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Financial Aid Resources for Your Incoming Freshman
College is expensive for many people. The average tuition and fees at a college or university for the 2019 to 2020 academic year at a four-year institution was $9,4001. This may include the cost of tuition, books, and housing.
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Remarkable Rise Of ESG Investing
Responsible investing is widely understood as the integration of environmental, social and governance factors – hence the ESG acronym – into investment processes and decision-making.
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Tax Issues Related to Marriage
If you're married (or about to be married), financial planning is certainly important. It's also important for you to be aware of the income tax ramifications of your decisions.
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Are You Retirement Ready? 5 Ways to Help Your Parents Prepare for Retirement
The sandwich generation is a term commonly used to describe those between the ages of 40 and 59 who are responsible for raising their family and are also often helping their aging parents manage their ongoing needs.
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Setting and Targeting Investment Goals
Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don't take any money out until you're ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it?
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Senior Cyber Safety – How to Avoid a Cyber Identity Crisis
You may have thought your digital identity was safe and not a likely target of a cybercriminal until one day, the bank calls wondering if purchases made at a store that you have never been to, 2,000 miles away, were made by you.
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The Financial Impact of Mental Health
Mental health is essential to everyone’s wellbeing. Mental health disorders, diagnosed or not, may be playing a role in your daily life. Often, financial problems or worries may impact your mental wellbeing, especially if you’re anxious.
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3 Tips for Preserving Wealth in Your Golden Years
After spending so much of your life saving for retirement, it may be challenging to transition from depositing funds to withdrawing them. You may wonder whether there is any way to maintain your lifestyle and preserve your wealth.
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Tax-Advantaged 529 Accounts
According to the College Board, the most recently published figures of the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a public university for the 2021-2022 school year was $10,740 for in-state students and $27,560 for out-of-state students.
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A Resilient March
The sound foundation of our financial system corroborates our constructive optimism of the upward and long-run trend of markets, despite headlines designed to jar nerves and test our steadfast resolution.
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6 Tips for Reducing Social Security Taxes
Determining how your income impacts Social Security (SS) taxes is important for tax planning. Factors that determine how much pay SS tax you pay, depending on your circumstances, include: If you have income from working in retirement.
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Three Key Components of Financial Literacy
Financial feats that were once unheard of—from investing in cryptocurrency to instantly paying someone through an online payment system—have now become commonplace in many parts of the country.
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Why Retirees Should Devote Time to Community Service
After retirement, you may find you have more time on your hands than you first anticipated. If you are looking for something to fill your downtime that may be fulfilling to your health and wellbeing, community service may be the answer.
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Enduring Market Volatility With a Financial Plan
If you hope to retire soon and are concerned about what the future may hold for your investments, you are not alone. Inflation has many retirees and soon-to-be retirees worried about outliving their savings and investments.
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Re-fired Not Retired: Making The Best of the Rest of Your Life
While retirement is a time to enjoy the things you have worked hard for in life, the next chapter may leave some a little anxious. Retirement doesn't mean you have to retire from the excitement in life.
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Your Rights Concerning Your Credit Report
You have certain rights with respect to your credit files. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was created to promote fairness, accuracy, and privacy with respect to files maintained by any consumer-reporting agency.
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How Are Workers Preparing for Retirement?
In general, workers seem to begin preparing for retirement almost as soon as they get their first job. However, according to the 2021 Retirement Confidence Survey by the (EBRI), retirement preparations do vary a bit by age group.
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Protect Financial Information from Prying Eyes on the Web
As more and more consumers search for financial information on the Internet, they may inadvertently leave themselves open to being “tracked” by certain companies and individuals.
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Waiting For New Highs
Financial markets have experienced quite a bit of change this year in just two short months. We remain confident that a new bull market will come—it just may require a bit more of our patience before we get there.
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Opportunities in 2023
When we look back on 2022, it’s easy to identify the challenges—but if we look closer, we can also uncover some opportunities. Overall, we see reason for renewed optimism when it comes to the markets in 2023.
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The Facts of LIFE (Living Independently For Elders): Financial Planning and Senior Independence
Navigating elder care and elder care finances in the U.S. can be a challenge even for the most well-prepared households. So what, exactly, is involved in senior financial planning? What steps can you take now?
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Entrepreneurship and Financial Risk: What You Need to Know
A wise entrepreneur considers their potential exposure before leaping into a new business venture, moving forward only on those opportunities that present enough potential upside to make the risks worthwhile.
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Estate Planning for Family Caregivers
A surprising two out of every three American adults do not have any kind of written estate plan. For adults who also serve as family caregivers, not having a plan in place can pose major risks for them and their entire family.
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Reconciling Your Losses in a Tough Market through Tax-Loss Harvesting
From the outside looking in, it might appear that investors don’t have much this year that can generate excitement. However, some investors turn to a little-known strategy called “tax-loss harvesting.”
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A Retirement Countdown Checklist: 5 Steps to Consider Before Retirement
Whether you're hoping to retire soon or are just beginning to explore the idea of stepping back from your job, you're probably wondering how to make it happen. Will you have enough money? How will you spend your time? What will you do...
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A Path to Setting and Reaching Your 2023 Goals
What if you focused on your system instead of just your goals? Setting goals for a new year can feel overwhelming. We all know that resolutions don’t last, but we also feel the energy that comes with a new year of...
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Independent and Thriving: What to Consider In Your Later Years
While you never know your needs as you age, the first step is thinking about your financial situation and health today so you can plan for your later years. With a one in four chance of making it to our 90th birthday, being independent...
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Protecting Your Tax Identity Doesn't Have to Be Taxing
When you think of identity theft, you may think of unauthorized credit card payments or new lines of credit. However, tax identity theft is one of the most common types of identity theft — and it’s also the most common...
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LPL Financial Research Outlook 2023: Finding Balance
Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance. Whether it’s about the markets...
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2022 Year-End Tax Tips
Here are some things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves between now and the end of the year. 1. Defer income to next year. Consider opportunities to defer income to 2023, particularly if you think you may be in a lower tax...
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Charitable Gifting
What constitutes a gift to charity? A gift to charity is simply a gratuitous transfer of property to a charitable organization. The key is that your gift must be some kind of property--your time or personal services do not count. There...
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Subscription Boxes for Holiday Gifting
Finding the perfect gift for those on your list can be difficult, but you can make your holiday shopping easier by gifting subscription boxes. These packages of hand-selected goodies can be arranged and mailed for you, and if you...
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Don't Miss Out on These 5 Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions
When you own a business, you get to deduct business expenses from your business income. This general rule applies, subject to certain limitations, whether you are a sole proprietor with employees or a self-employed freelancer...
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FAMILY WEALTH TRANSFER PLANNING: KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY THROUGH GENERATIONAL GIVING
What is family wealth, and how do you preserve it? You have worked hard for years and accumulated wealth. You earned this money through your job, investing, and saving, and you want to preserve it for yourself and to take care of...
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Tips To Help Your Local Animal Shelter
Are you an animal lover looking for ways to help dogs, cats, and other rescued animals at your local shelter? From spending time with pets in need to helping with administrative tasks, there are a variety of ways you can help improve...
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Year-End Donations and #GivingTuesday
With its family traditions and festive celebrations, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. And according to GivingTuesday.org, the giving in the U.S. alone totaled $2.7 billion to nonprofits and community...
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Five Things That Actually Get Better With Age
Yes, there are good things about being old, such as increased happiness, less stress, better marriages and deeper friendships. You seldom hear that: People tend to focus on the...
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Pecan Caramel Roll Ups
Don’t settle for an ordinary cake roll this holiday season. This pecan roll is made with a delicious spice cake and is full of sweet caramel cream, for a festive dessert you can bring to any celebration! Ingredients: For the...
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Too Good To Be True? 4 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams and How To Spot Them
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the greatest days to score deals for holiday shopping. Unfortunately, with amazing deals plentiful, some scammers use these days to take advantage of shoppers looking for the greatest bargains...
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Carving Out Time to Support Small Business Saturday
American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to provide small businesses with a holiday season boost on the heels of Black Friday. The day comes after one of the biggest shopping sales events and serves as a reminder to...
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Year-End Tax Planning Basics
The window of opportunity for many tax-saving moves closes on December 31, so it's important to evaluate your tax situation now, while there's still time to affect your bottom line for the 2022 tax year. Consider any...
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Everything You Need to Know About Medicare Savings Programs
The terms Medicare and Medicaid are similar sounding names; however, these programs serve very different needs. Medicare is a health insurance benefit program for those aged 65 and older and others with certain disabilities. Medicare...
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How Estate Planning Can Help Prepare for Long Term Care
The cost of long-term care can vary widely based on location (both city and state) and level of care needed. However, one thing is for certain: with 7 in every 10 people requiring long-term care at some point, preparing for this...
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How secure is your data when it’s stored in the cloud?
As cloud storage becomes more common, data security is an increasing concern. Companies and schools have been increasing their use of services like Google Drive for some time, and lots of individual users also store files on Dropbox...
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Your Long Term Care Action Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
Those turning 65 this year have a 7 in 10 chance of needing long-term care (LTC) at some point.1 With the cost of a private room in a nursing home now topping $100,000 per year, the thought of paying this — or for a loved...
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A Fall Financial Checklist
For many, autumn is the best time of year. The return of cool breezes, comforting foods, and pumpkins can be invigorating. It’s also a bookmark of sorts, especially for your finances—a perfect time to take stock of your...
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Tax Planning Tips - Life Insurance
Understanding the importance of life insurance is one thing. Understanding the tax rules is quite another. As insurance products have evolved and become more sophisticated, the line separating insurance vehicles from investment...
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How to Minimize Taxes During Market Downturns
Understanding long-term capital gains taxes when you sell investmentsMarket downturns could be a good time to adjust your fund portfolio to minimize the tax bite. Here’s how to calculate the best ways to do that – now and...
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Six Potential 401k Rollover Pitfalls
You're about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you're considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble-free, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid...
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An Essential Guide to Estate Planning Preparedness
A recent survey by Caring.com found that a whopping two in three American adults do not have an estate plan1—an alarming statistic, considering that an estate plan can protect your assets and ensure that they go to the right...
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Staying on Track with Your Retirement Investments
Investing for your retirement isn't about getting rich quick. More often, it's about having a game plan that you can live with over a long time. You wouldn't expect to be able to play the piano without learning the basics and...
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Boomers' Post-Pandemic Retirement Concerns
For many who are decades away from leaving the workforce, retirement may seem like an abstract concept. But once you've entered your late fifties—like the youngest Baby Boomers, turning 57 in 2021—retirement may begin to...
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Value Investing and Today’s Affluent Portfolio
Every consumer likes a good bargain, particularly value investors, who seek out stocks trading for less than their intrinsic value. By choosing companies the market has undervalued, or investing in mutual funds with similar objectives...
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8 Reasons Small Businesses Should Hire Veterans
Hiring employees is sometimes a difficult task. You may need to find employees who fit the business culture and have the skills to get the job done. The good news for small businesses looking for employees with various skills and a...
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Are You An All-Star Investor? 3 Major League Investing Mistakes to Avoid
Though baseball and stock market investing may not seem to have much in common, there are a few key similarities—both are stats-driven and require focus, a relative lack of emotion, and a clear mind. And when it comes to...
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LPL Financial Research Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence
Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...
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Reasons You Should Plan to Live Until You’re 95
How long do you think you will live? How long does your money need to last? If you’re like most people, you get this age wrong. The consequence? Faulty retirement...
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July 2022 Client Letter
As the calendar has turned to July, investors would certainly like to forget the first six months of 2022. However, the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday does bring with it reason for celebration. Not only is it the...
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Five Keys to Investing for Retirement
Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices regardless of whether you...
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5 Life Events That Impact Your Life Insurance Needs
A life insurance policy is part of financial planning. Life insurance is there to help ease the financial trauma that comes with the loss of a spouse, parent, or partner. As you encounter different events in your life, you may need to...
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Gone Fishin': 6 Fishing Lessons for Investors
While it may seem that fishing and investing are completely unrelated, believe it or not, there are some characteristics that make a person good at fishing that can also transfer to investing. Here are six fishing lessons you can apply...
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Fatherly Advice: 7 Timeless Financial Tips Our Fathers Taught Us
Although many things have changed in the financial world over the past 20 years, some nuggets of financial advice are timeless. Here are a few tips that have remained constant for several generations. Always Spend Less Than You...
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June 2022: A Bear Market is Officially Here
A bear market is officially here thanks largely to stubbornly high inflation. For many of us, it has probably felt like a bear market for a while now, but the S&P 500 Index didn’t close more than 20%...
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What Homeowners Should Know About Estate Planning
If you have always thought estate planning was just for those nearing retirement or already retired, think again. If you own a home, it is important to have a plan in place. Without a will or other arrangements that allow your home to...
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June 2022 Client Letter
The bull market that began in March of 2020 came dangerously close to an end. From March 23, 2020 through January 3, 2022, the S&P 500 Index gained 114% (excluding dividends). From that January 3 closing high through the recent low on...
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Three Things You'll Wish You'd Known Before Retirement
Retirement is one of the biggest life transitions adults will ever deal with. After 20, 30, or 40 or more years in the workforce, new retirees can find it hard to adjust to the reduced amount of structure in their daily lives. But...
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May 2022 Client Letter
As we move into spring and leave behind the last signs of a long winter, many worries from a chilly start to the year for markets, unfortunately, are still with us. The S&P 500 Index had its worst April in more than 40 years, leaving...
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April 2022 Client Letter
“Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.” - Sir John Templeton According to the guidance of revered investor Sir John Templeton, it appears to us that this market...
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Health Is Wealth: How Improving Your Physical Health May Benefit Your Finances
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Federal Reserve Plans to Raise Interest Rates ‘Soon’ to Fight Inflation:
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Tax Prep Checklist: Everything You Need to Be Ready for Tax Season
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LPL Research Outlook 2022: Passing the Baton
LPL Research Outlook 2022: Passing the Baton is designed to help you navigate the risks and opportunities over the rest of 2021 and beyond. While the economy continues to move forward, we’re still feeling some aftershocks of...
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Things to Consider When Writing a Business Plan
You may know that your small business needs a written business plan—but how do you get started? What elements should your plan address, and do you need different plans for different audiences? Below we discuss a few of the key...
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Thanks and Giving: How You Make a Difference on Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is a day to extend the goodwill that the holiday season may bring to help others. With so many in need, the holiday season is a reminder to help those less fortunate. Whether you want to donate your time or contribute...
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Medicare Open Enrollment for 2022
Medicare beneficiaries can make new choices and pick plans that work best for them during the annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period. Each year, Medicare plan costs and coverage typically change. In addition, your health-care needs may...
Read MoreChoosing a Retirement Plan that Fits Your Business
One survey found that the most pressing financial concern facing 42% of small business owners is developing a retirement plan and exit strategy.¹ If you have yet to develop a retirement plan for your business, or if you're not...
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