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Trusts and Year-End Planning: A Checklist
A trust is a legal vehicle that protects your assets that contains instructions for your assets when you die or become incapacitated. When you set up a trust, you transfer assets from your name into your trust's name while you still...
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Maximizing Military Retirement Benefits
Retiring from the military is a profound accomplishment. For many, this retirement will provide you with positive things, including the time and geographic stability you need to start a new career or simply enjoy leisure activities...
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A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide
As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider that may affect your finances:...
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Investing Options for Veterans and Military Members
Veterans and military members have access to various investment options, some of which are not offered to the general population. Managing investments depends on individual goals, risk tolerance, and financial situation. Here are some...
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4 Reasons Working with a Financial Professional Is Not as Scary as You Think
For some people, the thought of using financial services is a scary experience. It involves planning for a future where you may not know how the economy may be, how your health may be, or what your financial needs might be. One of the...
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The Facts of LIFE (Living Independently For Elders): Financial Planning and Senior Independence
Navigating elder care and elder care finances in the U.S. can be a challenge even for the most well-prepared households. So what, exactly, is involved in senior financial planning? What steps can you take now to help you be prepared...
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How to Make Keeping Track of Your Finances Easy
Now is an excellent time to start evaluating your current financial situation, determining your future goals and expectations, and working toward pursuing them. If you need help pulling together a plan for your finances, a financial...
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Finding Focus with Financial Planning: A Step-By-Step Guide
You have probably heard about financial planning and its potential benefits, but you are unsure how to apply the principles to your life. A financial plan is a collection of steps that help you to evaluate your financial condition and...
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Understanding 401(k) and IRA Withdrawals for Education Expenses
A student's education expenses may be reduced when a parent uses their tax-advantaged retirement account to help cover tuition and other related costs. With many students graduating with college loan debt, using a 401(k) or IRA may...
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Retirement Re-education: Back to School Time for Retirement Planning
Retirement planning is a constantly evolving process. Strategies that may have worked fine a few years ago may no longer be the optimal direction to continue. Your life may have taken unexpected turns, you may have different retirement...
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Reading, Writing, and Education Planning
The earlier you start saving, the easier it will be to send your kids to college The month of August is when many parents are preparing to send children back to school this fall. While the checklists grow and the kids soak in the last...
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Back-to-School Budgeting 101 for College Students
Establishing and sticking to a budget is an important life skill to learn, even for college students who are focused on keeping up their grades and getting a good job when they graduate. Budgeting may help them understand how much...
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Investing in Your 60s and Beyond
Once you are in your 60s, you are likely to focus less on growing your retirement funds than answering, "When do I retire?" And once you crack open your nest egg, how should you allocate its contents? The answer often lies in a...
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Investing for Major Financial Goals
Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don't take any money out until you're ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? But that's what...
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Five Keys to Investing for Retirement
Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices regardless of whether you...
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Do You Know What Type of Investor You Are?
Do you know the answer if your financial professional asks you what type of investor you are? While it may be challenging to classify yourself off the top of your head, knowing what type of investor you are might help you avoid making...
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Midyear Outlook 2023: The Path Toward Stability
Now that we’re beyond the midpoint of the investing year, it’s a great time to look at where we’ve been—to help position your portfolio for the latter half of the year. Our Midyear Outlook: The Path Toward...
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Financial Independence for the Sandwich Generation
The “Sandwich Generation” faces a lot of struggles. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, it describes a demographic where usually middle-aged individuals must support aging parents at the same time they’re...
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Generational Wealth and the Gift of Financial Freedom
Those who receive an inheritance with the passing of a loved one are potentially given the gift of financial freedom if they choose to manage the wealth carefully. Did you know that only about one-third of adults have a prepared will,...
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Finances and Fireworks: 5 Strategies to Help Preserve and Celebrate Your Financial Freedom
Your finances are probably one of the last places you want to experience fireworks—unless they are celebratory. With new year's resolutions firmly in the rearview mirror, the summer months allow you to revisit your financial...
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4 Financial Lessons from America’s Founding Fathers
America’s Founding Fathers created the foundation of a nation like no other. Each had goals and dreams, many with high expectations of what the United States of America could become. For today’s citizens, it may be possible...
Read MoreDebt Ceiling Drama Is Behind Us
Every so often Washington likes to remind us how hard it can be to get things accomplished. The most recent example is the debt ceiling—the amount Congress can borrow to pay its bills. It seems like we have this debate every few...
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3 Ways Planning For Retirement is Like Planning For Summer Break
For kids, teens, and college students, summer break often represents freedom from schedules, responsibilities, and all those other drains on your time. Retirement actually can provide a similar level of freedom, but only if you've...
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Insurance Coverage Review
Right now is a great time to assess your insurance coverage. Insurance is a means of protecting your assets against premature liquidation. When a loss occurs, the assets you've worked hard to attain face liquidation if your insurance...
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Fatherly Advice: 6 Timeless Financial Tips Our Fathers Taught Us
Although many things have changed in the financial world over the past 20 years, some nuggets of financial advice are timeless. Here are a few tips that have remained constant for several generations.Always Spend Less Than You...
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5 Homeowner Estate Planning Tips to Consider
Estate planning helps disperse your assets according to your wishes. The effort may seem daunting at first, but estate planning does not have to be overly complicated. With the proper planning, you may find yourself resting a little...
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529 Plans and Alternatives: Making an Educated Decision about Education Savings Options
529 Plans and Alternatives: Making an Educated Decision about Education Savings OptionsThose that choose to invest in the education of a family member, friend or acquaintance are investing not only in that individual’s future,...
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Small Business Owners: Are You Retirement Ready (or Not)?
Small Business Owners: Are You Retirement Ready (or Not)?Whether you are an employee in corporate America or a small business owner, retirement is a part of life. For many, the thought of retiring and whether or not you are ready to...
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Mother Knows Best: 6 Small Business Lessons We Learned From Our Moms
Mother Knows Best: 6 Small Business Lessons We Learned From Our MomsMothers are our teachers, starting from the time we are born and lasting throughout our lives. They have a role in teaching us how to be good people, take care of...
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7 Ways to Show Your Gratitude During Military Appreciation Month
7 Ways to Show Your Gratitude During Military Appreciation MonthMay is Military Appreciation Month and the perfect time to express your gratitude to military members for their service. Whether you come from a military family or are...
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The Best Investment: Teaching Your Children to Save and Invest
The Best Investment: Teaching Your Children to Save and Invest A 2022 Gallup Poll found that 58% of all adult Americans own stock. The top 1% owns more than half the total amount invested among those who own stock. 1 Making...
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The Benefits of Getting A Second Financial Opinion
The Benefits of Getting A Second Financial Opinion When it comes to medical or legal advice, the value of getting a second opinion is fairly well established and defined. What about financial decisions? At what point does it make sense...
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How to Increase Your Financial Literacy
How to Increase Your Financial Literacy Unlike verbal literacy, financial literacy isn't often taught in schools—which means that many people may enter adulthood without having all the tools they need to make...
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Optimizing Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
Pay Down Debt or Save for Retirement?All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful.The most important decision you can make is to...
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The Strength of LPL Financial
The events of the past few days have many people asking questions about the health of the financial services companies they entrust with their money and investments. And to the extent that you may have similar questions, we want to...
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Spring Has Sprung: Time to Refresh Your Retirement Plan
Spring Has Sprung: Time to Refresh Your Retirement Plan Spring can be a fantastic time to refresh your retirement plan and savings habits. With 2023 bringing increased limits for 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Health...
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Credit Education Month: 4 Ways to Boost Your Credit IQ
Credit Education Month: 4 Ways to Boost Your Credit IQ March is National Credit Education Month in the U.S., which makes it the perfect opportunity to brush up on your credit basics.1 Whether you're a credit novice or well-versed in the...
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Luck of the Investor: Making Your Own Luck on St. Patrick's Day
Luck of the Investor: Making Your Own Luck on St. Patrick's Day As Samuel Goldwyn once said, "The harder I work…the luckier I get!" 1 But when it comes to investing, luck may play a huge role in outcomes—no matter how hard...
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Thinking About Working in Retirement? Here's What to Consider
Thinking About Working in Retirement? Here's What to Consider If you're thinking about working in retirement, you must consider a few things before making your decision. As you get older, the question of when to collect Social Security...
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Pay Down Debt or Save for Retirement?
Pay Down Debt or Save for Retirement? You can use a variety of strategies to pay off debt, many of which can cut not only the amount of time it will take to pay off the debt but also the total interest paid. But like many people, you...
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8 Tips for Becoming a Wise Consumer of Healthcare
8 Tips for Becoming a Wise Consumer of Healthcare With healthcare costs continuing to rise, there are ways to help lower the cost of healthcare for yourself by becoming a wise consumer of healthcare. February is National Wise Health...
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5 Valentine's Day Gifts that Grow in Value Over Time
5 Valentine's Day Gifts that Grow in Value Over Time Valentine's Day is one of the biggest holidays for romance and for lavishing gifts on that special someone in your life. While flowers and chocolates may be the most common gifts...
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YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE IS LIKE FOOTBALL
YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE IS LIKE FOOTBALL – WITH PLANNING, YOU TOO CAN GET PREPARED FOR THE GAME OF LIFE Are you a football fan? Do you analyze the teams, study the plays, rattle off statistics, current and years past? The steps...
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3 Practical Time Management Tips for Investors
3 Practical Time Management Tips for Investors For many, spending more quality time with loved ones and friends is a New Year’s resolution or work-life balance goal. But for investors who are accustomed to keeping a close eye on...
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8 Things Financial Planning Can Help You Address
Financial planning is unique for each person; no two financial plans look the same because everyone's life and personal goals are different. Regardless of what your goals are, financial planning can help you work towards achieving them...
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Five Healthy Habits for Financial Wellness
Financial stress can have a direct negative impact on a person's health and happiness. Unfortunately, this may lead to a downward spiral. The more stress you're feeling, the larger your financial hurdles may seem, and the more you...
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A Look at Tax Planning for Retirement
After years of saving and planning for their golden years, many people nearing retirement fail to consider the tax burden they may face on income they receive after they stop working. While you will likely see a reduction in the amount...
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Your New Year’s (Financial) Resolutions
A resolution for every month to help you work towards financial independence Cleaning up personal finances remains one of the top resolutions every New Year. But we all know what happens to most such self-promises, so here’s a...
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Like Ugly Christmas Sweaters, Retirement Planning Is Not ‘One Size Fits All’
Like Ugly Christmas Sweaters, Retirement Planning Is Not ‘One Size Fits All’ Just as every snowflake is unique, so is every person's retirement plan. Though there are some general strategies that can be...
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