Inflation & Your Money “If the current annual inflation rate is 3 percent, why do my bills seem like they’re 10 percent higher than last year?”1 Many of us ask ourselves that question, and it illustrates the importance of...
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Social Security: The Elephant in the Room For most Americans, Social Security has represented nothing more than some unavoidable payroll deduction with the positively cryptic initials of “FICA” and “OASDI” (Federal...
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Getting a Head Start on College Savings One study estimates the average cost of raising a child to the age of 17 for a middle-income family is about $310,605. As a point of comparison, the median home price in the U.S. was $417,700 at the end of...
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9 Facts About Social Security Social Security has been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how it works, but how much do you really know? Here are nine things that might surprise you. The Social...
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3 Estate Challenges for Blended Families Preparing your estate can be complicated, and if you’re a part of a blended family, estate decisions can be even more complex and nuanced. Blended families take on many forms but typically consist of...
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Understanding Money Market Funds A money market fund, not to be confused with a money market account, is a type of mutual fund that invests in instruments like cash equivalents and short-term debt-based securities, which can also include U.S...
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How Retirement Spending Changes With Time New retirees sometimes worry that they are spending too much, too soon. Should they scale back? Are they at risk of outliving their money? This concern may be legitimate. Some households “live it...
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Inflation & the Real Rate of Return Is your money gaining or losing purchasing power? The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. It’s the rate of return on your investments after inflation. The real rate...
Read more College Funding Choices Explore the different ways you can help finance the costs of higher education. How can you help cover your child’s future college costs? Saving early (and often) may be key for most families. Here are some college...
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What in the World Are NFTs? A Look at Non-Fungible Tokens. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been the recipient of the latest buzz. NFTs are digital files attached to blockchain codes. If you know anything about digital currencies, you’re...
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Measuring the Value of a Financial Professional Findings suggest that these relationships can make a difference for investors. What is a relationship with a financial professional worth to an investor? A 2019 study by Vanguard, one of the...
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