How do you picture your future? Some see retirement as a time to start a new career. Others see it as a time to travel. Still others plan to spend more time with family and friends. With that in mind, here are some things to consider. What do you absolutely need to...
A Penny Saved is Two Pennies Earned The famous saying from Poor Richard’s Almanack is frequently misquoted. It was published by founder Benjamin Franklin in 1737: “A penny saved is two pence clear.” Finding ways to manage expenses is one of the cornerstones of a sound...
One of the common threads of a mobile workforce is that many individuals who leave their job are faced with a decision about what to do with their 401(k) account.¹ Individuals have four choices with the 401(k) account they accrued at a previous employer.2 Choice 1:...
The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. It’s the rate of return on your investments after inflation. The real rate of return indicates whether you are gaining or losing purchasing power with your money. So if inflation checks in...
Thinking of retiring early? Here’s what you need to know When you get to a certain age, you may find yourself daydreaming about retiring early, or at least before the “traditional” age of 65. It’s only natural—the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to rethink...
Are you making charitable donations at year’s end? If so, you should know about some of the financial “fine print” involved, as the right moves could potentially bring more of a benefit to both you and your chosen charity. Keep in mind, this article is for...
Follow these three tips to help reach a state of happiness on a daily basis. Do you find that happiness is hard to come by on some days? With all the challenges of the past year, it’s sometimes just easier to find imperfections in everything and let crankiness rule...
The reason withdrawals from a Traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) prior to age 59½ are generally subject to a 10% tax penalty is that policymakers wanted to create a disincentive to use these savings for anything other than retirement.1 Yet, policymakers...
When it comes to financial stability, people tend to focus on paying off debt and saving for retirement. In reality, many other financial goals beckon to individuals during their lifetime. Because of this, it’s important to look beyond retirement when setting targets,...
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average person covered by Medicare has out-of-pocket medical expenses in excess of $5,400 a year. Premium costs accounted for 42% of the total, while long-term facility costs, medical supplies, prescription drugs, and...
Discussing the importance of owning life insurance can be a sensitive topic — after all, few people like to talk about death. However, if others depend on your support, or if you have substantial assets that you wish to transfer to future generations, life insurance...
Regardless of how the markets may perform, consider making the following part of your investment philosophy: Diversification. The saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has some application to investing. Over time, certain asset classes may perform better than...