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Other Financial Topics
Calculators
- Cash Flow Analysis
This Cash Flow Analysis form will help you weigh your income vs. your expenses.
- Credit Card Debt
How Long Will It Take to Pay my Balance?
- Federal Income Tax
This calculator can help you estimate your annual federal income tax liability.
- Home Affordability
Estimate of the maximum amount of financing you can expect to get when you begin house hunting.
- Lifetime Earnings
This calculator is designed to help you attach a dollar figure to your life’s work.
- Loan Payoff
How much will it cost to pay off a loan over its lifetime?
- Long-Term Care Self Insurance
Will you be able to afford nursing home care?
- Savings Goals
How much do you need to save each year to meet your long-term financial goals?
Flipbooks
- Financial Protection: Using Insurance to Help Manage Life’s Risks
Home, auto, life, disability — Protect your financial interests by having the appropriate insurance coverage.
Newsletters
- Accumulating Funds for Short-Term Goals
Saving for short-term goals can require a conservative approach. This article explores some guidelines and potential investment vehicles.
- Business Cycle Basics: Recessions Begin and End Before We Know It
This article discusses how economists identify and measure economic contractions and compares some characteristics of past recessions.
- Consider a Roth Conversion for Tax-Free Income
Lower tax rates and asset values may make now the time to consider a Roth conversion. This article outlines the rules and potential benefits.
- Consider Market Caps for Diversification
2020’s market volatility combined with holding stock in different-sized companies might help you diversify your equity portfolio at a discount.
- Could You Be Responsible for Your Parents’ Nursing Home Bills?
Filial responsibility laws can hold children responsible for certain parental debts. This potential liability is one reason to plan for long-term care needs.
- Crisis Relief: Financial Lifelines for Affected Workers
Temporary crisis relief legislation makes it easier to access retirement account funds and extends paid leave for workers at some small businesses.
- Debit or Credit? Pick a Card
Do you know the differences between debit and credit cards? This article discusses both and when it might be better to use a credit card.
- Five Investment Tasks to Tackle by Year-End
2020 market turbulence underscores the importance of reviewing an investment portfolio. These five steps could help keep it on track.
- Five Tips to Regain Your Retirement Savings Focus in 2021
This article presents five steps that could help focus and enhance a retirement savings strategy in 2021.
- Four Steps to Rebuilding Your Business
Small-business owners may need to think on their feet and visualize what a recovery might look like for their operations post COVID-19.
- Full House: Adult Children Coming Home
If your adult children have returned to your once-empty nest, these tips might help promote a peaceful and productive living situation.
- Gift vs. Inheritance: Consider the Tax Difference
When deciding whether to gift assets now or transfer them to heirs at death, you need to understand step-up in basis and tax consequences.
- HOT TOPIC: College Disrupted: Students Face High Costs and Pandemic Impact
Paying for college can mean borrowing money or risking savings. This article focuses on financial aid and the importance of informed academic choices.
- HOT TOPIC: Election 2020: Uncertainty Creates Potential for Market Swings
A shift in the balance of power can strongly affect economic policies. View the presidential candidates’ tax proposals and other monetary policy positions.
- HOT TOPIC: How COVID-19 Has Changed Consumer Behavior and the Future of Retail
This article looks at the “new normal,” its effect on consumer behavior and the retail industry, and what that could mean for the economy.
- HOT TOPIC: Revisiting the 4% Rule
For years, the “4% rule” helped retirees make their savings last, but now a more aggressive withdrawal strategy might be the new norm.
- HOT TOPIC: The Bull Is Back... Will It Keep Charging?
The S&P 500 index recently saw the fastest recovery in its history following the COVID-19 bear market, but will the surge continue?
- Income Investors May Find Closed-End Funds on Sale
Do you know the differences between open-end and closed-end funds? This article compares the two.
- Indexed Annuities: A Strategy to Turn Savings into Retirement Income
Explore the unique features and risks of indexed annuities and their potential role in investors’ retirement income strategies.
- Insurance to Help Protect Your Business from Lawsuits
Some businesses are exposed to risks that may call for a specialized type of liability policy. Does your business have appropriate coverage?
- Investing in UITs
A Unit Investment Trust is structured differently than a mutual fund or ETF. Could its unique features help you ladder your investments?
- Money Market Funds in a Low Rate Environment
Did you know there still may be reasons to hold money market mutual funds despite low yields? Read this article to find out more.
- Passive, Active, or Both?
Passively managed index funds and actively managed funds can perform differently over different market cycles. Find out more about each.
- Prepare Your Finances for the Next Emergency
The pandemic has underscored the importance of a well-stocked emergency fund. This article offers tips for building up a cash reserve.
- Putting Your Nest Egg in Three Baskets
Find out how understanding sequence-of-returns risk could help you develop a three-prong distribution strategy for retirement.
- Return of Premium Life Insurance: Protection and Cash Back
This article provides an overview of the pros and cons of a type of term policy – return of premium life insurance.
- Should You Pay Off Student Loans Early or Save More for Retirement?
Wondering whether you should pay off student loan debt today or save for the future? Here are some considerations to help make the decision.
- Student Loan Stress? These Plans Might Help
This article outlines the basic provisions of income-driven repayment plans that can help reduce the burden of federal student loans.
- Survivor Benefits Provide a Financial Lifeline
Decisions made when claiming Social Security retirement benefits can make a big difference in spousal and other dependents’ survivor benefits.
- Take Advantage of Deductions for Business Investments
A look at bonus depreciation and Section 179, plus CARES Act changes that may benefit companies that reconfigured spaces for safety reasons.
- Three Questions to Consider During Open Enrollment
Making benefit elections for next year? This article covers three key areas that require careful consideration during open enrollment.
- Turbulent Times: Bear Markets Come and Go
A look at the economic conditions that triggered the 2020 bear market and why investors may benefit from having a longer-term perspective.
- Why Family Businesses Should Have Succession Plans
Do you know the reasons why business owners might need to take the time to develop a thoughtful succession plan?
- Your Business: Could You Benefit from a Roth Conversion in 2020?
This article focuses on the potential short- and long-term tax ramifications of a Roth IRA conversion.
- Your Estate: Have You Looked at These Legal Documents Lately?
This article looks at documents that should be kept up to date, including wills, trusts, advance medical directives, and beneficiary forms.
Research Articles
- 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.
- Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?
Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.
- History of the Federal Estate Tax
Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.
- How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?
A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.
- 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 Charitable Remainder Trust?
A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.
- 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.
- 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.
- How Likely Am I to Need Long-Term Care?
If you were to suffer an illness or disability that required long-term nursing care, would you be covered?
- How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?
Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.
- How Will I Pay Estate Taxes?
If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.
- What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?
A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.
- What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?
The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.
- What Is Tax Deferral?
There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.
- 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.
- 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.
- What Savings Alternatives Are Available?
There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.
Videos
- Do You Know Who Your Beneficiaries Are?
Valuable assets will convey directly to beneficiaries, regardless of instructions in a will.
- What Would Happen to Your Estate?
Estate planning documents can help you manage your estate.