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It’s important to understand mutual fund loads, or sales charges, and exactly what they entail so you can make informed investing decisions.

An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.

Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

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

A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.

With closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a professionally managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.

Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

Before investing in stocks, it is important to understand some of the basics and the risks involved in owning stocks.

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

Bond ratings gauge a bond issuer’s financial ability to repay its promised principal and interest payments.

Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

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

Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.

A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

Short-term cash management instruments can help you establish a sound cash management program.

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

Property and casualty insurance can help protect a variety of assets. Find out what it does and doesn’t cover.

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

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

Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.

A split-annuity strategy can generate immediate income while potentially stretching some retirement savings.

A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan that can only be offered by a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

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

If you leave a job or retire, you should consider your options regarding your employer retirement plan assets.

A money purchase plan is a retirement plan where employer contributions are based on a fixed percentage of compensation.

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

Profit-sharing plans give employees a share in the profits of a company and can help to fund their retirements.

With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.

There are key dates after you turn 59½ that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.

401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

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

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

Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.

Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

A Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax money, and allows for tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings if requirements are met.

A SEP IRA is a type of plan under which the employer contributes (up to a certain limit) to an employee’s IRA.

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company without tax liability.

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.

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

Life insurance can be used to help preserve the value of your estate for your heirs.

To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

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

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.