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The first step in applying for financial aid for your child’s education is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
As your children travel this long and never-dull road from infancy to adulthood, you try to protect them. You want to make sure that they are financially secure, but meeting expenses can be challenging.
There’s a lot to consider as you prepare for retirement, so it’s wise to begin planning well ahead of time. Here are checklists designed to help you stay on track for the retirement you envision.
Credit cards can help you build credit history and, if managed properly, help improve your credit score.
Having an emergency fund can help you breathe easier during stressful times. We’ve put together some simple tips that will help you start (and grow) your emergency fund.
Financial Advisor Kristina Strickland discusses how investing for young families differs from investing when you’re over 40 and provides a few tips for managing your financial goals.
Making a charitable gift can be a fulfilling experience, but it’s wise to do a little research before you donate. Here are some things to consider.
It’s time to start organizing your finances for the new year. This checklist highlights some key points to help guide you as you get started.
Wondering when you should begin taking your social security retirement benefits? Ask yourself these questions.
Your credit score represents to a lender how likely you are to pay your bills on time. A low score may prevent you from obtaining the lowest borrowing rates or the best loan terms. Here are some tips for managing your credit score.
Whether you need life insurance depends partly on your stage of life. Here’s a look at how your phase of life affects your life insurance needs.
As you plan for retirement financially, it’s also important to visualize your next stage of life. These questions and exercises will help you get started.
Before you begin withdrawing funds from a 529 plan, it’s important to understand the difference between qualified and non-qualified expenses.
If you’ve saved for retirement in multiple ways, it may make sense to consolidate all of your savings into one account to achieve a coordinated investment plan.
The truth is, after a divorce, women tend to be hit harder financially than men. If you’re facing financial challenges or decisions after divorce, here are some factors to consider.
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When it comes to dealing with money management as a couple, there are many factors to consider. Ultimately, each couple will have a different strategy—and whatever works well for you and your partner is the right solution.
Considering a Roth IRA? The Roth IRA as a way for individuals to contribute after-tax dollars to a retirement account where they can grow tax free—and potentially be distributed tax free as well.
When someone uses your name, credit card, social security number, or other financial information to commit a crime, you are a victim of identity theft. Luckily, you can take steps to make it more difficult for thieves to access your personal data.
Caring for aging parents can be a difficult planning aspect to balance. If you are among the “sandwich generation,” you may be trying to support your aging parents as well as your own children.
To help ensure that your estate plan stays in tune with your goals and needs, it’s important to review and update it on an ongoing basis.
For many people, retirement is not the stress-free vacation from financial concerns that they had envisioned, and bad planning is often the culprit.
As you settle into your “empty nest,” you might be wondering, now what? It’s time to figure out how to adapt to your child’s new independence while keeping your family on a steady course financially.
529 savings plans are tax-advantaged education savings vehicles and one of the most popular ways to save for college today.
After years of keeping the benchmark federal funds rate at historic lows, the Federal Reserve has been raising it gradually. Rising rates can affect you as a consumer and investor.
How much do you really know about your employer-sponsored retirement savings plan? If you're like many people, you have many ideas about how your plan works, which may or may not be entirely accurate.
Some employers offer 401(k) plan participants the opportunity to make Roth 401(k) contributions. If you have access to this option, Roth contributions could play an important role in helping enhance your retirement income.
There's no doubt about it — going through a divorce can be an emotionally trying time. In addition to the emotional impact a divorce can have, it's important to be aware of how your financial position will be impacted.
There's no denying the benefits of a college education, but these advantages come at a price. And yet, year after year, thousands of students graduate from college. So, how do they do it?
An individual retirement arrangement (IRA) is a personal retirement savings plan that offers specific tax benefits. Even if you're contributing to a 401(k) or other plan at work, you might also consider investing in an IRA.
With concerns growing over a potential stock market bubble and a recent market pullback, it seems another crisis has hit the headlines: a group of retail traders has come after the market itself. Did they “break the market”?