Social Security: The 64,000 Dollar Question
One of the most common questions people ask about Social Security is when they should start taking benefits.
Read more
The Pre-Retirement Checklist
Getting ready for retirement? Before you can cross that bridge, you’ll need to cross some important items off your to-do list. But thanks to our work together, you might be more prepared than you think! This handy checklist of crucial steps can help you visualize how far you’ve come.
Read more
The Cost of Procrastination
Procrastination can cause missed deadlines, missed opportunities, and just plain missing out.
Read more
Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance
The greatest gift of long-term care insurance is that it allows loved ones to supervise your care and not have to provide your care.
Read more
Women and Investing: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life
Life changes like outliving a partner, divorce, and becoming a primary caregiver for a loved one can all affect one's financial earning and investment potential. This guide is designed to encourage you to take control of your financial life.
Read more
Pay Yourself First
Each month, you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of “paying yourself first” – in other words, making your first payment of each month a deposit into your savings account. The saving patterns of Americans vary widely. And too often, short-term economic trends can interrupt long-term savings programs. For example, the U.S. Personal Savings Rate jumped from 3.5% to nearly 8% in May 2008 during the housing and banking crisis. It then rose and fell sporadically as the economic environment appeared to stabilize. It peaked in December 2012 at 12%. As of 2021, the average rate has once again varied widely between about 15% to 28%, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.1
Read more
Unlocking the Treasures of Financial Wellness
While finances and health may seem unrelated, the two are often closely intertwined, especially in America's bustling, free-flowing marketplace.
Read more
Pullbacks, Corrections, and Bear Markets
When the market drops, some investors lose perspective that downtrends and uptrends are part of the investing cycle. When stock prices break lower, it's a good time to review common terms that are used to describe the market's downward momentum.
Read more
What is an Annuity?
Annuity contracts are purchased from an insurance company. In exchange, the insurance company makes regular payments to the buyer — either immediately or at some future date.
Read more
Celebrate Small Business Month
Running a small business carries with it unique financial planning challenges, with money concerns an ongoing burden for those who work for themselves.
Read more