Thoughtful Insights
Your trusted resource for mastering wealth management, financial planning, and smart investing. Explore thoughtfully curated articles, and clear, in-depth guides that help you to make informed decisions at every stage of your financial journey.
Not Saving For Retirement? Here’s Why You Should Start Now
There are many reasons why you haven’t starting thinking about your retirement. You might think that because it’s so far away you have plenty of time to put it off for another few years. According to psychologist Daniel Goldstein, it can be difficult for many people to imagine themselves growing old. In our heads, we all realize we will grow old, but the concept doesn’t seem real to us. We often don’t even want to think about it -- let alone plan for it.
Easy Hacks For Saving Money on a Memorial Weekend Getaway
Whether you’ve already arranged a Memorial Day weekend getaway or are waiting until the last minute to make travel plans, whatever you do, you certainly won’t want to miss out on the first opportunity to take a summer vacation. In fact, you’ll be amazed at how much you can see and experience during the long weekend. Learn about three easy ways to save the most money on your getaway, no matter your destination.
Three Ways Millennials Are Managing (and Saving) Money
It’s no secret that life for twenty-somethings is vastly different than it was in the 1970’s, 80’s or even 90’s. The internet and mobile technology have completely changed how we carry out our professional and personal lives. Personal finance is yet another area in which millennials are doing things a little differently than their parents and grandparents.
Three Steps for Helping Family Members Who Struggle With Finances
It’s never easy to watch family members struggle with their finances. Even though it can be tempting to loan them money, it is only a temporary fix that won’t last if they’ve instilled bad money habits in their financial routine. When it comes to addressing your concerns with a family member who’s struggling with money management, it can be scary. On one hand, you want your loved one to get his or her financial situation under control, but you don't want to destroy your relationship in the process. Read on to learn more about how to better help family members who are bad at money.
Three Financial Challenges Holding Millennials Back from Starting a Family
Millennials now account for the majority of new and expecting parents. By growing up during the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression and holding more student loan debt than any previous generation, millennials are faced with a very unique set of challenges when it comes to starting a family. With the cost of raising a child now equalling a small fortune, millennial parents need to be better prepared financially.
Three Lessons for Teaching Your Children Good Financial Habits
In order to raise financially savvy children, parents must begin to teach them a variety of skillsets like budgeting, planning, earning and saving.
How Technology Can Save You Money: Best Mobile Apps for Financial Fitness
When your budget is tight, saving for your future can be especially difficult. We live in a world where the vast majority of mobile apps are designed to help you spend money, not save it, with simple “one click” checkout experiences. Fortunately, there are a few apps on the market that have actually made it a little bit easier to make saving a priority in your everyday life.
Three Common Money Scams and How-To Avoid Them
Money scams have existed for years, but criminals continue to discover and implement new, sly tactics. Their current efforts focus on sending out phony emails, pretending to be a trustworthy person, to seek out personal information from victims like credit card numbers, bank accounts and personal identification information, such as a passport or Social Security number.
A Big Risk to Your Portfolio is Hiding in Plain Sight
Dividing up an investment portfolio into its various pieces can reveal both hidden drivers of risk and overlooked opportunities. A recent analysis by Goldman Sachs Asset Management of professionally managed investment portfolios shows that many investors are missing important potential sources of return as a result of putting too many of their “risk” eggs in one basket – US stocks!
3 Steps for Transitioning from a Dual Income to a Single Income Household
According to CNN, 46 percent of households with male/female married couples are dual income, with both parents working full-time. That said, there are many reasons why a couple would decide to live off of only one income. Whether you and your partner have made the decision that one of you will be staying home with a new baby, or going back to school, living off a single income requires planning, communication and willingness to make sacrifices. Before making any decisions to transition to one income, you’ll want to to practice living on one income (if possible), discuss healthcare and other benefits and prepare a budget.
Three Things to Consider When Deciding Whether to Lease or Buy a Car
While the decision to buy or lease a car can be a tricky one, a quick evaluation of your financial situation can help you decide which option is best. People who lease a car typically do so because it allows them to drive a newer car for less money than it would cost to buy one. According to the car experts at Edmunds, young adults are far more likely to lease. In fact, more than one-third of millennials in 2016 were opting for auto leases.
The History of Women and Money in the United States in Honor of Women’s History Month
Many women take the lead with managing household finances and many have also increased the amount of money they earn in their careers. In honor of March being Women’s History Month, let’s take a closer look at the history of women, money and the power they've gained over the last few centuries.
How to Spend Your Tax Refund Wisely
It’s tax season, which means you may be coming into some money in the near future. According to U.S. News and Money, in 2016, 111 million Americans received a tax refund, with the average amount being $2,860. On the flipside, you may not be due anything. The IRS anticipates that 30 percent of taxpayers will not receive a refund this year. If you do receive a refund, deciding what to do with it can be a challenge. Should you invest it? Save it? Treat yourself? While the options are endless, here are just a few ways to wisely spend that money.