Category: Financial Planning

  • Kids: Why can’t they be like we were?

    By Joel Dresang A primal mission throughout the ages has been to make the next generation better off. For eons, our forebears have sacrificed – crossed oceans, endured hardships, surrendered lives – for our benefit. You don’t have to look far to see examples of such efforts every day. And yet, only 37% of Americans…

  • Look (and scrutinize) before you leap

    By Joel Dresang Scrutinizing is important, but sitting on your hands is more the point. […]

  • Gender gaps in financial literacy

    By Joel Dresang Even with a greater role in family finances, women collectively have shown less confidence and lower scores in financial literacy. […]

  • Retirement: Thinking about spending

    By Joel Dresang Most Americans don’t think enough about spending. Although retirement is the most expensive purchase we’ll ever make, only 34% of workers have estimated their retirement expenses. Anticipating spending as a proportion of income is a lazy and highly variable way to plan. […]

  • Rebalancing: More investing, less emotion

    A strategically balanced investment portfolio is a moving target. The optimal balance can shift with individual circumstances or asset performance. In a MONEY TALK VIDEO, Steve Giles explains how occasional rebalancing can help investors more objectively consider when and how to readjust their holdings. […]

  • Putting housing in its place

    By Joel Dresang Think of your home as your castle, not your bank. […]

  • 8 Steps to Improving Widowhood

    “Of all the factors associated with poverty in old age, the most critical is to be a woman without a husband.” […]

  • When Should I …check my beneficiaries?

    Whenever you anticipate a life-changing event in your family – marriage, having a child, retirement, major illness. Ask about your beneficiaries during your annual or semi-annual investment reviews. Be aware of who’s designated as beneficiaries in each of your investment accounts – IRAs, 401(k)s, pensions, insurance and annuity contracts, bank and brokerage accounts. Be sure that…

  • Securing elder finances

    By Joel Dresang Reports call elder financial abuse “the crime of the 21st century.” Like most personal financial crimes, these can be prevented through common sense and vigilance. […]

  • When it’s time to retire

    By Joel Dresang A recent Gallup survey found retirement security to be the top financial worry among Americans – named by 64% of respondents. And yet, a lot of studies suggest Americans are unprepared to quit working. The National Institute on Retirement Security found that nearly two-thirds of workers 55 to 64 years old had…