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Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.

It’s important to understand mutual fund loads, or sales charges, and exactly what they entail so you can make informed investing decisions.

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.

Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.

With closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a professionally managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.

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

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.

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

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

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Selecting health insurance is often one of the most important decisions you will make. Do you know the different types?

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

Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.

Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.

Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.

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

Using a financially sound insurance company is an important part of ensuring your family’s financial security.

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

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

IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company without tax liability.

Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally trigger a 10% federal tax penalty.