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6 Ways to Minimize Your Tax Liability Throughout the Year

You don't need to wait until the end of the year to look for ways to minimize your tax liability. Tax planning should take place throughout the year to have you prepared well ahead of tax season. Here are six ways to minimize your tax...

A Guide to Incorporating Philanthropy into Your Financial Planning

If you're considering giving back to society or a cause as part of your financial planning, there are many ways you can do so. You can make an impact while receiving tax benefits by including philanthropic giving as part of a holistic...

A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide

As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider that may affect your finances

Making Decisions About Medicare

As you near age 65, you may start to think about Medicare. How do you sort through your coverage options? When (and how) do you enroll? And what if you have other health insurance? Here is some information to help you

A Fall Financial Checklist

For many, autumn is the best time of year. The return of cool breezes, comforting foods, and pumpkins can be invigorating. It’s also a bookmark of sorts, especially for your finances

Six Potential 401(k) Rollover Pitfalls

You're about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you're considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble-free, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid...

Tax-Advantaged 529 Accounts: What Families Need to Consider

According to the College Board, the most recently published figures of the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a public university for the 2021-2022 school year was $10,740 for in-state students and $27,560 for out-of-state...

Designating a Beneficiary for Life Insurance

A beneficiary is the person or entity you name (i.e., designate) to receive the death benefits of a life insurance policy. Some states require that your beneficiary have an insurable interest in your life or be related to you (at least...

How to Help Aging Parents

Financial capacity – the ability to manage your finances in your own best interest – involves everything from paying bills to reading a brokerage statement and weighing an investment's potential risks and rewards. And...

Staying on Track with Your Retirement Investments

All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there can be no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful. And asset allocation and diversification alone cannot guarantee a profit or eliminate...

3 Golf Tips to Keep Your Retirement Plan on Course

In golf, as in finances, there are a few rules of thumb that may improve your game: keep a level head, avoid traps, practice before trying something new and stay the course. Applying lessons from the golf course to your financial life...

A Financial Planning Guide for Families with Disabilities

About 61 million adults in the U.S. live with a disability. Many of these disabilities are serious enough to impact a person’s daily life.1 There may be financial benefits available to those whose disabilities leave them unable...

Securing Your Future With Life Cycle Planning

The need for regular saving and investing spans many life stages. Through the years, your goals will change and your strategies will shift, but don’t be alarmed. You’re just progressing through the normal stages of life,...

Mindful Questions to Ask Yourself at Work

It’s important to be task driven at work, but your mental and physical well-being should never suffer because of your daily tasks. Here are some questions worth asking yourself during a work day.How are you fueling your body?A...

What Homeowners Should Know About Estate Planning

If you have always thought estate planning was just for those nearing retirement or already retired, think again. If you own a home, it is important to have a plan in place. Without a will or other arrangements that allow your home to...

529 College Savings Plans: A Cheat Sheet for Common Questions

Life Insurance at Various Life Stages

These are the 7 Best Ways to Support Small Businesses from Home

Teach Children to Save Day

3 Reasons to Wait Until 70 to Claim Social Security Benefits

Invest in Your Financial Education During Financial Literacy Month

11 Things To Know About Russia and Ukraine

Women's History Month: 4 Female Financial Pioneers

The History and Mission of America Saves Week

A Heart-to-Heart About Heart Health (American Heart Month)

The Origins and Significance of Black History Month

3 Practical Time Management Tips for Investors

The Resolutions You’ll Actually Want to Keep Up With This Year

Five Healthy Habits for Financial Wellness

Tax Prep Checklist: Everything You Need to Be Ready for Tax Season

6 Holly Jolly Green Monday Facts and Tips

The holiday season means shopping is at its peak, and while many consumers are familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they may be less familiar with Green Monday. Held on the second Monday of December, Green Monday is another...

A Season of Giving: 5 Different Ways To Give During the Holidays

With the holidays here, now is the time to get into the giving spirit and help to change others' lives for the better. Whether you are looking to make a difference in a specific person's life or the life of many, there are many ways to...

Christmas Shopping Lessons for Investors

Is that investment an innovation or an improvement on an existing product? As Christmas sales loom, we face an endless array of sparkly, shiny and occasionally innovative items. As an investor, you run into a similar phenomenon that...

Data Breaches Are Inevitable – Here’s How to Protect Yourself Anyway

It’s tempting to give up on data security altogether, with all the billions of pieces of personal data – Social Security numbers, credit cards, home addresses, phone numbers, passwords and much more – breached and...

6 Ways to Show Your Gratitude During National Veteran and Military Families Month

National Veteran and Military Families Month is one of the most recently created celebratory months, put in action by former President Trump starting in November 2020. While various service members are honored throughout the year, this...

Put Yourself in Front of the Savings Game

Like dieting, budgeting your expenses can benefit from long-term commitment. However, human nature leads many of us to become frustrated when we can’t immediately have the things we need or want. As a result, the best-laid...

Everything You Need to Know about the FAFSA for 2021

One of the most important pieces of the college financing puzzle is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Without the FAFSA, a college student is unlikely to be able to apply for or receive certain types of federal...

Breast Cancer Awareness Month—Be Part of the Change

Over the last few decades, we have become extremely driven towards fighting and ending cancer for good since the National Cancer Act was put into place in 1971. This October is Breast Cancer awareness month– in the Unites States,...

Why Save for Higher Education?

In 2021, 44.7 million Americans are facing the burden of student loan debt. They owe more than $1.53 trillion in student loans. These alarming statistics prove the importance of saving for higher education. In the past, many parents...

Life Insurance - Changing Times, Changing Needs

When Judy purchased her life insurance policy 10 years ago, she thought her insurance planning was complete. She assumed that if she paid her premiums on time, she could sit back and not think about life insurance anymore. Judy’s...

Why Invest?

To accumulate wealth, people may choose to invest their money into various types of investments. Investing creates opportunities that otherwise would be difficult to manage due to the consistency of contributing to the investment....

How to Get Your House Back-to-School Ready

Back-to-school time is notably hectic. From scrambling to buy supplies to adjusting your internal clock, it can feel like you’re being pulled in a hundred different directions. However, if you get your house in order beforehand,...

Taxpayer Appreciation Day—Recognizing Taxpayers' Contributions

Though U.S. taxpayers received an extra month to file and pay their federal income taxes in 2021, some are still smarting from having to write a check to the IRS.[1] For many, it can be tough to make the connection between those...

Helping Young Adults Understand Insurance

Young adults starting out in life, especially newlyweds, need insurance. But what kind? As a start, a good term life policy likely is a smart move. Other types of insurance may not be. And as they age, what other varieties of coverage...

Annuity Basics

An annuity is a contract between you, the purchaser or owner, and an insurance company, the annuity issuer. In its simplest form, you pay money to an annuity issuer, and the issuer pays out the principal and earnings back to you or to...

Happy Birthday, Papa Dow!

Happy birthday, Papa Dow! Charles Dow founded the Dow Jones Industrial Average 125 years ago today. The Dow started with 12 companies, most of which don’t exist anymore, though General Electric was in the original 12. It has...

What Should Grandparents Know About 529 Savings Accounts?

Grandparents can often find themselves in a better financial position to save for their grandchildren's education than their own children are. The parents of prospective students may still be contending with competing priorities like...

How to Stay Committed to Your Financial Goals

Setting healthy financial goals is critical. Even more important is staying committed to those financial goals. Keeping yourself committed to your goals may be difficult, especially when times may be financially tough. But by staying...

5 Investment Considerations for Small Business Owners

If you're a small business owner, many of the best practices employed by individual investors are also available to you (of course!), but you also have some additional options and factors to weigh while creating your investment plans....

There's Still Time to Contribute to an IRA for 2020

Even though tax filing season is well under way, there's still time to make a regular IRA contribution for 2020. You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions) to contribute up to $6,000 for 2020 ($7,000 if you were...

The History of April Fool’s Day

Long known as a day for pranks, the April Fool's holiday has a few possible origins[1] and has been celebrated in many countries for centuries. The holiday is typically marked by the delivery of practical jokes, at the end of which the...

Tips for Tax Preparation

In 2020, the government gave taxpayers an automatic six-month extension due to the coronavirus. Individuals who were affected by the damaging wildfires were also given additional time to meet most tax deadlines. However, in 2021, the...

Tips for Organizing Your Financial Documents

In an increasingly paper-free society, organizing your financial documents can still be a challenge. No matter how simple or complex your financial picture might be, it takes some thought-out organization to keep your tax documents,...

Three Things You'll Wish You'd Known Before Retirement

Retirement is one of the biggest life transitions adults will ever deal with. After 20, 30, or 40 or more years in the workforce, new retirees can find it hard to adjust to the reduced amount of structure in their daily lives. But...

Business Contingency Planning for Small Business Owners

There comes a point in time when almost every small business owner contemplates the future of his or her business. Because “the business” typically is a substantial asset, an owner must address a number of estate planning...

IRA vs. 401(k): What Savers Should Know

As of 2018, about 58 million Americans had a 401(k), while around one-third of households owned an individual retirement account (IRA).1, 2 Yet for as commonplace as these retirement accounts can be, the nuances of contributions are a...

Common Retirement Investment Mistakes

Only one-in-four Americans (27%) feel very confident that they will have enough money to live comfortably when they retire, according to the 2020 Retirement Confidence Survey Summary Report.⁠11 While the number is up slightly from the...

Buying Your First Home for Millennials and Gen Z

If you are a Millennial or Gen-Zer, buying your first home is likely one of the top priorities on your list. While you may know that you are ready for a house, you may be wondering what considerations you need to make before getting...

New Year's Resolutions to Get Your Finances in Order

New Year's is traditionally the time to review your life and make resolutions for change. In addition to thinking about working out, eating healthy, and meeting personal and professional goals, you should also think about your finances...

Getting a Jump on January Tax Season

From pandemic-related stimulus payments to job losses and furloughs, for many taxpayers, next spring's tax season may be more complex than usual. With the end of 2020 rapidly approaching, you should take some time to review your tax...

End of Year (EOY) Deadlines Checklist

2020 has been one of the most unprecedented years in recent history, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don't change much, if at all. And with the uncertainty surrounding just about everything,...

Smart Shopping During the Holidays

The holiday season is just a short time away, which means the shopping season is about to be in full swing. Shopping for holiday gifts is stressful but also a little fun, especially when you think about the joy you will bring to those...

4 Reasons to Do Your Shopping on Small Business Saturday

When Thanksgiving rolls around, the holiday shopping season comes into full swing. While many people prepare their strategy for Black Friday shopping, a lot of them forget about the second shopping holiday that weekend: Small Business...

Political Parties and Stock Markets Since 1990

Does the party occupying the White House affect the U.S. stock markets and other economic measurements? How does the party controlling Congress affect markets? While it’s interesting to review history and try to answer those...

What to Know About Working With a Financial Professional

If you've been wondering how to optimize your finances and ensure your money continues to work for you, a financial professional may be able to help. But the thought of turning over your most sensitive financial information to a...

COVID Change How You Think About Spending?

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives in unprecedented ways, forcing us to stay at home more, adjust our spending habits and even reevaluate our retirement hopes and dreams. But let’s take a moment and examine how COVID...

What Gen Xers, Millennials, and Baby Boomers Need to Know About Financial Planning?

Financial planning is an important part of securing your current lifestyle as well as preparing yourself for what you wish to do in your eventual retirement. And while this importance may look different during each stage of your life,...

12 Estate Planning Must-Dos

Many of you already have estate documents, probably executed many years ago. You need an estate attorney to look over your documents every 10 years or so. Here are a dozen points to review. Do you have a will and powers of attorney for...

How to Protect Your Wealth as You Get Older

As you get older and closer to retirement, your financial practices need to shift slightly as you transition from working and saving to relying on your nest egg. As you approach this stage of your life, you need to take steps to...

Comparing Life Insurance Policies

Like anyone else, you want a life insurance policy that meets your needs and budget. But how do you find the right policy when there are so many to choose from and many of them seem so similar? The key is knowing how to compare...

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

Your life insurance needs change as your life changes. When you are young, you may not have a need for life insurance. However, as you take on more responsibility and your family grows, your life insurance needs increase. Your needs...

National Life Insurance Awareness Month

Should you really consider getting life insurance when you are close to 60? September is National Life Insurance Awareness month. And while most of us likely recognize that life insurance provides us peace of mind and security, there...

Back to School: Getting Your Financial House in Order

The abrupt end to the 2019-2020 school year in many parts of the U.S. left parents and students alike struggling to establish healthy routines. As many students prepare to head back to the classroom (or the remote classroom) this fall,...

ABCs of Investing for College

Invest early. Invest often. Invest for growth. These are the basic principles of saving for your child’s college education. The earlier you begin a savings program, the more time you have to benefit from the power of compound...

July COVID-19 Update

The July Fourth holiday will be very different this year. Although it’s a time to enjoy family and friends, and maybe even watch some fireworks, social distancing and a new wave of COVID-19 cases also may take a seat at the...

Ten Things You Must Know About Medicare

Heading into your retirement years brings a slew of new topics to grapple with, and one of the most maddening may be Medicare. Figuring out when to enroll, what to enroll in and what coverage will be best for you can be daunting. To...

Annuity Basics

An annuity is a contract between you, the purchaser or owner, and an insurance company, the annuity issuer. In its simplest form, you pay money to an annuity issuer, and the issuer pays out the principal and earnings back to you or to...

How to Make Retirement Savings Last In Retirement

Whether you dream of a travel-filled retirement or would prefer to relax and enjoy spending more time at home, you’re probably wondering what you can do to make your golden years as stress-free as possible. For many who have...

Ideas for Reducing the Cost of College

Mid-August is the time of year that our kids pack the U-Haul and head to college. And while they’re excited about a brand-new semester, it can be frightening to see the cost – and rising college debt – that comes with...

529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans

Looking for a tax-advantaged college savings vehicle that has no age restrictions and no income phaseout limits — and one you can use to pay for more than just tuition? Consider 529 savings plans, a popular way to save for...

Better Times Are Coming

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald The economic struggles in our country are among the worst we’ve ever seen. In April, a record 20 million people lost their jobs, and 36...

Nowhere to Go But Up

Investors like labels for the economy and financial markets—many of them with the word “great” in them. The Great Depression. The Great Recession. The Great Lockdown. Well, we’ve moved into what we might call...

529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans

Looking for a tax-advantaged college savings vehicle that has no age restrictions and no income phaseout limits — and one you can use to pay for more than just tuition? Consider 529 savings plans, a popular way to save for...

Life Insurance at Various Life Stages

Your need for life insurance changes as your life changes. When you’re young, you typically have less need for life insurance, but that changes as you take on more responsibility and your family grows. Then, as your...

Retirement Assistance Within the CARES Act

In late March 2020, as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged past 100,000, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed into law.1 The CARES Act provides around $2.2 trillion in aid to...

Avoiding COVID-19 Scams

Scammers, fraudsters, and other criminals are taking advantage of rapidly changing data and facts associated with COVID-19, both in the workplace and in our homes. Government agencies, corporations, and news outlets continue to warn...

What Is in the $2 Trillion Relief Package?

The United States has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country, and in an attempt to stop the spread of this disease, states have closed schools and businesses throughout the country. These unprecedented shutdowns have...

The April 15th Tax Deadline is Now July 15th

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is delaying the April 15th deadline to file and pay taxes by 90 days, giving individuals and businesses another 3 months to file and then pay the government what they owe. What Should You Do? Putting...

A Test of Our Resolve

The world continues its battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, which now has likely impacted, either directly or indirectly, nearly every person on Earth. This is far more than just a health crisis—this is a human crisis. Its...

7 Tips to Help You Stay Productive at Home

With the rapid spreading of COVID-19, and more and more people either on self-quarantine or practicing social distancing, many of us are working from home. While working from home definitely has its perks – no commute! –...

Maintain a Good Credit Rating

Installment debt, in itself, is not a bad thing. It enables us to make major purchases that would be nearly impossible to finance up front. In this consumer society, however, we're bombarded with advertisements for literally thousands...

Avoid These Financial Traps -- They May Be Hazardous to Your Wealth

Money. It's hard to get and easy to lose. It doesn't take long for the wealth you've accumulated to disappear if you don't manage your money well or have a plan to protect your assets from sudden calamity. Snares like the ones...

What You Need to Know About the Secure Act

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 – the SECURE Act – passed the House of Representatives earlier this year and was approved by the Senate and signed by President Trump on the days...

How to Control Holiday Spending

If advertisements and commercials are beginning to feature scenes of happy families, clad in brightly colored sweaters, gathered by a fire, surrounded by an assortment of presents, then the countdown to the holidays has begun. Although...

How Charitable Giving Can Benefit Donors

Kelly and Bob regularly set aside a small portion of their budget for charitable donations. In addition to feeling good about supporting a number of worthy causes, they’ve been able to deduct the value of their charitable gifts...