Estate planning is a task that people tend to put off, as any discussion of “the end” tends to be off-putting. However, those who die without their financial affairs in good order risk leaving their heirs some significant problems along with their legacies. No matter what your age, here are some things you may want…
Read MoreYou may have read that you don’t need to buy life insurance early in life. That’s not necessarily true. In fact, getting a policy before midlife may prove wise. Relatively few people opt for life insurance coverage between the ages of 18 and 45, yet there are compelling reasons to get life insurance within this…
Read MoreFixed indexed annuities can be very useful investments. As the name implies, FIAs are fixed annuities with a rate or return linked to the performance of a stock market index (often the S&P 500). Because of this stock market exposure, they can sometimes bring conservative investors very nice returns – often, considerably better returns than…
Read MoreA potential “helping hand” for a homeowner’s heirs. No one wants to saddle their heirs with the hard choice of paying off an unsettled mortgage or selling or losing a home. A mortgage term life insurance policy can provide relief in such a dilemma. Simply put, this is a term life policy designed for homeowners.…
Read MoreWhen it comes to life insurance, there are many options. You may have heard terms like “whole life insurance,” “term insurance,” or “variable insurance,” but what do they really mean? And what are the differences between them? Well, first let me point out what they have in common: all life insurance policies provide payment to…
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How many short-term financial decisions do you make each week? You probably make more than a few. They may feel routine. They may demand your attention, day in and day out. Yet in managing these day-to-day issues, you may be drawn away from making the long-term money decisions that could prove vital to your financial…
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Here’s a simple financial question: who is the beneficiary of your IRA? How about your 401(k), life insurance policy, or savings account? You may be able to answer such a question quickly and easily. Or you may be saying, “You know… I’m not totally sure.” Whatever your answer, it is smart to periodically review your…
Read MoreYou may think of life insurance in very simple terms: you buy a policy so that your loved ones will have some financial assistance when you die. Its functionality doesn’t end there. If it looks like your accumulated wealth will be subject to estate taxes someday, life insurance may be a very useful tool for…
Read MoreWhy do we cling to the myth that women don’t understand money as well as men? If you look at the personal finance books aimed at women over the past decade, some of the titles might convince you that women need “special help” when it comes to figuring out saving, investing and budgeting: Prince Charming…
Read MoreWhat does it mean when you hear the phrase “effective tax rate?” If you are the lender, it means how much interest you are earning. It’s also called the true interest rate, the yield to maturity on a bond, or the internal rate of return. But if you are the one borrowing the money, the…
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