Articles

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.

When it is time to make an insurance claim, it helps if you are familiar with your policies and the steps you should take to file a claim.

Several factors could undermine the financial security provided by the proceeds of your life insurance policy.

To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

Consider additional liability insurance to help protect you from the potentially devastating effects of liability lawsuits.

Using a financially sound insurance company is an important part of ensuring your family’s financial security.

The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?

If you were to suffer an illness or disability that required long-term nursing care, would you be covered?

A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.

There are techniques that can enable older homeowners to use their property to finance their lifestyle.

Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows interest payments to be tax deductible, could have its advantages.

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company without tax liability.

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.

If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.

Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.

Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.

Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally trigger a 10% federal tax penalty.