Financial Education for Every Investor

Have a question about your money? We've got answers. Get educated and move forward.

Watch Now    Attend an Event

Featured Resources

Recent Articles and Videos

Is It Smart to Pay Off Your Mortgage?
Articles

Is It Smart to Pay Off Your Mortgage?

January 7, 2021

If you’ve ever considered taking some extra money and paying down (or paying off) your home mortgage, you may have found that arriving at a decision wasn’t as easy as you thought. The choice usually is this: either put those funds toward the mortgage, or invest it and hope for greater net returns. There are two aspects to consider here: the emotional and the rational. And those two are often in conflict with one another.  How do you decide what to do?
A Better Way to Take Your RMDs?- Season 4: Episode 7
Podcasts

A Better Way to Take Your RMDs?- Season 4: Episode 7

December 22, 2020

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are just a fact of life for most owners of an IRA or retirement plan account.  While RMDs are suspended for 2020, under normal circumstances, you typically must begin taking minimum withdrawals from those accounts (in most cases) at age 72. Given these circumstances, if you’re charitably inclined, you may be able to take advantage of a little-known strategy known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA, and perhaps get some tax advantages that you otherwise would not have had. How does it work, and who can potentially use it? 
Living Trust or Will? What You Need to Consider
Articles

Living Trust or Will? What You Need to Consider

December 17, 2020

When you’ve worked hard over your lifetime and you’ve done all you can to be a conscientious saver, it stands to reason that you’d want some control over what happens to your assets after you’re gone. Having an estate plan may ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. But what should that estate plan include? Do you need a standard will, or should you have something that offers you a few more options? These are questions that should be considered by anyone who’s concerned about potential conflicts and costs for their heirs. Questions, of course, need answers.
Let’s Strategize With Your IRA- Season 4: Episode 6
Podcasts

Let’s Strategize With Your IRA- Season 4: Episode 6

December 15, 2020

IRA’s, whether Traditional or Roth, have unique characteristics. Depending on the type of IRA you have, you may be able to manage your taxes or your income from your IRA by managing the taxes on the withdrawals. Roth IRA distributions are tax-free when the rules for taking withdrawals are all met. So sometimes the tricky part is getting the money into the Roth IRA in the first place. Do you make a regular contribution to your Roth? Should you convert your Traditional to a Roth?  When is it a good idea to do either of these, and when is it not?
Beware the High-Yield Siren Song
Articles

Beware the High-Yield Siren Song

December 10, 2020

Once upon a time in America, a married couple could afford to have one spouse stay at home and take care of domestic responsibilities while the other spouse went out and earned the income.  And while that scenario does still exist today, it’s far less common than it was 30 or 40 years ago. It would seem plausible that having two incomes instead of one would make a family more financially secure.  This is true, but only to an extent – especially for affluent households.  In fact, having two working spouses may in some cases have an adverse effect on a family’s financial situation.