All Articles
- Inflation & Your Money
- Social Security: The Elephant in the Room
- Getting a Head Start on College Savings
- 9 Facts About Social Security
- 3 Estate Challenges for Blended Families
- Understanding Money Market Funds
- Why Everyone Needs an Estate Strategy
- How Retirement Spending Changes With Time
- Inflation & the Real Rate of Return
- College Funding Choices
- What in the World Are NFTs?
- Measuring the Value of a Financial Professional
- Tax-Loss Harvesting
- “Backdoor” Roth IRAs
- Roth IRA Conversion in the Era of COVID-19
- A Stock Market Lesson to Remember
- Traditional Vs. Roth IRA
- The Solo 401(k)
- Tax Considerations for Retirees
- A Look at HSAs
- An Executor Checklist
- Making a Charitable Gift from Your IRA
- Tax Considerations for Retirees
- Social Security Gets Its Biggest Boost in Years
- Your 2019 Financial To-Do List
- When You Retire Without Enough
- Underappreciated Options for Building Retirement Savings
- Build Your Rainy Day Fund
- Financial Considerations When Buying a Car
- Should You Use A 529 Plan on K-12 Education?
- Financial Priorities Young Families Should Address
- The Importance of a Life Insurance Audit
- Are REITs Right for You?
- Cash Flow Management
- Investing in Your Beliefs
- How Much Will You Spend When You Retire?
- The Major Retirement Planning Mistakes
- Managing Student Loan Debt
- Ways to Repair Your Credit Score
- Tips for Starting a Business
- Why You Should Have an Online Social Security Account
- The Major 2018 Federal Tax Changes
- The Many Benefits of a Roth IRA
- Building an Emergency Fund
- Do Our Attitudes About Money Help or Hurt Us?
- Saving $1 Million for Retirement
- Self-Employed? What’s Your Retirement Plan?
- Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
- Are Millennial Women Saving Enough?
- Consequences of Not Saving for Retirement
- Keep Calm, Stay Invested
- Beware of Emotions Affecting Your Money Decisions
- How Should Financial Professionals Be Paid?
- What Are Catch‐Up Contributions Really Worth?
- Moving Into a Nursing Home Facility
- Should You Change Jobs or Stay the Course?
- Retirement Blindspots
- Sometimes the Pundits Get It Wrong
- The Things Most Likely to Kill Us
Featured Articles
Inflation & Your Money
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 understanding how inflation is reported and how it can affect investments. What Is Inflation? Inflation is […]
Social Security: The Elephant in the Room
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 Insurance Contributions Act and Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance). It hinted at a future that seemed both intangible and far away. Yet, some […]
Getting a Head Start on College Savings
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 2023.1,2 If you want to add the cost […]
9 Facts About Social Security
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 Security trust fund is huge. It was $2.8 trillion […]
3 Estate Challenges for Blended Families
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 couples with children from previous relationships. Here are a few case studies to help illustrate […]
Understanding Money Market Funds
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. Treasury Bonds.1 Safety First These funds are designed to be easily accessible and are often considered […]
How Retirement Spending Changes With Time
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 up” and spend more than they anticipate as retirement starts to unfold. In 10 or 20 […]
Inflation & the Real Rate of Return
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 of return indicates whether you are gaining or losing purchasing power with your money. […]
College Funding Choices
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 savings vehicles to consider. 529 college savings plans. Offered by states and some educational institutions, […]