Benefit Planning Group

Market Commentary

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.
How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.
How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?

To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.
How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?

Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

Retirement

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.
Why Do People Buy Annuities?

Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.
How Much Do I Need to Save?

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.
Don’t Bank Your Retirement on Your Business

Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.
What Are My Retirement Planning Options?

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.
Social Security Income

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.
What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.
What Is an Indexed Annuity?

An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.
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.
Save Now or Save Later?

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.
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

What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?

Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.
What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½

Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.
What Is Tax Deferral?

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.
How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?

Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.
What Tax Deductions Are Still Available to Me?

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.
What Tax-Advantaged Alternatives Do I Have?

While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.
What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan

Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.
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.
How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?

Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

Investing

What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?

ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.
Growth Stocks vs. Value Stocks

The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.
What Are Zero-Coupon Bonds?

Zero-coupon bonds represent a type of bond that does not pay interest during the life of the bond.
What Is Diversification?

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.
What Types of Bonds Are Available?

Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.
How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.
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.
What Investment Risks Should I Know About?

Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.
What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

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.
What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?

Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.
What About Financial Aid for College?

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.
Is a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit Right for Me?

Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows interest payments to be tax deductible, could have its advantages.

Risk Management

Why Purchase Life Insurance?

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.
Why Are Annuities Considered an Insurance Product?

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.
Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.
Life Insurance for Business Owners

Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.
Disability Income Insurance for Business Owners

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.
What Is Term Life Insurance?

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.
What Is Universal Life Insurance?

Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.
What Is Variable Life Insurance?

Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.
How Can I Insure My Future?

To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.
Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.
What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?

There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.
Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?

The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.
What Does Medicare Cover?

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?
What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?

When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

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Articles

Market Commentary

Estates & Trusts

Retirement

Tax Planning

Investing

Cash Management

Risk Management