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 Build and Preserve My Estate?
    • 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?
    • What Is the History of the Federal Estate Tax?

  • Investing

    • What Are Dividends?
    • What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?
    • How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?
    • 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 SEP IRA?
    • 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
    • Should You Bank Your Retirement on Your Business?
    • What Are My Retirement Planning Options?
    • Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?
    • How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?
    • What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?
    • What Is an Indexed Annuity?
    • What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?
    • 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?
    • What Is Life Insurance for Business Owners?
    • What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?
    • What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?
    • What Is 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?
    • How Do I Make 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?
    • How Likely Am I to Need Long-Term Care?
    • 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 Are Available?
    • 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: Will Artificial Intelligence Upend the American Workforce?
    • How Taxes Impact Your Retirement-Income Strategy
    • A Mortgage Recast Is an Alternative to Refinancing
    • Does the Social Security COLA Help If You’re Not Receiving Benefits?
    • Most Grocery Shoppers Aren’t Fooled by Shrinkflation
    • Cheaper Hearing Aids Are Coming to a Store Near You

  • May

    • HOT TOPIC: Rescuing America’s Safety Net
    • Diversifying with Market Caps
    • Keep an Eye Out for IRS-Related Scams
    • Social Security Offers Benefits from Birth Through Old Age
    • Municipal Bonds: A Tax-Advantaged Way to Put Capital to Work
    • Bear Market Emotions: Strategy vs. Reaction

  • April

    • HOT TOPIC: Bank Failures Shine Light on Interest Rate Risks
    • Are You Eligible for Any of These College-Related Federal Tax Benefits?
    • Time for a Spring Cleanup: Organizing Your Financial Records
    • Retiring in a Down Market? Don’t Panic
    • Trusts — Not Just for Estate Taxes
    • Business Owners: Should You Organize as an LLC?

  • March

    • HOT TOPIC: Red Ink: The Debt Ceiling and Deficit Spending
    • Key Retirement and Tax Numbers for 2023
    • Creating Your Own “Operation London Bridge”
    • Double Up with a Spousal IRA
    • When Should Young Adults Start Investing for Retirement?
    • The Inflation Experience is Painful – and Personal

  • February

    • HOT TOPIC: SECURE 2.0 Aims to Brighten the Future for Retirement Savers
    • Balancing Stocks and Bonds in One Fund
    • Fixed for Life: What Can an Annuity Do for You?
    • Three Ways to Help Simplify Your Finances
    • IRA Strategies: After-Tax Money and the Pro-Rata Rule
    • Small Businesses Should Prepare for Stronger Tax Enforcement

  • January

    • HOT TOPIC: Is the Yield Curve Signaling a Recession?
    • Stretch IRA Alternatives
    • A 529 Plan Can Help Jump Start Your College Fund
    • Tips for Safe Online Shopping
    • Taking Control of Your Retirement Savings
    • Naming a Trusted Contact

  • December

    • HOT TOPIC: ‘Tis the Season for Tax-Friendly Giving Strategies
    • Sectors: Overweight, Underweight, or Just Right?
    • Is It Time to Buy an Electric Vehicle?
    • IRA Distributions Can Benefit Your Favorite Cause … and Your Tax Bill
    • Talk About These Money Matters Before the Wedding
    • Fraudsters and Scammers Pocket Nearly $6 Billion in 2021

  • November

    • HOT TOPIC: What Does a Strong Dollar Mean for the U.S. Economy?
    • Famous People Who Died Without Proper Planning
    • Retirement Savings in a Volatile Market
    • New Life for Your Old Insurance Policy
    • Virtual Health Care Is Here to Stay
    • How Funding an HSA Could Help Strengthen Your Retirement Strategy

  • October

    • HOT TOPIC: CHIPS and Science Act Aims to Preserve U.S. Technology Edge
    • Passive, Active, or Both?
    • How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
    • Building Financial Resilience
    • Donor-Advised Funds Combine Charitable Impact with Tax Benefits
    • Small Businesses Are Short-Staffed and Overwhelmed

  • September

    • HOT TOPIC: Unpacking the Inflation Reduction Act: What’s in It?
    • Dividends for Income and Total Returns
    • What the Red-Hot Job Market Means for Workers
    • Preparing for a Natural Disaster
    • How Life Insurance Could Help Mitigate Taxes in Retirement
    • Diversifying Your Portfolio with International Flair

  • August

    • Inflation Protection for Investment Dollars
    • Life Insurance Living Benefits
    • Uncle Sam Wants to Know About Your Gig Income
    • Sticker Shock Is No Joke for Car Buyers
    • Six Steps to Starting a New Business

  • July

    • A Wealth of Information: How to Read a Mutual Fund Prospectus
    • Should You Consider Tapping the Equity in Your Home?
    • Adjusting Your Tax Withholding
    • WEP and GPO Can Reduce Social Security Benefits

• Videos

  • Should You Pay Off Debt or Save for Retirement?
  • Should You Sell When the Market Drops?
  • 3 Potential Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging
  • 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
  • Do You Know Who Your Beneficiaries Are?

• 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
    • Required Minimum Distributions
    • Impact of Inflation
    • Retirement Plan Early Distribution
    • Retirement Portfolio Lifespan
    • Working While Collecting Social Security Benefits

  • 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

• Glossary

• Flipbooks

• Tell A Friend