Save for Retirement and Lower Your Tax Bill?

You can do both! By contributing to a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) by the April 2024 tax filing deadline, you may be able to deduct some or all of your contributions on your 2023 income tax return.

Life Insurance: An Important Part of a Financial Strategy

Life insurance has many uses. If a breadwinner dies, proceeds from a life insurance policy can fund a child’s college education, pay for child care or other services, and ensure that surviving members will maintain their current standard of living. It can also be part of a charitable giving strategy.

You Can Organize Your Financial Life

Piles of receipts on the dining room table. Bank statements on the desk in the spare room. You didn’t plan on your financial and personal records ending up in a free-for-all, but that’s what’s happened. How you wish someone would organize your stuff!

The Benefits of Financial and Tax Strategies

A well-coordinated financial strategy encompasses more than just your investments. It considers every aspect of your finances, from budgeting to retirement saving, to ensure you’re making decisions that can help you reach all your goals.

A Financial Checklist for Couples

Working together to create a healthy financial picture should be a priority for couples. Here are a few ways to get started.

Safe Deposit Box Do's and Don'ts

HSA Contributions Offer Tax Benefits

If you’re looking for a way to lower your 2023 income taxes, your health plan might be able to help. When you’re covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP), any contributions you make to a health savings account (HSA) by the April 15, 2024, tax filing deadline can be deducted on your 2023 tax return.

How Long Should You Keep Them?

Follow these general guidelines for retaining important documents.

Gen X: Hone Your Financial Skills

As a generation, Baby Boomer parents have amassed significant wealth, but their Gen X children are not following in their footsteps. According to a recent report from the National Institute on Retirement Security, Gen Xers, born 1965 through 1980, generally aren’t following a retirement strategy, saving enough for the future or accounting for long-term healthcare and assisted living expenses.

Tips for Sole Proprietors

As sole proprietor of your small business, you’re responsible for everything from filing taxes to setting up your retirement plan. Your financial and tax professionals can help you take advantage of retirement plan and business deductions to help reduce your income tax bill.

Create a Financial Strategy for Your Business

When you own a small business, separating personal financial goals from business goals may be hard. The task can seem even more daunting for sole proprietors since all your business’s income is reported on your income tax return. Creating a separate financial strategy for your business offers several benefits and protections for your personal wealth.

Have the Money Talk

Are you and your significant other on the same page when it comes to your finances? Disagreements about money are a leading cause of friction between couples. Talking about your individual feelings regarding money can help you understand the other person’s point of view and help you reach a compromise.

Term Insurance: Right for You?

Term life insurance provides coverage for a specific period — typically, 10-30 years. When the term expires, coverage stops. If the policyholder dies while the policy is active, beneficiaries receive the death benefit, which is usually not taxable.

Introduce Your Teen to Investing

A surprising number of teens are fascinated with the world of investing. Why not? It’s an exciting and engaging way to earn money. And who better than you to help your kids to learn about finance?

Caring for a Special-Needs Loved One

Providing for a special needs child, minor or adult, can be daunting. To safeguard your child’s future well-being, work with your financial and legal professionals to help ensure you have a sound strategy in place.

Millennials - This is for You

You’ve worked hard to become a high-earning millennial, and to stay there, you continue to do so. Sadly, working long hours may keep you from planning for your financially secure future, but that would be a mistake.

Estate Planning Moves You Want to Make Now

Forewarned is forearmed. Unless Congress passes new estate-tax legislation, the historically high estate-tax exemptions for 2024 and 2045 will be just that—history—at the end of 2025 (see table). What might you do to take advantage of the higher exemptions before it’s too late?