Articles

Estates & Trusts

• 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.

Retirement

• What Is a SEP IRA?

  A SEP IRA is a type of plan under which the employer contributes (up to a certain limit) to an employee’s IRA.

• What Is a SIMPLE?

  The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

• What Is an IRA Rollover?

  If you leave a job or retire, you should consider your options regarding your employer retirement plan assets.

• What Is a Roth 401(k)?

  A Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax money, and allows for tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings if requirements are met.

• What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?

  Profit-sharing plans give employees a share in the profits of a company and can help to fund their retirements.

• What Is a Money Purchase Pension Plan?

  A money purchase plan is a retirement plan where employer contributions are based on a fixed percentage of compensation.

• What Is a 403(b) Plan?

  A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan that can only be offered by a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

• Why Do People Buy Annuities?

  Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.

• What Are Annuity Living Benefits?

  Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

• Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?

  Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

• How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?

  The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

• What Is an Indexed Annuity?

  An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

• What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?

  When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

• What Is a Traditional IRA?

  If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

• What Is a 401(k) Plan?

  401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

• What Is a Roth IRA?

  Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

Tax Planning

• Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?

  It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

Investing

• How Are Annuities Taxed?

  One attractive feature of an annuity is tax-deferral but qualified and non-qualified annuities are taxed differently.

• What Is a Bond Ladder?

  A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

• How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?

  Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

• What Is an Annuity?

  An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.

• What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?

  Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.

Cash Management

• 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.

Risk Management

• 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?