After completing your investment questionnaire, your financial advisor or brokerage might recommend that you invest a small portion of your portfolio in bonds. This investment option can be an easy way to add diversification and earn a small yet stable income at...
Big home-price gains make a 20 percent down payment ever harder. Private mortgage insurance can be a better deal than an FHA-insured mortgage. In high-cost areas, a piggyback mortgage deal can be the ticket to buying. Coming up with the...
First comes love, then comes paying for the wedding. Weddings cost an average of $35,329 nationally — excluding the honeymoon — according to The Knot’s 2016 Real Weddings Study. That’s the highest reported average cost since the survey began in 2006. But...
I’ve been offering financial advice professionally for nearly 40 years. I’m also a millionaire several times over. During my decades in the trenches, I’ve heard every conceivable piece of financial advice, acted on many and offered some of my own....
President Trump released his proposed budget for 2018 on Tuesday that includes a $3.6 trillion cut in government spending over the next decade. Proposed changes to current education programs could impact financial aid and access to loans and repayment options for millions...
Holding onto stock shares for fear of a big tax bill? Think again. If you can manage your income right, you may not have to pay any taxes at all when you sell. Could your capital gains bill be lower...
There are some steps even first-time job seekers know to take ahead of formally seeking out new employment opportunities: Brush up your resume. Update your references. Flesh out your LinkedIn profile. Clean up your other social media accounts. Network. It’s...
One of the key pieces to retirement planning is understanding when and how much you can withdraw from your account. Your individual retirement account comes with rules about when you can withdraw money and how much you must withdraw each year. Understanding...
Your 30s can be an exciting but challenging decade. While you may be advancing your career and earning more money, you’re also likely juggling more financial responsibilities. Many in this age group are married, given the median age at first...
I often hear clients talk about having a trusted advisor. I am not sure what they mean. Bernie Madoff was a trusted advisor for some very wealthy names. He has now become the icon of wealth advisor that should not have been...
The best offense sometimes really is a good defense. That sports maxim can be applied to personal finances, too. Devastating losses — whether from poor investments, excessive fees, fraud or something else — can delay reaching your financial goals by years. Yet...
Here's an overview of how much money Americans make, owe, and save. How much money does the average American earn? How much do they owe? And how much do they pay in taxes? Here are 10 statistics that answer these...
Buying a new home can be very overwhelming, especially if it's your first one. These six tips – like getting extra inspections and researching your neighborhood beforehand – can help simplify the process. What are your best tips for new...
Bumps in the Trump rally? Market making you nervous? Gain more control over your finances. Maybe you've been riding that bull for eight years and feel like it might be getting tired. Maybe you're getting a little jumpy yourself, with...
A new survey finds our expectations at odds with the financial reality of today’s retirees. Setting a retirement savings goal can feel like a crap shoot. How can you calculate your expenses, especially for health care, five, 10, 50 years...
