Resources

If you don't know what happened to your money during the past year, it's time to find out. December and January are the perfect months to look back at what you earned, saved, and spent, as W-2s, account statements, and other year-end financial summaries roll in.

If you resolved last year to save more or you set a specific financial goal (for example, saving 15…

You probably feel comfortable talking to your teen about things like school, sports, and clothing. But how do you feel about talking about money? While it may be a tricky topic to broach, odds are that your teenager will rely on you to learn basic financial management skills. And the teenage years can be a critical learning period. According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection…

Here are 10 things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves between now and the end of the year.

Effective planning requires that you have a good understanding of your current tax situation, as well as a reasonable estimate of how your circumstances might change next year. There's a real opportunity for tax savings if you'll be paying taxes at a lower…

The biggest names in technology powered stock market gains and bouts of volatility in 2017, and the trend continued into 2018. The S&P Information Technology sector index posted a 13.19% total return from January through July 2018, compared with 6.47% for the broader S&P 500 index.1

Wall Street analysts and the business media often refer to well-known technology companies…

On your journey to retirement, you'll likely face many risks that have the potential to throw you off course. Following are five common challenges retirement investors face. Take some time now to review and understand them before your journey takes an unplanned detour.

Setting out on an adventure without a definitive destination can be exciting, but probably not…

One of the most confusing Medicare provisions is the prescription drug coverage gap, often called the "donut hole." It may be clearer if you consider the gap within the annual "lifecycle" of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage. This also applies to drug coverage that is integrated into a Part C Medicare Advantage Plan.

Annual deductible. Prescription drug plans typically…

Outstanding student loan debt in the United States has tripled over the last decade, surpassing both auto and credit card debt to take second place behind housing debt as the most common type of household debt.1 Today, more than 44 million Americans collectively owe more than $1.4 trillion in student debt.2 Here are some strategies to pay it off.

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The Bipartisan Budget Act passed in early 2018 relaxed some of the rules governing hardship withdrawals from 401(k)s and similar plans. Not all plans offer hardship withdrawals, but the ones that do will be required to comply for plan years beginning in 2019.

In order to take a hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) or similar plan, a plan participant must demonstrate an "immediate and…

One advantage of term life insurance is that it is generally the most cost-effective way to achieve the maximum life insurance protection you can afford. Many people first purchase term life insurance to protect their family's financial interests after a significant life event, such as getting married or the birth of a child.

You may have done the same for your family when you…

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the policymaking branch of the Federal Reserve. One of its primary responsibilities is setting the federal funds target rate. The FOMC meets eight time per year, after which it announces any changes to the target rate. The Federal Reserve (the Fed), through the FOMC, uses the federal funds rate as a means to influence economic growth.

If…