Articles of Interest

For many families, finances are rarely discussed in detail, even as children mature into adulthood. But as your parents age, especially if they live into their 80s and 90s, there's a chance that they may lose their cognitive function and be less capable of managing various tasks. This can be upsetting for some parents and they may try to fight it, or deny that it’s happening.

While you may encounter some resistance, it’s important to talk to your parents about their finances and work through potential issues they may face as they age. Waiting until past due notices start piling up, or worse, your parents fall prey to a scam, can make life more difficult for everyone. Preparing now to try to prevent these problems is easier than trying to pick up the pieces after everything falls apart. Once your parents understand that you’re coming from a place of love and understanding, they will slowly come around.

Here are some suggestions for preparation steps you can take right now.

As a young parent looking to the future, you may be faced with a daunting choice: do you save earnestly to secure your retirement, or save to fund your children’s education? 

It’s possible to do both, but with the cost of college education and retirement rising faster than the rate of inflation, targeting just one of those goals can be a challenge. It’s estimated that 36% of people feel that they’re falling behind on their retirement savings goals*, and if you feel similarly, you may need to assess your current goals and priorities. Here are some things to consider if you’re choosing between saving for retirement or college:

Some retirees save a great deal of money by doing so; others do not.

You want to retire, and you own a large home that is nearly or fully paid off. The kids are gone, but the upkeep costs haven’t fallen. Should you retire and keep your home? Or sell your home and retire? Maybe it’s time to downsize.

If you’ve just begun your career and started collecting a decent paycheck, retirement probably feels like it’s lightyears away. But it will get here quicker than you expect, and when it does, you’ll want to be prepared.

And if you’re in your 40s or 50s and haven’t started saving for retirement yet, it’s not too late. The most important thing is to start planning as soon as possible.

It’s believed that retirement planning as we currently know it didn’t really exist until a few decades ago. Up to that point, people worked until 65 and then sailed into retirement on a pension plan.

It’s believed that retirement planning as we currently know it didn’t really exist until a few decades ago. Up to that point, people worked until 65 and then sailed into retirement on a pension plan. Over the next few decades, as life expectancy and years in retirement expanded, financial professionals came up with simple guidelines to determine how much you would need at retirement to maintain your lifestyle.

Unlike the summer family reunion and work meetings, you can always count on a few specific dates every year. Days like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and Tax Day. But even if April 18th is hardwired into your brain and calendar, sometimes it makes more sense to file for an extension instead of the tax deadline.

Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about filing for a tax extension.

Paying fees for professional investment management is something we’d all like to avoid. Why pay for some guy in a suit to manage your investments when you can do-it-yourself with a simple online brokerage account? There are many reasons to have confidence in a professional - read on to find out whether it’s worth it to go with the pros.

4 Reasons You May Consider Keeping It

When it comes to retaining life insurance in retirement, there are two schools of thought regarding its necessity. The primary purpose of life insurance is to protect your family against a loss of income should you or your spouse pass away. Life insurance benefits are especially important for individuals who still have dependents or have accrued a significant amount of debt.  So, if you don’t fit this description and have plenty of income to live on in retirement, is it really necessary for you to retain a policy?

There’s no doubt that it feels great to help someone in need through charitable giving. There are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States that range from food banks and disaster relief centers to churches and cultural centers. While you may have altruistic reasons for donating to a charity that you support, there can also be tax benefits that come along with donations. Here are some important things to consider when thinking about donating a significant gift to an organization, whether monetary or otherwise.