Build Your Rainy Day Fund Like an emergency fund, it can come in handy. Sometimes, life gets expensive. A little bad luck or a twist of fate can hit us right in the checkbook and challenge us to live within our budget. An emergency fund may help us handle major financial disruptions. For the minor ones, a rainy day fund may suffice. A rainy day fund and an emergency fund differ in scale, but not purpose. Both funds are designed [...]
Smart Financial & Insurance Moves for New Parents As you start a family, consider these ideas. Being a parent means being responsible to a degree you never have been before. That elevated responsibility also impacts your financial decisions. You are now a provider and a protector, and that reality may make the following financial moves necessary. Think about a budget. As a couple, you may have lived for years without budgeting. As parents, this may change. You will face new [...]
End-of-the-Year Money Moves Here are some things you might want to do before saying goodbye to 2018. What has changed for you in 2018? Did you start a new job or leave a job behind? Did you retire? Did you start a family? If notable changes occurred in your personal or professional life, then you will want to review your finances before this year ends and 2019 begins. Even [...]
Investing Means Tolerating Some Risk That truth must always be recognized. When financial markets have a bad day, week, or month, discomforting headlines and data can swiftly communicate a message to retirees and retirement savers alike: equity investments are risky things, and Wall Street is a risky place. All true. If you want to accumulate significant retirement savings or try and grow your wealth through the opportunities in the markets, this is a reality you cannot avoid. Regularly, [...]
Filling Out the FAFSA There is really no reason to wait. November is here – the ideal time for college students to apply for financial aid. October 1, in fact, marks the first day a current or future college student can submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the 2019-20 academic year. Since some states offer aid on a first-come, first-serve basis, submitting a FAFSA as soon as possible is wise.1,2 You can even apply using [...]
