Other Financial Topics
Calculators
- Car Affordability
How much can you afford to pay for a car?
- Cash Flow Analysis
This Cash Flow Analysis form will help you weigh your income vs. your expenses.
- Credit Card Debt
How Long Will It Take to Pay my Balance?
- Estate Taxes
Use this calculator to estimate the federal estate taxes that could be due on your estate after you die.
- Federal Income Tax
This calculator can help you estimate your annual federal income tax liability.
- Home Affordability
Estimate of the maximum amount of financing you can expect to get when you begin house hunting.
- Lease Payment
How much would your monthly lease payment be?
- Life Expectancy
Knowing your likely life expectancy is an important factor in making long-term financial plans.
- Lifetime Earnings
This calculator is designed to help you attach a dollar figure to your life’s work.
- Loan Payoff
How much will it cost to pay off a loan over its lifetime?
- Long-Term Care Self Insurance
Will you be able to afford nursing home care?
- Mortgage Acceleration
This calculator can help you determine how soon you can pay off your mortgage.
- Mortgage Refinancing
Determine whether you should consider refinancing your mortgage.
- Personal Inflation Rate
Is your personal inflation rate higher or lower than the CPI?
- Savings Accumulation
Estimate the future value of your current savings.
- Savings Goals
How much do you need to save each year to meet your long-term financial goals?
Newsletters
- A Business Plan Can Be Your Guide to Growth
A business plan can be an important step toward success. Here are some key components to consider.
- A Map to Guide Your Family
A letter of instruction could be just as important as a will to help heirs settle an estate and move forward with their lives.
- ABLE Accounts for Disability Expenses
Explore ABLE account requirements and potential benefits, including new saving opportunities under the 2017 tax law.
- Are Your Designated Heirs Up-to-Date?
The New Year might be a good time to review and update beneficiaries on estate documents, insurance policies, and financial accounts.
- Choosing and Using a College Checking Account
Some tips for parents and college students to consider, whether opening a new checking account or using an old one.
- Community Property Laws: Yours, Mine, and Ours
Community property laws that apply in nine states and “equitable distribution” laws that apply in other states.
- Competing Goals: Pay Off Student Loans or Save for Retirement?
Some college grads pay off student loans at the expense of saving for the future. See steps that may help them do both.
- Consider a Customized Disability Policy
Review the potential benefits of an individual disability income policy vs. a group policy, as well as common riders.
- Dealing with Divorce
Some considerations for a divorcing couple who are dividing marital assets, such as retirement accounts, and filing for Social Security.
- Family Limited Partnerships for Estate Planning Purposes
A family limited partnership is a legal agreement that enables business owners and their heirs to address tax issues, business succession, and estate planning needs.
- Getting Real About Retirement
This article features a worksheet and relevant information to help estimate retirement expenses and income.
- Health Savings Account: Funding an HSA Could Help You Prepare for Retirement
In addition to setting aside pre-tax income to pay current and future medical expenses, an HSA could play an important role in your long-term retirement strategy.
- Help with College: A Gift for Your Grandkids
Helping a grandchild obtain a college degree could be life-changing for the student. Still, it’s important to consider how a gift could affect student aid and taxes.
- HOT TOPIC: After Rocky Year-End, Risks Follow Investors into 2019
In the final quarter of 2018, interest-rate fears and unresolved geopolitical issues upset the financial markets and reversed many of the gains notched earlier in the year.
- HOT TOPIC: Bear in the Woods: Emerging Markets Credit Crisis
Looks at some of the reasons behind the big declines in emerging markets, and how these developing economies might affect U.S. investors.
- HOT TOPIC: Blockchain Buzz: Emerging Tech Offers Potential, Not Promises
A glimpse into how blockchain might impact businesses, and a warning for investors to heed the risks associated with blockchain investments.
- HOT TOPIC: Consumer Nation: Can Confidence Drive the Economy?
A look at what’s driving the high consumer confidence level and the importance of consumer spending to the broader economy.
- HOT TOPIC: Monetary Policy: Should Investors Fear the Fed?
How the Federal Reserve Board’s actions influence interest rates, economic growth, and inflation.
- HOT TOPIC: What Are the Costs of the Government Shutdown?
Explore the cost of the longest government shutdown in recent history, from its economic impact to its effect on public safety and services.
- Inflation Protection for Investment Dollars
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) can help hedge a bond portfolio against a potential spike in inflation.
- Insurance Strategies: Giving Old Life Insurance a New Purpose
A 1035 exchange may allow a permanent life policy to be traded for a more suitable insurance product.
- Insurance with Potential Cash Value
Universal life and variable universal life insurance have risks and potential benefits, including a death benefit with a tax-advantaged savings element.
- Is a Roth 401(k) Right for You?
An overview of the potential benefits, limitations, and rules of Roth 401(k) accounts.
- Key Tax Breaks for Business Owners
Small-business owners will want to take full advantage of every legal tax break available, such as deductions for a home office and automobile expenses.
- Know Your Mutual Funds
Millions of Americans own mutual funds. This overview can help you review the mix of funds you own.
- Looking Back, Looking Ahead
See the indicators economists rely on to understand the past, present, and potential future direction of the economy.
- Low-Volatility Strategies for a Less Stressful Ride
Some stocks and stock funds may help reduce the volatility in a portfolio.
- Need to Tap Your 401(k)? Proceed with Care
Explore an overview of rules and tax consequences for 401(k) plan hardship distributions and other early withdrawals.
- Reviewing Business Structure in Light of Tax Changes
A flat 21% tax rate may seem like a good reason for a pass-through entity to convert to a C corporation, but there are other factors to consider.
- Risk Tolerance Is About You, Not the Market
An investor’s personal situation should be considered when assessing his or her risk tolerance.
- Seeking Synergy: Why Mergers and Acquisitions Matter to Investors
Find out how and why mergers and acquisitions take place (and why they matter to investors).
- Seven Classic Investing Quotes
Seven classic quotes about investing from successful investors, economists, and other insightful thinkers.
- Social Security 101
An overview of basic Social Security rules and options that are often misunderstood, whether workers are looking forward to claiming benefits in 1 or 30 years.
- Some Small Companies Facing Tariff Troubles
Small-business owners should watch for trade policy changes that could impact their products, supply chains, or competitors.
- Technology Trend: How Blockchain Could Impact the Future
Businesses and governments are exploring blockchain applications as they seek to improve transparency, increase productivity, and reduce costs.
- Weighing a Wider Range of Health Plan Options
Association health plans may enable small businesses to save money, but how do AHPs compare to small-group health insurance?
Research Articles
- Assessing Disability Income Insurance
Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.
- Avoiding Probate
The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.
- Cash Management Basics
A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.
- Charitable Giving
To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.
- Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.
- Doubling Your Money
Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.
- Estate Planning
Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.
- 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.
- Living Trusts
A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.
- Long-Term Care Costs
The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.
- Long-Term-Care Needs
If you were to suffer an illness or disability that required long-term nursing care, would you be covered?
- Paying Estate Taxes
If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.
- Property Ownership
Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.
- Savings Alternatives
There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.
- Tax Deferral
There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.
- United States Tax History
American tax law is a constantly changing landscape. The latest major piece of tax legislation is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
- Wealth Replacement Trusts
A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.