Certified Financial Planners (CFP) can stand out from a rather crowded field of financial professionals for a variety of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that Certified Financial Planners are mandated to act as a fiduciary, meaning that they are required to put their client’s interests...

Social Security Facts for 2019

by Natalie Babik on

As of December 2018, more than 43.7 million retired Americans collected Social Security, with more than 8 million disabled workers collecting benefits as well. But Social Security is much more than retirement income. Along with providing a small income to millions of seniors, Social Security also...

Paying off Student Loans

by Natalie Babik on

In 2018, student loan debt in the U.S. reached $1.5 trillion. With a continued increase in college tuition, it's likely that even more young adults will be turning to loans in order to finance their education. 

With the average student loan debt coming in at around $38,000, it's important to have a...

Top 5 Financial Terms You Should Understand

by Natalie Babik on

In recent weeks, you may have heard the word recession a lot. You may even have a vague understanding of what a recession is, but would like a better understanding of what a recession really is. What the Dow Jones Industrial Average? You probably hear that every night on the news and you know that...

Annuities and Retirement Planning

by Natalie Babik on

The growing demand for more predictability and security planning for retirement income has led an increasing number of retirees and pre-retirees to look to annuities as way to provide more stability in their investment portfolios. They are also looking to annuities as a way to replace the third leg...

Accumulating wealth turns out to be a double-edged sword for business owners. It certainly has its privileges, but it also comes with additional risk exposures. In a 2011 Zogby survey, 92 percent of people with a high new worth indicated concerns over the possibility of home invasions, muggings...

Generally speaking, conversations about life insurance revolve around whether you should buy term or permanent insurance. However, every decision to buy life insurance begins with deciding what is the right amount of life insurance. And, integral to determining the right amount of life insurance is...

Infographic: The Importance of Financial Goals

by Natalie Babik on

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*This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information provided is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own...

Pat and Kelly, new parents, made a couple monthly budget adjustments upon the arrival of their first child. First, due to the added cost of day care and dependent health insurance, they decreased the amount they were saving for a house. And second, they agreed to review their life insurance needs...

You’ve worked hard and after five years of disciplined savings, you’ve been approved for a 20 year $200,000 mortgage. It’s an exciting time and amongst the financial decisions ahead of you is determining if you should buy the bank-sponsored mortgage life insurance policy recommended by the loan...

A big mistake many professionals make with disability insurance coverage is that they take what is offered, and then buy and forget it. If they purchased it from one of the top insurers for disability insurance, they have probably been assured that they have the best possible protection with an “own...

Retirement

by Natalie Babik on

It’s never too early or too late to start planning for retirement. However, in the U.S., when it comes to retirement savings, later seems to be the standard. According to RothIRA.com, only 56% of today’s workers in the U.S. are currently saving money for their retirement, and 38% of those currently...