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?
    • 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 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
    • 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?
    • 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 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

  • 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

    • HOT TOPIC: Is the U.S. Economy in a Recession?
    • 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

    • HOT TOPIC: Tech Sector Turmoil and the Bear Market
    • 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
    • How Long Should You Keep Financial Records?

  • June

    • HOT TOPIC: Rising Rates Join Long List of Housing Dilemmas
    • Avoiding Probate
    • What’s Your Retirement Dream Elevator Pitch?
    • Are You Ready to Cancel Your Cable TV?
    • Where to Look for Lost and Forgotten Money
    • Consider a Bond Ladder for Rising Interest Rates

  • May

    • Working While Receiving Social Security Benefits
    • Baseball Lessons That Might Help Change Up Your Finances
    • Planning to Quit Your Job? What to Know Before You Go
    • Why Small Businesses Should Pay Attention to Accessibility
    • Food Inflation: What’s Behind It and How to Cope

  • April

    • ETFs Are Gaining on Mutual Funds: Here’s Why
    • Key Retirement and Tax Numbers for 2022
    • Splurge or Save? Making the Most of Your Income-Tax Refund
    • What’s the Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid?
    • Flood Insurance: Be Prepared for Rising Waters and Changing Rates

  • March

    • When Two Goals Collide: Balancing College and Retirement Preparations
    • Mutual Funds: Do You Know What’s in Your Portfolio?
    • If You Don’t Have a Will, You Probably Should
    • Going Green: A Fast-Growing Corner of the Global Bond Market
    • When Buying Is Easy, Paying Later Can Be a Problem

  • February

    • Building Blocks for Financing College with Less Debt
    • How to Correct an Error on Your Credit Report
    • Preparing for Libor to Leave the Building
    • Are You a HENRY? Consider These Wealth-Building Strategies
    • Did You Know Medicaid May Pay You as a Family Caregiver?

  • January

    • HOT TOPIC: The Fed Pivots to Fight Inflation
    • 401(k) and IRA: A Combined Savings Strategy
    • Charitable Giving Can Be a Family Affair
    • Your Social Security Statement: What’s in It for You?
    • Looking Back, Looking Forward
    • Going Public: How Are Direct Listings Different from IPOs?

• 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

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