Life Insurance

Changing Times, Changing Needs When Judy purchased her life insurance policy 10 years ago, she thought her insurance planning was complete. She assumed that if she paid her premiums on time, she could sit back and not think about life insurance anymore. Judy’s life insurance may help to protect her loved ones from future uncertainties, but her policy should not …

Starting a Business with a Friend: Do’s and Don’ts

It is estimated that about 40 percent of business founders were friends before they became business partners.[1] But while starting a business with a friend can be a great way to secure your financial future, it can also put new and challenging pressures on your friendship. Below are some tips and tricks to help you maintain best business practices while growing your relationship …

Six Months and Counting

Six months and counting. That is the current monthly winning streak for the S&P 500 Index. To take that a step further, this key equity benchmark has posted gains in 13 of the last 16 months—dating back to the March 2020 low. With stocks nearly at a double from those lows, it has indeed been hard to quibble about what …

Federal Student Loan Interest Rates Set to Increase for 2021-2022

After two years of decreases, interest rates on federal student loans are set to increase almost a full percentage point for the 2021-2022 school year.1 The interest rates on federal student loans are reset each year after the May auction of the 10-year Treasury note. The rates apply to new federal student loans issued on or after July 1, 2021, …

Taxpayer Appreciation Day—Recognizing Taxpayers’ Contributions

Though U.S. taxpayers received an extra month to file and pay their federal income taxes in 2021, some are still smarting from having to write a check to the IRS.[1] For many, it can be tough to make the connection between those hard-earned dollars going out the window and the roads, services, and even technological advances that are made possible through …

Begin Investing While Young

There’s a simple word that has profound implications for savings and investing: compounding. Like a snowball that grows as it rolls down a hill, compounding provides the potential for your money to grow, reinvesting your investment earnings. It is a basic model for growth potential, and the more you invest, the greater the opportunities to create long-term value. Let’s take …