Articles of Interest

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.

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. 

Thinking about where to invest your money can be overwhelming and confusing, especially for those who are unfamiliar with all options for investing. If you’d like to take advantage of the ease of stock trading with the diversification of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can potentially give you the best of both worlds. Here are some key things to know about ETFs before investing. 

Is it time to contribute more? Preparing for retirement just got a little more financial wiggle room. This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits for 2022.

The 5.9% increase is the biggest COLA increase in decades.

If you have a child graduating from high school or college and entering the workforce, they may have the opportunity to open up a 401(k) through their new employer. In some cases, that employer will also offer matching contribution funds up to a certain percentage. While it sounds like a no-brainer to take advantage of these benefits early,many younger employees do not participate in their employer's 401(k) plan. 

It’s essential to teach your children the benefit of saving early and often to set them up for success in the future. Here are some key benefits of starting to contribute in a 401(k) in your early 20s.