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.

Short-term cash management instruments can help you establish a sound cash management program.

Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.

There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

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

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

The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

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.

Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

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

Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

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.

An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.

Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

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

Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.

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

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

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

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

There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares or bonds.

Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

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

With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.

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

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.

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

Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.

Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

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

Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

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

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

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

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

Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.

Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.

Several factors could undermine the financial security provided by the proceeds of your life insurance policy.

To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.

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.

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.

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.

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

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

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

Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

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

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

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.