education

The need for retirement planning didn’t really exist until well into the 1970s. Up to that point, people worked until age 65, spent a few years in leisure through their life expectancy which was about 69. Many retirees of that era were able to coast into retirement with a cushy pension plan.

Diversification is at the heart of a sound investment plan. An effective diversification plan helps manage risk by spreading funds across various asset classes and types of investments. The reasoning behind this strategy is that market conditions can affect each type of asset differently — through diversification, losses in one area can be offset by gains in another.

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act, enacted in 2017, made major changes to the tax code that could have a significant impact on your bottom line.

According to collegeboard.org, the average yearly full-time student budget for tuition and fees, room and board, books, and other incidentals at an in-state public four-year college is currently more than $25,000. For a private four-year college, that costs skyrockets to more than $50,000.

Regrets can be hard to live with: I wish I hadn’t eaten that banana split; I wish I’d bought that sweater when it was on sale; or I wish I learned to speak French. But these are all mild regrets compared to what you’d feel if you didn’t make the best choices for you and your family when preparing for retirement.

Loss aversion sounds like a good thing — trying to avoid losing. What could be wrong with that? Unfortunately, if taken too far, it can actually be a threat to your long-term financial health. Loss aversion is the tendency to prefer avoiding potential losses over acquiring equal gains. We dislike losing $20 more than we like getting $20.

When we think retirement age, 65 is often the first number that comes to mind. But that doesn’t mean it should be your final answer. While it’s often a starting point for consideration, there are several factors that could make another age a better choice for you. Here are eight considerations to keep in mind when making this very important decision.

Insurance may be less about if you’ll need it than when you’ll need it. Anyone who started driving at 16 is likely to have had a claim by the time they’re 34. More than 1 in 20 insured properties reported a claim in 2016, according to Insurance Services Office (ISO). And according to the U.S.

Your 401(k) is one of the most powerful retirement planning tools at your disposal. Are you taking full advantage of yours? Here are eight questions to help you answer this important question.

1. Am I enrolled?

No one likes to think about life insurance, or the conditions that could cause its need to arise. But it’s an important foundation for a family‘s financial plan — ensuring that critical needs are met in the worst of circumstances.