Articles

Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows interest payments to be tax deductible, could have its advantages.

Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.

The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

Before investing in stocks, it is important to understand some of the basics and the risks involved in owning stocks.

Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.

Bond ratings gauge a bond issuer’s financial ability to repay its promised principal and interest payments.

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

If you leave a job or retire, you should consider your options regarding your employer retirement plan assets.

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

Profit-sharing plans give employees a share in the profits of a company and can help to fund their retirements.

401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

A SEP IRA is a type of plan under which the employer contributes (up to a certain limit) to an employee’s IRA.

Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?

Since your home is one of your greatest assets, you should make sure it is adequately protected. That's where homeowners insurance enters the picture.

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

If you were to suffer an illness or disability that required long-term nursing care, would you be covered?

Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally trigger a 10% federal tax penalty.

Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.