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The holiday season is upon us and with it the eternal struggle of what to buy for the special kids on our list. Many already have more knick-knacks than they need and any new toys or games they receive will no doubt be gathering dust...

Is there anything better than the pure joy that fills your heart when your grandson or granddaughter makes eye contact and smiles at you? Well, perhaps, yes: The ability to leave most of the hard work in raising them to your son or...

What can a godparent, aunt, uncle, or close family friend do for a youngster to help them succeed in life? Financial advisors and personal finance experts point to three versatile ways of doing that: Set up a 529 college savings plan....

Managing money with your spouse is a challenge by any measure, but when you merge two families under a single budget, it can be harder still to strike a balance. Harder, but not impossible. Blended families bring to the table a mix of...

The holidays are much beloved not only for their spiritual significance, but also for the sense of togetherness they instill. Indeed, the time-honored traditions, seasonal foods, and momentary respite from work and school help set the...

Babies are a cause for celebration. But a new child also requires some careful financial planning by the parents. Indeed, that little bundle of joy comes with some pretty big financial expenses. The average cost of raising a child born...

Both traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs can help you save for retirement. But they have different rules about taxes on contributions and withdrawals, what happens if you need to take money out before retirement, and other things that can...

For a parent, the instinct to protect never ends. When your child turns 18, however, your legal right to access their protected records — medical, financial, and academic — does come to an abrupt halt, regardless of whether...

How much do I need for retirement? That is a question many people ask. And the answer changes from person to person. What you will personally need for retirement will depend on many things. Some will depend on external factors like the...

Will I have enough money to retire? It’s a common question and one that has increased in magnitude lately — especially for people in their 40s and 50s. Indeed a MassMutual study in 2018 found that the greatest worry for...

Life insurance is, first and foremost, about protecting the ones you love after you’re gone. But some types can help you in retirement as well, by providing: A way to accumulate a source of funds. Tax-deferred growth insulated...

As a business owner, you know what it means to be the boss, from managing employees, to winning new business, to paying the bills. But these aren’t the only things you’re in charge of. You’re also the boss when it...

Life insurance proceeds can help alleviate a major source of stress after the loss of a loved one, giving the newly bereaved time to tend to their emotional needs without fretting over their finances. But the sudden influx of a large...

If you own all or part of a business, you should know about buy-sell agreements. A buy-sell agreement is a legally binding agreement that requires one party to sell, and another party to buy a particular ownership interest in a...

Do you want a say in what will happen to everything you own after you die? Do you want to prevent your family from fighting over your assets? If so, then you need an estate plan — no matter how much or how little you have. Estate...

Life insurance is a fundamental part of one’s financial safety net. But having life insurance and having enough of it are two different issues. In fact, the Life Insurance and Market Research Association (LIMRA) estimates that...

When you’re thinking about buying life insurance to protect those you care about from the financial cost of your death, the first choice you must make is whether to purchase a term life insurance policy or a permanent one. To...

Thousands of people become entrepreneurs and start a business every year. In fact, there have been about 400,000 startups annually for the last decade, according to the Small Business Administration.1 Of course, a good number of...

Boosting your credit score is a lot like going to the gym: It’s painful at first, requires consistency and patience, but is ultimately worth the (financial) effort. The key is to develop or re-establish good spending habits, set...

As a business owner, it’s hard running day-to-day operations and still have time left over to think about the what-ifs. What if I lose a key employee? What if a competitor sets up shop down the street? What if a global pandemic...

The conventional wisdom is that you should pay off your mortgage before you retire. Yet many in their senior years do not, choosing instead to retire with a mortgage. According to a study by Harvard University, 46 percent of homeowners...

Taking out loans from the cash value built up in your life insurance policy can be an advantageous way to help pay off a mortgage or supplement college expenses. But the cash value you accumulate from your policy can just as easily be...

The advantages of physical activity, including decreased risk of heart disease and improved emotional wellness, have long been touted by the medical community, but recent research suggests that those who run on a regular basis may get...

Once you decide that getting married and/or having children is in your future — and especially once those events come to pass — your finances can rapidly grow more complicated. Making a family financial plan can help you...

Recent events and ongoing economic problems have many people looking to do something — anything — to feel financially grounded again. Here are some things you can do immediately, in the coming week, and for the month that...