Articles

Estates & Trusts

• What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?

  Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

• What Is the History of the Federal Estate Tax?

  Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

Retirement

• What Are Annuity Living Benefits?

  Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

• What Is an Indexed Annuity?

  An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

• What Is a Roth IRA?

  Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

Tax Planning

• What Is the Capital Gain Tax?

  Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

• What Is the Estate Tax?

  Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

• How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?

  IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

• When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?

  With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

• What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½

  Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.

• What Is the Tax History of the United States?

  United States tax law is a constantly changing landscape. The latest major piece of tax legislation is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Investing

• What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?

  ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

• How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?

  The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

• How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?

  Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

• What Is a Stock Index?

  Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

• What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

  Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

Cash Management

• What About Financial Aid for College?

  It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

• What Savings Alternatives Are Available?

  There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.

• How Does Inflation Affect Me?

  Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

Risk Management

• Why Purchase Life Insurance?

  If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

• How Can I Maximize My Insurance Benefits?

  Several factors could undermine the financial security provided by the proceeds of your life insurance policy.