By its very nature, a trust must work best just when its creator cannot act. Your trust may be carefully designed to address all the concerns you can identify. But no matter how well you and your financial and legal advisors have analyzed potential contingencies, the best-laid plans could be... Read More
Our Voice of Financial Reason
Tue, 04/17/2012
Key Points
Millions of working-age Americans from all income groups are struggling to pay medical bills and manage accumulated medical debt. Many will continue to face problems with medical bills for years after their care was provided.
If you have been hit with... Read More
Tue, 03/20/2012
How much money does a typical worker need to save every month in order to have a reasonable chance of financing a secure retirement? New analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) came up with a broad overview of the rates needed by different age groups and income... Read More
Tue, 03/13/2012
In his long career at Stanford University, world renowned psychologist Albert Bandura has greatly contributed to our understanding of human behavior and motivation. One of his main areas of focus has been the concept of self-efficacy, a person's belief in his/her... Read More
Tue, 02/07/2012
Your journey to financial well-being can seem daunting. However, you can steady your course by adhering to the following principles of smart investing:
Pay Yourself First
One of the best techniques to help you invest in your future is the "pay... Read More
Thu, 02/02/2012
Conventional wisdom says that life insurance is sold, not purchased. In other words, some people are reluctant to discuss the importance of owning life insurance, and others are simply unaware of the need to have life insurance. Although many large companies provide life insurance as part of... Read More
Mon, 01/30/2012
Gone are the days when a public sector pension guaranteed a comfortable lifetime retirement. Like their private sector counterparts, today's public employees need to plan and save.
Stories abound about the fireman who retires at age 45 with a six-figure pension, or the city manager who... Read More
Tue, 01/10/2012
Read this article to learn how you can make annual gifts of up to $13,000 ($26,000 per married couple) to as many people as you wish without incurring federal gift taxes.
Did you know that there's a wealth-transfer technique you can use to reduce your taxable estate and keep more of your... Read More
Tue, 01/10/2012
Since the turn of the last century, improved nutrition and advances in medicine and healthcare have added 30 years to our average life expectancy. Without question, this is a remarkable achievement, but one that also requires each of us to think differently about "old... Read More
Thu, 01/05/2012
Living the single life no longer is an anomaly: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 45% of households nationwide are maintained by a single person.1 Being single affects many areas of financial planning, including retirement, financing health care later in... Read More
