Articles
79% of Americans agree they would benefit from having basic financial education and information.
Source: The 2018 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey, The National Foundation for Credit Counseling
Welcome to our research center! We've put together a library of information on important financial topics that we believe you'll find helpful.
Simply click on one of the general financial topics below and you'll find a selection of easy-to-understand information sheets about related financial concepts and strategies. This information is updated regularly to reflect the latest facts, figures, legislation, and economic trends.
Market Commentary
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of December 2, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of November 25, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of November 18, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 11, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 28, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 21, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 14, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 7, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 30, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 23, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 16, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 9, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 3, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of August 26, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 19, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of August 12, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 5, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | August 5, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 29, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 29, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of July 22, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 22, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 22, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 15, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 15, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 8, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 8, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 1, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 1, 2019
- Midyear Outlook 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 17, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | June 17, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | June 10, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 10, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of June 3, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of June 3, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of May 20, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 20, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of May 27, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 27, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 13, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | May 13, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | May 6, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | May 6, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 29, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | April 29, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of April 22, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 15, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | April 15, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 8, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | March 11, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 4, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 25, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of Feb 19, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 19, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 11, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of February 4, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 4, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of Jan 28, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 28, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 22, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of Jan 21, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 14, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of Jan 14, 2019
Estates & Trusts
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Estate Planning
Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.
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Living Trusts
A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.
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Charitable Giving
To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.
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Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.
Retirement
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SIMPLE Plans
The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.
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Stretch IRAs
A “stretch” or “multigenerational” IRA may be a useful approach to extend tax-deferred savings that can benefit your heirs for generations.
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Why Purchase Annuities
Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.
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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.
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Your Business and Retirement
Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.
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Self-Employed Retirement Plans
Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.
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Indexed Annuities
An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.
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Traditional IRAs
If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.
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401(k) Plans
401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.
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Save Now or Save Later
If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.
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Roth IRAs
Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.
Tax Planning
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Required Minimum Distributions
Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.
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Withdrawing Before Age 59.5
Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.
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Tax Deferral
There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.
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Tax-Advantaged Investments
Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.
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Tax Deductions
Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.
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Tax-Advantaged Alternatives
While stable, CDs can create quite an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.
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Tax Strategies for Retirement Plans
Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.
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Tax-Free Investments
It’s important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.
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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
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Exchange-Traded Funds
ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.
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Growth Stocks vs. Value Stocks
The labels “growth” and “value” reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.
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Zero-Coupon Bonds
Zero-coupon bonds represent a type of bond that does not pay interest during the life of the bond.
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Diversification
An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.
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Types of Bonds
Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.
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Mutual Funds vs. Stocks
The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.
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Annuities
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.
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Fixed vs. Variable Annuities
Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.
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Investment Risks
Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.
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Dollar-Cost Averaging
Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.
Cash Management
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Doubling Your Money
Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.
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Biweekly Mortgages
Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.
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College Financial Aid
It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.
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Home Equity Loans
Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows interest payments to be tax deductible, could have its advantages.
Risk Management
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Why Purchase Life Insurance
If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.
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Annuities as 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.
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Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.
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Universal Life Insurance
Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.
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Variable Life Insurance
Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.
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Insuring Your Future
To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.
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Types of Health Coverage
There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.
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Long-Term Care Costs
The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.
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Types of Life Insurance
When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.