What factors should be considered when determining a cash reserve goal? It takes some work to determine the ideal amount to be held in a cash reserve. This amount should reflect several important aspects of your current personal and financial situation–aspects that must be considered simultaneously and many of which are difficult to quantify. Begin
The financial challenges millennials face can be overwhelming. Many young adults have to figure out how to pay off college loans, save to buy a home or start a family, and sock away money for retirement. Given these hurdles, it’s no wonder that life insurance as a financial asset gets little to no attention. But
How can insurance be used in other planning strategies? Insurance has many uses in addition to what you probably think of as its traditional purpose. Life insurance is often the cornerstone of estate plans. You can use life insurance as a savings tool for your children’s education, for your own retirement, even for gifts to
Even though your child is just in high school, he or she may still have to deal with certain financial challenges. Whether this involves saving for an important purchase like a car or learning how to use a credit card responsibly, it’s important for your high schooler to have a basic understanding of financial literacy
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Proper Insights & Analytics recently released a survey detailing back-to-school spending for the 2019 school year. The survey looks at how American families plan to shop for clothing, supplies, and other items for the school year. Record spending expected for 2019 As students prepare to go back to school
Set retirement goals Setting goals for retirement is an important part of retirement investing. For example, do you want to retire early? Would you like to travel during retirement? Do you plan on working post-retirement? Having goals can help you and your financial professional develop an appropriate investment plan for your retirement. Think about your
Blockchain is a data structure used to create a digital ledger shared among a distributed network of computers. It was initially designed for the peer-to-peer exchange of the virtual currency bitcoin. However, businesses are now developing and testing some potentially game-changing blockchain applications. According to a recent survey of executives across a variety of industries,
On September 6, 2018, the MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index — which tracks stocks in 24 of the world’s largest developing economies — dropped 20% below its January high, a level of decline that is commonly considered a bear market.1 Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index reached the same negative milestone a few days later. China’s
The benefits of saving in an employer-sponsored retirement plan The more you can save for retirement, the better your chances of retiring comfortably. One of the best ways to save for retirement is to max out your contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan, up to the legal limit. Why is
As you near retirement, it’s likely you’ll have many questions about Social Security. Here are a few of the most common questions and answers about Social Security benefits. Will Social Security be around when you need it? You’ve probably heard media reports about the worrisome financial condition of Social Security, but how heavily should you
