News and Articles
News, articles and insights on the latest market updates and financial trends to help guide your journey.
Diapers to Diplomas (2 of 3): How a 529 Plan Can Help You Save for Your Child’s College Education
Our last article covered just how expensive higher education has become, and how investing early and often can help to ensure the expenses associated with your child’s college education are covered. To help you with your planning and saving, in part 2 of our Diapers...
Diapers to Diplomas (1 of 3): Invest Early in Your Child’s College Education
The joys of a new baby are limitless. But first-time and veteran parents alike know that immeasurable anxieties come along with having a new baby, too. One particular worry that looms large for today’s parents is the cost of college. According to Collegeboard.org,...
Tips and Tools for Raising a Smart Investor
The sooner, the better. That saying applies to many facets of life, including educating children about money. By introducing sound financial habits early, you’ll give your child a head start on the path to becoming an informed investor. Below you’ll find creative...
Should You Save for Retirement or for a Child’s College Education?
For parents, deciding how much to save for retirement versus what to set aside for a child’s education can be a difficult balancing act. Saving for your future should be a priority, particularly through maximizing the benefits of retirement plans. But, although paying...
Pension vs. Lump Sum
If you have the opportunity to choose between taking a monthly pension or a lump sum roll out, there are a number of factors to consider. First is the rate of return that you’d expect to see based on different assumptions of your own longevity. If you live to be 110,...
Backdoor Roth IRA Contributions: A Way to Catch Up on Retirement Savings
Retirement planning is complicated. Many individuals put off saving, thinking that retirement is years away—until it isn’t. Then, in their 40s and 50s, they start to panic and wonder how they’ll catch up. One strategy, made possible beginning in 2010 by a provision to...
Target Date Funds
Have you neglected the investments in your 401(k) or 403(b) for years? That might actually be ok. In fact, it could even be a good thing. Retirement accounts are long-term investments and should be treated as such. Those who trade a lot or try to make tactical moves...
So You Want to Buy a Vacation Home . . .
Although the idea of having a permanent “home away from home” may sound appealing, purchasing a vacation property isn’t something to be entered into lightly. If you’re considering this major commitment, here are some important questions to ask yourself. What’s your...
Investing vs. Gambling
We often hear the refrain that investing in the stock market is like gambling, and we can understand the temptation of that comparison. Both involve risk, you can win or lose (sometimes in a big way), and you don’t know with certainty what’s going to happen next. On...
Holding Excess Cash
Cash holdings vary widely from one person to the next. Some keep only a razor-thin margin of cash in a checking account, while others hold six figures in various checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, and money markets. As we discussed in our article about...