Articles

Estates & Trusts

• What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?

  Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

• How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?

  To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

• Can I Benefit from an A-B Trust?

  An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

• How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?

  Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

• How Can I Benefit from a Wealth Replacement Trust?

  A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

• What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?

  Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

Retirement

• What Is a SIMPLE?

  The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

• What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?

  Profit-sharing plans give employees a share in the profits of a company and can help to fund their retirements.

• What Is a Money Purchase Pension Plan?

  A money purchase plan is a retirement plan where employer contributions are based on a fixed percentage of compensation.

• What Is a Split-Annuity Strategy?

  A split-annuity strategy can generate immediate income while potentially stretching some retirement savings.

• A New Chapter for Retirement

  With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.

• What Is a 1035 Exchange?

  A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.

• What Are My Retirement Planning Options?

  There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

• How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?

  The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

• What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?

  When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

• What Is a Traditional IRA?

  If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

• How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?

  Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

• Save Now or Save Later?

  If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Tax Planning

• What Is the Estate Tax?

  Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

• What Is the Gift Tax?

  The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

• What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?

  For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

• What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½

  Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.

• How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?

  Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

• What Tax Deductions Are Still Available to Me?

  Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

• What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan

  Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

• How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?

  Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

Investing

• What Is a Bond Ladder?

  A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

• What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?

  ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

• How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?

  The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

• What Is Stock?

  Before investing in stocks, it is important to understand some of the basics and the risks involved in owning stocks.

• What Is Diversification?

  An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

• What Is a Bond?

  A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.

• How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?

  The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

• What Is a Mutual Fund?

  A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

• What Is a Mutual Fund Load?

  It’s important to understand mutual fund loads, or sales charges, and exactly what they entail so you can make informed investing decisions.

• What Is an Annuity?

  An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.

• What Investment Risks Should I Know About?

  Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

• What Is Asset Allocation?

  Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

• What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?

  There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares or bonds.

Cash Management

• What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?

  A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

• How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?

  Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

• How Can I Better Manage My Short-Term Cash?

  There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

• What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?

  Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.

• What About Financial Aid for College?

  It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

• How Does Inflation Affect Me?

  Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

Risk Management

• What Is Property and Casualty Insurance?

  Property and casualty insurance can help protect a variety of assets. Find out what it does and doesn’t cover.

• What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?

  Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

• What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?

  Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.

• What Is Universal Life Insurance?

  Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.

• What Is Variable Life Insurance?

  Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.

• How Do I Make a Property Insurance Claim?

  When it is time to make an insurance claim, it helps if you are familiar with your policies and the steps you should take to file a claim.

• How Can I Protect My Home?

  Since your home is one of your greatest assets, you should make sure it is adequately protected. That's where homeowners insurance enters the picture.

• Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?

  Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

• What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?

  There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.

• How Can I Extend My Liability Coverage?

  Consider additional liability insurance to help protect you from the potentially devastating effects of liability lawsuits.

• How Can I Determine the Financial Strength of My Insurance Company?

  Using a financially sound insurance company is an important part of ensuring your family’s financial security.

• Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?

  The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.

• What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?

  When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.