The ABCs of Financial Literacy

Learning financial literacy, such as money management, budgeting, and investing, can seem daunting, but is no different than learning how to speak another language. Being financially literate allows you to have a better, more intelligent...

Markets Warming Up

As spring approaches, the weather is starting to warm up. For the stock market, the temperature has been rising for a while now. In fact, since December 2023, the S&P 500 has not experienced a...

Solid Start to 2024

Stocks are off to a solid start in 2024. January gains are particularly enjoyable because of the old adage from the Stock Trader’s Almanac, “As goes January, so goes the year.” Nearly 75 years of...

Staying The Course

The S&P 500 lost 3.3% in the third quarter after sliding nearly 5% in September. Putting this into perspective, nothing really qualifies as out of the ordinary.

Charitable Giving

A gift to charity is simply a gratuitous transfer of property to a charitable organization. The key is that your gift must be some kind of property–your time or personal services do not count. There...

Why Stay Invested?

Making economic forecasts and stock market predictions can be humbling. It’s especially tough when you expect stocks to go higher and get a big drop instead.

Women and Estate Planning Basics

When it comes to estate planning, women have unique concerns. The fact is that women live an average of 5 years longer than men. That’s important because it means that there’s a greater chance that...

Aging Parents and Money

Your parents’ ability to manage their own finances may decline as they age and helping them with money matters is a sensitive issue you should approach carefully. Here are some tips to help you navigate...

A Resilient March

The financial markets’ resilient performance during March was striking, despite pockets of uncertainty surrounding the strength of the economy—and not to mention concerns over the durability of the banking system.

Waiting For New Highs

Financial markets have experienced quite a bit of change this year in just two short months. We started the year hopeful that stocks would benefit from a better economic and monetary policy environment by the...

Saving Tips for Younger Adults

Today, younger adults face a variety of challenges in their pursuit of financial independence. Here are five financial tips to help you manage your personal finances and prepare for your future.

Healthcare in Retirement

Healthcare in retirement is available from many sources – government programs, supplemental health insurance, military benefits, retirement communities, and nursing homes. Depending on your needs, you may use a number of these resources in retirement.

Opportunities in 2023

Whether you’re one to set ambitious New Year’s resolutions or simply use the beginning of the year to reset on a few habits, there’s almost always some value in reflecting on the past year before...

Beware of Scams at Tax Time

To help avoid tax identity theft, avoid using your Social Security number as part of a password or pin number, or on your driver’s license, unless absolutely necessary. If you believe your Social Security number...

Reasons For Optimism

The beginning of a calendar year is often the time when the previous year’s reflections transition to a new year’s hopes. Given the market’s continued instability during 2022 and a resulting tough period for stock...

Outlook 2024: A Turning Point

Solid gains for both stocks and bonds gave investors a November to remember. Increasing confidence in a soft landing for the U.S. economy has shifted the focus away from rate hikes and toward eventual cuts,...

Doing Good, Feeling Good

When it comes to giving back, your mind might jump to making monetary donations—but that’s not all you can do. Using your unique talents and interests to give back is one of the best ways...

7 Retirement Considerations

When helping people get ready for retirement, financial professionals find the same issues come up over and over. Here are 7 retirement considerations that every investor should think about.

Year-End Donations and #GivingTuesday

According to GivingTuesday.org, donations to nonprofits and community organizations totaled $2.7 billion on #GivingTuesday in 2021. Here is a list of things for you to think about as you consider your year-end charitable donations.

Looking Ahead

October is now behind us and it has delivered on its track record as a historically favorable month for stocks, offering some respite for investors as major equity indices rose for the month.

Could the Worst be Behind Us?

This has clearly been a challenging year for households. Stocks and bonds are both down significantly. Elevated food and gas prices continue to stretch budgets, and higher interest rates have increased borrowing costs. But we...

Better Times Ahead

In the last several weeks, we have continued to face elevated uncertainty in financial markets due to high inflation and rising interest rates, and we thought it was an important time to take stock with...

Teaching Your Teen about Money

Your teen is becoming more independent, but still needs plenty of advice from you. With more money to spend and more opportunities to spend it, your teen can easily get into financial trouble. So before...

Looking Forward

Both stock and bond markets have been challenging this year, but it’s important to focus on what this tends to mean looking forward.

A Bear Market is Officially Here

A bear market is officially here thanks largely to stubbornly high inflation. It has likely felt like a bear market for a while now, but the S&P 500 Index didn’t close more than 20% below...

4 Costly 529 Plan Mistakes To Avoid

For many parents, 529 college savings accounts may be a way to invest for your child’s future while perhaps saving money on taxes in some states. However, these 529 accounts have some challenges that may...

Volatility Continues

2022 has been a challenging year for investors so far. The S&P 500 Index just had one of its worst Aprils in decades, and May is off to a rocky start.

Working During Retirement

Planning on working during retirement? If so, you’re not alone. An increasing number of employees nearing retirement plan to work at least some period of time during their retirement years.

Navigating Geopolitical Tensions

The green shoots are hard to see right now as spring approaches, clouded by war in Ukraine. Democracy is under attack and innocent lives are tragically being lost. But while we keep one eye on...

2022 Outlook: Passing the Baton

In 2022, we may be ready for a handoff—or a “Passing of the Baton”— back to a greater emphasis on the individual choices of households and businesses to drive the economic expansion.

Holiday Shopping: Back to Basics

With the holidays here, now is the time to get into the giving spirit and help to change others’ lives for the better. Whether you are looking to make a difference in a specific person’s...

Financial Planning at Every Age

Knowing where your money is going and making sure you’re adequately funding your future could be helpful to maintain your lifestyle for the decades that you may live. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer, Gen X-er,...

American Business Women’s Day

September 22nd is American Business Women’s Day, and it may be the perfect day to celebrate women who have surpassed the glass ceiling and gone on to be leaders and inspirations for businesswomen everywhere.