the current 77

The commission-free ETF's include most of Vanguard's offerings, as well as Blackrock, Schwab, and State Street Global Advisors.  Vanguard will continue to charge commissions on inverse and leveraged ETF's.  These should be available in several weeks!

Relief is beginning to show up at pumps across the county: the national average gasoline price has fallen two cents per gallon in the last week to $2.94 per gallon today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 135,000 gas stations. 40 states saw gas prices move lower in the last week, while 10 saw prices increase slightly.

Have you created an account on the Social Security Administration website to view your earnings history to ensure it is accurate, now that the administration no longer mails statements to people under the age of 60?

Social Security Link

Why is Tax Day April 17?

The regular tax return filing deadline is April 15. However, due to April 15 being on a Sunday and the Washington D.C. Emancipation Day holiday being observed on April 16 instead of April 15, 2018, Tax Day is on the following Tuesday.

Between a third and a half of people age 45 to 59 and a quarter of those 60+ went without needed health care in the past year due to its cost, according to a troubling new survey from the West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago.

Boomers...

The percentages were less dramatic for people 60 + (boomers aged 60 to 72 and Americans older than 72) — perhaps partly because those 65 and older have Medicare. But they are still concerning:

• 30% didn’t go to a dentist last year when they needed treatment
• 27% went without a routine physical or other preventive health care
• 25% didn’t fill a prescription or took less than the prescribed dose of medicine
• 25% skipped a recommended medical test or treatment
• 24% didn’t go to the doctor when they were sick or injured

Courtesy of NextAvenue.org