- Steps to Unfreeze Your Credit With All 3 Credit Bureaus
If you’ve frozen your credit to protect yourself from identity theft, you’ll need to unfreeze it before applying for a loan, credit card, or other financial product. The good news is that unfreezing your credit is quick, free, and can often be done instantly online. We’ll review how the process works at each of the… read more…
- How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in 10 Years: Options and Examples
Imagine what your financial life would look like without a mortgage payment hanging over your head every month. For most homeowners, a 30-year mortgage feels like a lifetime commitment, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right strategy and enough discipline, it’s entirely possible. If you can pay off your mortgage in just 10… read more…
- How to Finance Home Improvements: Options and Examples
It might be a leaky roof, an outdated kitchen or a bathroom that needs an upgrade. Whatever the project, most homeowners have something they’d like to fix or improve. The challenge is often the cost. Home improvement projects can easily exceed five figures, and many people don’t have that kind of cash on hand. While… read more…
- Trump Accounts for Kids: How Much Your Child Could Have by Age 18 and Beyond
Trump Accounts for kids are designed to give children a government-funded starting balance that can grow over time through investment returns and additional contributions. For example, a $1,000 deposit earning roughly the average annual return of the S&P 500 could reach about $5,560 by age 18 or nearly $490,370 by age 65 without additional contributions.… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: What Taxes Will My Daughter and Granddaughter Pay When They Inherit My IRA?
My daughter and granddaughter are my IRA beneficiaries. I understand they have to take all withdrawals within 10 years, but what are the tax implications? Will they have to pay inheritance AND income taxes on these withdrawals? – Linda The tax treatment of inherited IRA withdrawals depends on both federal rules and, in some cases, state… read more…
- Risk Management for Small Business: Services and Examples
Running a small business involves handling many responsibilities at once, including managing risk. Every business faces threats that could disrupt operations, affect finances or lead to legal liability. Preparation can play a role in how a business responds when those threats arise. A financial advisor can help you identify the specific risks your business faces… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: Can I Invest in a Real Estate Project Within My Roth IRA? Will the Future Growth and Income Be Tax-Free?
I own a small patch of land, mortgage free and zoned for commercial use. I’d like to hire a contractor to put a commercial building up on the property. Rather than finance it with a bank and have them profit from the interest income I’d like to use my Roth IRA to invest in the… read more…
- Can Financial Advisors Beat the Market? Returns and Risks
The data on market-beating performance is clear: the vast majority of professional money managers don’t beat their benchmarks over the long term. But the real question isn’t whether advisors beat the market. Instead, it’s whether or not they help you achieve better financial outcomes than you would on your own. While a financial advisor can’t… read more…
- Estate Planning for Married Couples: Services and Examples
Marriage is a partnership in life, and it should be a partnership when it comes to planning for the future, too. A lot of couples assume everything will automatically go to the surviving spouse, but estate laws and beneficiary rules don’t always work that way. Without a clear plan, your family could end up dealing… read more…
- Wealth Management for Women: Milestones, Services and Examples
Wealth management for women focuses on building and protecting wealth in ways that account for the financial realities women are more likely to face. Longer life expectancy, career breaks for caregiving, pay gaps, and major life changes like divorce or losing a spouse can all shape the financial picture over time. And because most women… read more…
- Wealth Management for Doctors: Services and Examples
Physicians tend to earn well, but the financial picture is often more complicated than it looks. Between high tax exposure, student loan debt, and years of training that delay real wealth building, many doctors start saving later than most professionals. On top of that, decisions around practice ownership, partnership income, and when to retire add… read more…
- Wealth Management for Business Owners: Services and Examples
Unlike traditional employees, business owners often have income tied directly to company performance, fluctuating cash flow, and ownership equity. A significant portion of their net worth may be concentrated in a single asset: their business. This creates unique challenges related to diversification, retirement planning, tax strategy, and succession preparation. As such, wealth management for business… read more…
- Wealth Management for Families: Milestones, Services and Examples
Unlike individual planning, family wealth management addresses shared financial responsibilities such as supporting children, household expenses and long-term savings goals. These needs often change over time as families experience major milestones such as buying a home, increasing income, or planning for retirement. Wealth management for families also focuses on lining up investments, risk management and… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: I Feel ‘Very Uncomfortable’ Sharing My Investment Info With a Financial Planner. Do They Need to Know This?
My husband and I have buckets of assets (both retirement and taxable investments) that we are considering for “management.” We are retired, have no debt and can live on income and RMDs. I don’t understand and feel very uncomfortable providing statements outside of an advisor’s normal onboarding process. We have very clear goals and are considering… read more…
- Financial Counselor vs. Financial Advisor: Services and Examples
If you are looking for professional help with your money, it helps to know the difference between a financial counselor and a financial advisor. These two roles sound similar but they focus on different things. A financial counselor typically works with people on budgeting, debt and day-to-day money management. A financial advisor focuses on investing,… read more…
- Wealth Management for Professional Athletes: Services and Examples
A professional sports career can generate life-changing income, but it often comes with an unusually short earning window and intense financial pressure. Between signing bonuses, endorsement deals and sudden lifestyle changes, managing money as a professional athlete can quickly become complex. Without a clear strategy, even substantial earnings can fade faster than expected. Wealth management… read more…
- Wealth Management for Entrepreneurs: Services and Examples
Building a successful business can create significant wealth, but it can also create financial complexity that’s difficult to manage alone. For many entrepreneurs, personal net worth is closely tied to business performance. Income can fluctuate dramatically, and major decisions carry lasting tax and investment implications. Wealth management offers a structured, strategic approach to navigating these… read more…
- Financial Planning for Millionaires: Services and Examples
Millionaires face distinct financial challenges that require specialized strategies beyond basic money management. Financial planning for millionaires encompasses investment portfolio diversification, tax optimization, estate planning and wealth preservation across generations. The right planning approach can help high-net-worth individuals maximize returns while minimizing tax liabilities and protecting assets from potential threats. Whether you’re focused on tax… read more…
- Financial Planning for Widows: Milestones, Services and Examples
Financial planning for widows addresses the shift from managing money as a couple to making all financial decisions independently after the loss of a spouse. This transition involves understanding how income sources, tax obligations and account structures change when a spouse passes away. As part of the process, it’s necessary to evaluate new benefit options,… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: How Much Should Non-High-Earners Aim to Save for Retirement?
Not everyone has been fortunate to have high-earning employment during their life. That said, for those of us who have saved as best we could but do not have a substantial amount (less than $300,000), what is a realistic retirement savings goal and where do we go for advice? -Jim There’s no magic number for… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: How Does Inheriting an Annuity Work? Can I Roll the Funds into My IRA?
My husband has an annuity that he has not rolled into an IRA. If I inherit this annuity, does it work the same as if he had an IRA? Can I roll the funds into my IRA. We are both retired and are in our early 80s. – Carol No, you wouldn’t be able to… read more…
- Can I Retire at 60 With $1 Million? Income, Expenses and Example
Retiring at 60 with $1 million is possible for some people, but the outcome depends on how long the money needs to last, how much is withdrawn each year and what other income sources are available. A portfolio of that size may support annual withdrawals of roughly $40,000 to $50,000, before taxes and inflation adjustments.… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: When Can I Stop Saving for Retirement? I’m a 39-Year-Old Military Officer With $722K in Savings
At what point should you stop contributing to your investment and retirement accounts and just let time and compound interest do its thing? I’m 39 (married with a 1-year-old) with $587,000 in a 401(k)/TSP and $135,000 in a Roth IRA. My employer matches up to 5% of 401(k) contributions. I’m planning to sell a rental… read more…
- What Does a Family Financial Planner Do?
Managing money as a family is rarely simple, especially when multiple goals and life changes collide. From saving for college to planning for retirement, financial decisions can feel overwhelming without a clear roadmap. A family financial planner can help bring structure and confidence to those choices—but understanding what they actually do is the first step.… read more…
- Is Breach of Fiduciary Duty a Crime?
Whether or not a breach of fiduciary duty is a crime depends on the facts of the situation, the intent behind the actions taken and whether the conduct violates criminal statutes in addition to civil law. In many cases, breaches of fiduciary duty are resolved through civil lawsuits. However, certain behaviors can expose fiduciaries to… read more…