In an era of fluctuating interest rates and economic uncertainties, it's essential to make wise financial decisions when it comes to saving and investing your money. Among the various options available, money market accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and traditional checking or savings accounts are the most popular choices.
Financial literacy refers to the knowledge, skills, and understanding of financial concepts, tools, and systems that enable individuals to make informed and effective decisions regarding their personal finances. It involves the ability to understand and apply various financial principles, such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, and managing debt.
Bank fees, late fees, credit card fees, investment fees. There are a lot of fees in life. Some of them are pretty straightforward, and others are harder to decipher. Fees aren't necessarily a bad thing; they're a form of compensation in some cases. But the lack of understanding around fees can cost you unnecessarily. So let's talk about financial advisor fees.
You may be aware of the gender wage gap or the pink tax, but perhaps the gender investing gap is less familiar. The gender investing gap profoundly impacts women's financial health, but there are ways women can bridge this gap.
Within your financial plan is your retirement plan, and inside that, your long-term care plan. There are various ways to approach long-term care planning, we'll go over your options.
Just before the new year, President Biden signed the omnibus spending bill into law. Within the bill is the SECURE Act 2.0 (Securing a Strong Retirement Act), which is aimed at making it easier to save for retirement. While the law was signed at the tail end of 2022, many provisions won't go into effect until 2024. These are 9 key takeaways from the SECURE Act.
Tax-advantaged accounts have annual contribution limits. In some years, the IRS increases those limits, and for some accounts, an additional contribution is allowed for those over a certain age. We'll take a look at the contribution limits for 2023.
The words “Social Security” encompass several things, and the system can be confusing. We’ll explain everything you need to know about Social Security.
When it comes to investing, there are a number of things that can hurt our portfolio, pandemics, wars, recessions, bubbles bursting, and natural disasters, just to name a few. And as scary as those things are, the factor that can most adversely impact our portfolios is us. That’s why taking the emotion out of investing is so critical to being a successful investor.
There is a tremendous amount of outstanding student loan debt in the U.S., $1.762 trillion! Of that, $1.606 trillion, 91.2% is federal student loan debt. There are 43.4 million borrowers with federal student loan debt, and their average balance is $37,014. There may be a way out if you can count yourself among those with outstanding federal student loan debt. We’ll explain what you need to know about Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
he cost of higher education has skyrocketed over the last two decades. Below are some 2022 numbers: The average cost of college has more than doubled in the 21st Century growing at 6.8% per year. The average cost of college is $35,331 per student year, including tuition, books, supplies, and living expenses.
We all know how important investing for our retirement is, but many people don’t want to take a hands-on approach. Target date funds can be the solution; they allow you to take a set it and forget it approach to retirement investing.
Estate planning is one of the most critical aspects of financial planning and something millions of us fail to do. In 2021, just over 30% of Americans had any estate planning documents. If you’re among that 30-plus percent, congratulations! You’ve taken an essential step in protecting your family.
It might not seem like it now, but the end of the year will soon be here. Before we ramp up to the holiday season and all of the obligations that come with it, let’s take this downtime to get our year-end tax planning squared away so we can enjoy the time with our friends and family and minimize our 2021 tax bill.
Have you ever tried to drive to an unfamiliar destination without a map? Well, okay, a GPS these days! What would happen if you did? You’d very likely get lost. You’d drive in circles, backtrack, waste time, gas, and money. The same can happen when you don’t have a financial plan.
There are many great things about being self-employed; you’re the boss, you have flexibility, and often more job satisfaction than those who work for someone else. There are downsides, too; the buck stops with you, you likely work more hours than if you worked for someone else, and you don’t have a pension or access to an employer-sponsored 401(k).
There are hundreds of personal finance books, podcasts, and documentaries available, so many that no one could read, listen, or watch them all.
The best 401(k) strategy is the one that fits best with your overall retirement strategy. Choosing the wrong option can throw your carefully created plan out of balance. If you have questions, we are here to help.
Jason discusses the benefits of working with a group of advisors.
2020 has been a wild ride, full of surprises, most of them bad. And as we’re less than two months out from what may be the most divisive presidential election in American history, it will probably get even wilder.
