Articles

Estates & Trusts

• What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?

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

• How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?

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

• What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?

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

Retirement

• What Are My Retirement Planning Options?

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

• Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?

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

• How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?

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

• What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?

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

• What Is a Traditional IRA?

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

• How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?

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

• What Is a Roth IRA?

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

Tax Planning

• What Is the Capital Gain Tax?

  Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

• What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?

  Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

• When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?

  With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

• What Is Tax Deferral?

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

• How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?

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

Investing

• What Is a Bond Ladder?

  A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

• How Are Common and Preferred Stocks Different?

  It's important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of common stock versus preferred stock.

• What Are Dividends?

  It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

• How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?

  Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

• What Is Diversification?

  An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

• How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?

  The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

• What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?

  Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.

• What Investment Risks Should I Know About?

  Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

• What Is Asset Allocation?

  Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

• What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?

  There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares or bonds.

• 529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans

  529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

Cash Management

• What Cash Management Tools Are Available?

  Short-term cash management instruments can help you establish a sound cash management program.

• How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?

  Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

• How Does Inflation Affect Me?

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

Risk Management

• Why Purchase Life Insurance?

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

• What Is Term Life Insurance?

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

• What Is Whole Life Insurance?

  Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

• How Can I Insure My Future?

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

• What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?

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