Resources

• Articles

  • Cash Management

    • What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?
    • How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?
    • What Cash Management Tools Are Available?
    • How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?
    • How Can I Better Manage My Short-Term Cash?
    • What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?
    • What Is a Reverse Mortgage?
    • What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?
    • What About Financial Aid for College?
    • What Savings Alternatives Are Available?
    • How Does Inflation Affect Me?
    • Is a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit Right for Me?

  • Estates & Trusts

    • What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?
    • How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?
    • What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?
    • How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?
    • How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?
    • How Will I Pay Estate Taxes?
    • Can I Benefit from an A-B Trust?
    • What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?
    • How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?
    • How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust?
    • How Can I Benefit from a Wealth Replacement Trust?
    • Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?
    • What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?
    • History of the Federal Estate Tax

  • Investing

    • What Are Dividends?
    • What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?
    • Growth Stocks vs. Value Stocks
    • How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?
    • What Is Stock?
    • What Are Zero-Coupon Bonds?
    • What Is Diversification?
    • What Types of Bonds Are Available?
    • What Is a Bond?
    • What Do Bond Ratings Mean?
    • What Is a Stock Index?
    • How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?
    • What Is a Mutual Fund?
    • What Is a Closed-End Fund?
    • What Is a Mutual Fund Load?
    • What Is an Annuity?
    • What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?
    • What Investment Risks Should I Know About?
    • What Are the Different Classes of Assets?
    • What Is Asset Allocation?
    • How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?
    • What College Investment Options Do I Have?
    • What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?
    • What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?
    • 529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans

  • Retirement

    • What Is a SIMPLE?
    • What Is an IRA Rollover?
    • What Is a Roth 401(k)?
    • What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?
    • What Is a Money Purchase Pension Plan?
    • What Is a 403(b) Plan?
    • Why Do People Buy Annuities?
    • What Is a Split-Annuity Strategy?
    • What Are Annuity Living Benefits?
    • How Much Do I Need to Save?
    • A New Chapter for Retirement
    • What Is a 1035 Exchange?
    • Unforgettable Birthdays
    • Don’t Bank Your Retirement on Your Business
    • What Are My Retirement Planning Options?
    • Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?
    • Social Security Income
    • What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?
    • What Is an Indexed Annuity?
    • Retirement Plan Distributions
    • What Is a Traditional IRA?
    • What Is a 401(k) Plan?
    • How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?
    • Save Now or Save Later?
    • What Is a Roth IRA?

  • Risk Management

    • Why Purchase Life Insurance?
    • Why Are Annuities Considered an Insurance Product?
    • What Is Property and Casualty Insurance?
    • Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?
    • Life Insurance for Business Owners
    • What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?
    • What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?
    • Disability Income Insurance for Business Owners
    • What Is Term Life Insurance?
    • What Is Whole Life Insurance?
    • What Is Universal Life Insurance?
    • What Is Variable Life Insurance?
    • What Are the Main Types of Auto Insurance?
    • Making a Property Insurance Claim
    • How Can I Maximize My Insurance Benefits?
    • How Can I Insure My Future?
    • How Can I Protect My Home?
    • Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?
    • What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?
    • How Can I Extend My Liability Coverage?
    • What Is the Difference Between an HMO and a PPO?
    • How Can I Determine the Financial Strength of My Insurance Company?
    • Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?
    • What Does Medicare Cover?
    • What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?

  • Tax Planning

    • What Is the Capital Gain Tax?
    • What Is the Estate Tax?
    • What Is the Gift Tax?
    • How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?
    • What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?
    • What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?
    • When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?
    • What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½
    • What Is Tax Deferral?
    • How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?
    • What Tax Deductions Are Still Available to Me?
    • What Tax-Advantaged Alternatives Do I Have?
    • What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan
    • Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?
    • How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?
    • How Can I Upgrade My Insurance — Tax-Free?

• Newsletters

  • June

    • HOT TOPIC: Shortages and Bottlenecks Expose Weak Links in U.S. Supply Chains
    • New Changes to College Financial Aid and Education Tax Benefits
    • How Well Do You Understand Retirement Plan Rules?
    • Is the Medicare Donut Hole Really Closed?
    • Corporate Debt: Are Juicier Yields Worth the Extra Risk?
    • Your Business: New Rules for Writing Off Restaurant Meals

  • May

    • HOT TOPIC: Rising Inflation: Where Will It Go from Here?
    • Real Estate for Income and Diversification
    • Five Tips to Follow When Applying for a Mortgage
    • Social Security Spousal Benefits
    • Portfolios Get Personal: Growing Interest in Socially Responsible Investing
    • Your Business: Minimum-Wage Laws in the Spotlight

  • April

    • HOT TOPIC: High-Frequency Indicators: Where to Look for Signs of Recovery
    • A Financial Wellness Plan Can Help Pave the Road to Retirement
    • Four Things Investors Should Know About Stock Splits
    • All-in-One Funds: Targeting Time or Risk?
    • Working While Receiving Social Security Benefits
    • Your Business: Reasons to Keep Personal and Business Finances Separate

  • March

    • HOT TOPIC: GameStop, Reddit, and Market Mania: What Happened?
    • Key Retirement and Tax Numbers for 2021
    • Are Value Stocks Poised for a Comeback?
    • Home Sweet Home Equity
    • Asset Protection: Make Sure Your Umbrella Is Big Enough
    • Is Your Home Office Also a Tax Shelter?

  • February

    • HOT TOPIC: Pandemic Relief Measures and Your Tax Return
    • Sequence Risk: Preparing to Retire in a Down Market
    • Watch Out for These Financial Pitfalls in the New Year
    • New Fed Policy Suggests Low Rates for the Long Term
    • When You Can’t Speak for Yourself
    • Big Data for Smaller Players

  • January

    • HOT TOPIC: Revisiting the 4% Rule
    • Five Tips to Regain Your Retirement Savings Focus in 2021
    • Money Market Funds in a Low Rate Environment
    • Prepare Your Finances for the Next Emergency
    • Gift vs. Inheritance: Consider the Tax Difference
    • Take Advantage of Deductions for Business Investments

  • December

    • HOT TOPIC: How COVID-19 Has Changed Consumer Behavior and the Future of Retail
    • Should You Pay Off Student Loans Early or Save More for Retirement?
    • Putting Your Nest Egg in Three Baskets
    • Full House: Adult Children Coming Home
    • Income Investors May Find Closed-End Funds on Sale
    • Your Business: Could You Benefit from a Roth Conversion in 2020?

  • November

    • Five Investment Tasks to Tackle by Year-End
    • Three Questions to Consider During Open Enrollment
    • Passive, Active, or Both?
    • Your Estate: Have You Looked at These Legal Documents Lately?
    • Four Steps to Rebuilding Your Business

  • October

    • Return of Premium Life Insurance: Protection and Cash Back
    • Accumulating Funds for Short-Term Goals
    • Investing in UITs
    • Business Cycle Basics: Recessions Begin and End Before We Know It
    • Insurance to Help Protect Your Business from Lawsuits

  • September

    • Could You Be Responsible for Your Parents’ Nursing Home Bills?
    • Survivor Benefits Provide a Financial Lifeline
    • Consider Market Caps for Diversification
    • Student Loan Stress? These Plans Might Help
    • Why Family Businesses Should Have Succession Plans

  • August

    • Debit or Credit? Pick a Card
    • Consider a Roth Conversion for Tax-Free Income
    • Turbulent Times: Bear Markets Come and Go
    • Indexed Annuities: A Strategy to Turn Savings into Retirement Income
    • Crisis Relief: Financial Lifelines for Affected Workers

  • July

    • Mid-Year Is a Great Time to Fine-Tune Your Finances
    • Four Questions on the Roth Five-Year Rule
    • Playing Defense: Three Stock Strategies to Help Control Risk
    • The Beige Book: A Timely Economic Read
    • Quarterly Taxes: Deadlines Keep Coming for the Self-Employed

• Videos

  • Should You Pay Off Debt or Save for Retirement?
  • Should You Sell When the Market Drops?
  • 3 Potential Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging
  • Leaving Your Employer? Don’t Forget Your Retirement Savings Plan
  • The Basics of Social Security Retirement Benefits
  • Financial Planning: Helping You See the Big Picture
  • Stocks and Stock Mutual Funds 101
  • Bonds and Bond Mutual Funds 101
  • The Pros and Cons of a Big Tax Refund
  • The Retirement Income Factor
  • What Is Investment Risk?
  • Do You Know Who Your Beneficiaries Are?
  • The Value of a Bond
  • What Would Happen to Your Estate?
  • What Is An Annuity?

• Our Associates

• Calculators

  • Cash Management

    • Cash Flow Analysis
    • Net Worth
    • Lifetime Earnings

  • Estate Planning

    • Estate Taxes

  • Loans & Credit Cards

    • Loan Payoff
    • Home Affordability
    • Mortgage Refinancing
    • Mortgage Acceleration
    • Credit Card Debt
    • Lease Payment
    • Car Affordability

  • Retirement & Inflation

    • Cost of Retirement
    • Impact of Inflation
    • Retirement Plan Early Distribution
    • Retirement Portfolio Lifespan

  • Risk Management

    • Life Insurance
    • Life Expectancy
    • Long-Term Care Self Insurance
    • LTCI Cost of Waiting
    • Disability Income Insurance

  • Saving & Investing

    • College Funding
    • Savings Goals
    • Savings Accumulation
    • Taxable Equivalent Yield

  • Taxes & IRAs

    • Federal Income Tax
    • Tax-Deferred Savings
    • IRA Eligibility
    • Roth IRA Conversion

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