When it feels like the galaxy’s forces are all working against you when it comes to your finances, fighting back may seem incredibly daunting. However, becoming a financial Jedi Master is not as hard as you think. Here are four money lessons that may help you gain wisdom, perspective, and possibly some mastery of your [...]
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 investing possible for your children, nieces, nephews and other loved ones may be the key to improving their financial future and getting them off [...]
Thoughts from a financial professional When helping people get ready for retirement, financial professionals find the same issues come up over and over. Thinking ahead can spell the difference between a retirement with enough money and a stressful one with difficult decisions that you don’t want to make. Here are 7 retirement considerations that [...]
With April’s federal tax filing and payment deadline on the horizon, Americans are dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s as they prepare for the countdown to Tax Day. But before you rush to get that return out the door, are you confident you have everything in order to make your tax filing go as [...]
When people think of “myths,” they often think of such stories as Pandora’s Box (the woman who took the lid off of a jar releasing all of the world’s ills upon the world, were taxes one of them?), or the Tale of Prometheus (who stole fire from his fellow gods to give to humans and [...]
Most people know that once they approach retirement age, their reward for years of work comes from Social Security payments they put money towards during their employment. Deciding when to file for your Social Security payments is likely what you may focus on, but there are some other Social Security benefits you may be missing [...]
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 Savings Accounts (HSAs), and other tax-advantaged accounts, it's worth taking a closer look at your retirement savings. Below, we discuss three ways to refresh your retirement plan this spring. [...]
Financial markets were shaken last week as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (SIVB), fell into FDIC receivership. SVB is the first FDIC-insured institution to fail since 2020 and the largest by assets since Washington Mutual failed in 2008. Prior to the latest distress, the bank held more than [...]
One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year of conversion, which might be a substantial tax bill. However, if assets in your traditional IRA have [...]
In the U.S., men are investing and accumulating wealth at a greater pace than women, fueling the gender investing gap. Closing the investing gap is essential so that women accumulate enough retirement assets for their entire lives. On average, women in the U.S. have a life expectancy of 80.2 years compared to men having a [...]
