Blog
Small Business Owners: Are You Retirement Ready (or Not)?
For many, the thought of retiring and whether or not you are ready to take those first steps might be overwhelming or intimidating.
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Retirement Planning for Teacher and Public School Workers
The ability to enjoy a secure retirement is an objective that many teachers and their colleagues pursue years before they leave their jobs.
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529 College Savings Plans: A Cheat Sheet for Common Questions
529 funds are tax-free when spent on qualified expenses, such as tuition, books, fees, and room and board.
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Optimizing Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
Optimizing your Social Security retirement benefits means getting the best return possible on each dollar you've contributed to the system.
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7 Retirement Considerations: Thoughts from a financial professional
7 retirement considerations that every investor should think about
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6 Money Myths That Are Limiting Your Wealth
6 myths that tend to restrict people’s thinking regarding their money
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5 Last Minute Considerations Before Tax Day
Ensure You Understand The Deductions And Credits That May Benefit You
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3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Claim Social Security
A few questions that may help you determine if it is time to make a claim or if you should delay a little longer.
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A Beginner's Guide to Investing
When you start to consider if investing is an appropriate option for you, you may have questions. You might want to ask. . .
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Spring Has Sprung: Time to Refresh Your Retirement Plan
Spring can be a fantastic time to refresh your retirement plan and savings habits. With 2023 bringing increased limits for 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and other. . .
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Moving Your 401 (k) to a Roth IRA Tax-Free?
After-tax funds can be segregated from other funds in the account and transferred directly to a Roth IRA. In fact, it would be a mistake not to. (Don't confuse after-tax contributions to a regular. . .
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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 started the year hopeful that stocks would benefit from a better economic and monetary policy environment by the spring, but. . .
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Emergency Savings or Your Retirement Goals?
When it comes to personal finance, there are a number of competing priorities that can make it difficult to determine where to focus your efforts. For many people, the choice between building emergency savings and working towards their reti
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Opportunities in 2023
Whether you’re one to set ambitious New Year’s resolutions or simply use the beginning of the year to reset on a few habits, there’s almost always some value in reflecting on the past year before looking ahead.
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A Heart-to-Heart About Health (American Health Month)
February is American Heart Month and the perfect time to get serious about your heart health. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and a disease that may be prevented and treated with proper health and screening. Take a...
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Matter of Tax
Are you thinking about bailing out of stocks because you are worried that the capital gains tax structure might...
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What Does The SECURE Act 2.0 Mean For Small Businesses?
The SECURE Act 2.0 was signed into law on December 29, 2022, which will work to close the retirement savings gap with over 90 new retirement provisions. The bill includes a few specific changes that are significant for small...
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6 Ways Account View Paperless Forms Simplify Tax Time
Tax time can be stressful, and often means a lot of time and paperwork, but you can reduce some of the stress by going paperless with your tax documents. You can receive tax documents (and many additional mailings) electronically by...
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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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A Look at Tax Planning for Retirement
After years of saving and planning for their golden years, many people nearing retirement fail to consider the tax burden they may face on income they receive after they stop working. While you will likely see a reduction in the amount...
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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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How Our Financial Wellness Impacts Us
Financial wellness studies over the past few years indicate that investors desire financial wellness. The recent pandemic, economic and inflationary conditions, changes in work-life balance, and more responsibility for financial...
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Beware Scams at Tax Time
Identity theft runs rampant during tax seasonHere’s what to know and how you can help protect yourself.Identity thieves often swipe your bank or credit card account numbers, birth date information or Social Security Number (SSN)...
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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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The 12 Days of Year-End Planning: Things to Consider Going into “The New Year"
At the end of the year, it is necessary to reflect on your financial picture, review the last 12 months, and plan for the future. With all that is involved, it can seem overwhelming. Consider breaking up the responsibilities over...
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Are You Fiscally Fit? 5 Ways to Check the Health of Your Wealth
Just as it is important to be physically and mentally fit, it is also important to be fiscally fit. Fiscal fitness is not only about how much money you earn or the balance in your savings or retirement accounts. Instead, it is...
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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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Keep Your Family Fit This Winter
It can be difficult to put time aside for fitness at this time of year; your household’s or family’s calendar can fill up with get-togethers and to-dos. “These days, it seems like a struggle to keep our family moving...
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Your Financial Fresh Start: 12 Resolutions in 12 Months
Change may be difficult, especially when you try to change your financial habits. The process might be easier if you take an incremental approach. Do you want to get on top of your finances this year? Are you looking for ways to...
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Cheers to a New Year of Investing
For many investors, this year has been a wild ride—with interest rate increases, a crypto implosion, and whipsawing values in the major market indices. It might be tough to catch one's breath and look ahead to next year. But the...
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5 Expensive Long-Term Care Planning Mistakes to Avoid
The vast majority of Americans need long-term care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 70% of people over age 65 may need some long-term care during their lives.1 Unfortunately, planning for long-term care...
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A Guide to Incorporating Philanthropy into Your Financial Planning
If you're considering giving back to society or a cause as part of your financial planning, there are many ways you can do so. You can make an impact while receiving tax benefits by including philanthropic giving as part of a holistic...
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A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide
As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider that may affect your finances:...
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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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How Financial Planning Can Help Prepare for LTC Costs
With the cost of long-term care (LTC) increasing year over year, considering how the costs of long-term LTC will impact your financial plan is essential. According to insurance company Genworth, the price of LTC services increased...
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Financial Planning: Who Needs It? How to Get It
No matter how much money you make, completely mastering money early on in life can help you pursue what everyone wants: a financially comfortable today and a financially secure tomorrow. Mastering money in our society can be a...
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5 Helpful Halloween Tricks to Navigating a Scary Stock Market
Investing can be a roller coaster—and, when the market starts dropping, it may even feel more like a haunted house. With recession fears mounting, what can investors do to stay the course and escape unscathed? Here we discuss...
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6 Important Components of Estate Planning
Basic estate planning is something that everyone should do, regardless of your age, marital status, the value of your assets, and if you’re a parent or not. According to a 2021 poll by Gallup, less than half of U.S. adults...
Read MoreTen Things You Must Know About Medicare
Heading into your retirement years brings a slew of new topics to grapple with, and one of the most maddening may be Medicare. Figuring out when to enroll, what to enroll in and what coverage will be best for you can be daunting. To...
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5 Tips For Budgeting Like A Boss
When it comes to creating your own monthly budget, sometimes planning is easier than the practice. Keeping track of finances can be tricky, but, with a few guidelines and time, you can take charge of your bank account once and for all...
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8 Things Financial Planning Can Help You Address
Financial planning is unique for each person; no two financial plans look the same because everyone's life and personal goals are different. Regardless of what your goals are, financial planning can help you work towards achieving them...
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Life Insurance and Estate Planning
Life insurance has come a long way since the days when it was known as burial insurance and used mainly to pay for funeral expenses. Today, life insurance is a crucial part of many estate plans. You can use it to leave much-needed...
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Making Decisions About Medicare
As you near age 65, you may start to think about Medicare. How do you sort through your coverage options? When (and how) do you enroll? And what if you have other health insurance? Here is some information to help you when it's time to...
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Figuring Out a 401(k) Strategy That Works for You
Matching your tolerance for risk with your investment objectives Everyone wants a comfortable retirement, but the road you take there will depend on your specific situation. When you invest, you assume a certain level of risk (but like...
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September’s Calendar Cruelty for Stocks
The difficult 2022 for stocks may not get much easier because as we now wait for better news on the inflation front, we have to contend with a seasonally weak month of September. While we got some welcome news in Friday’s jobs...
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4 Tips and Resources to Help Seniors During Periods of High Inflation and Market Volatility
In 2022, U.S. inflation hit a 40-year high, with prices for food, housing, gasoline, and other key staples increasing by nearly 10% over the previous year.1 During these uncertain times, stocks have continued a roller-coaster ride...
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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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Picking the Right Golf Partner is Not Easy
It’s not that different from picking the right financial professionalHave you ever thought about what kind of golf partner best suits your game? Maybe you have an upcoming member guest or are considering joining a local four-ball...
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Aging Parents and Money
Getting old is hard. Your parents’ ability to manage their own finances may decline as they age. Helping them with money matters is a sensitive issue you need to approach carefully.When you hit a certain age of your life, you may...
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LPL 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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6 Retirement Tips for Surviving the Sandwich Generation Squeeze
Adults caring for aging parents and children simultaneously have now become known as the "sandwich generation." While each generation comes with its own array of financial challenges, the sandwich generation often feels...
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Four Tips for Gaining Financial Independence
The golden rule of financial planning: if you can plan it, you can pursue it Over the past July 4th, we celebrated our country’s history of declaring independence and guaranteeing basic human freedoms. But true freedom includes...
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Financial Freedom vs. Financial Independence: Key Differences and How to Work Towards Both
Working towards financial independence can often be a lifelong process. But for many, financial freedom may come far sooner—and include some fun along the way. What are the differences between financial independence and financial...
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Bear Market Q and A
The bear market that started on June 13 has left the S&P 500 Index 23.5% below its January 3 high. After the initial positive reaction to the Federal Reserve’s first 0.75% rate hike since 1994 and tough talk on inflation,...
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The ABCs of Estate Planning
There is a common misconception that estate planning is something only the affluent need to do before they die. However, estate planning is important for everyone, regardless of income level or net worth. Planning for the disposition...
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The Economy Is Slowing But Not Shrinking
Many pundits are issuing recession warnings and saying the economy is heading for a hard landing. Amid the cacophony of voices, we think the economy is slowing just like central bankers want but not shrinking. Further, we argue that a...
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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. For some...
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Fixed vs. Variable Annuities
Annuity products have grown more sophisticated over the years to meet the demands of today's more sophisticated investors.Just as mutual funds grew in popularity as an alternative to certificates of deposit, the variable annuity was...
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Tips to Shape Up Your Fiscal Fitness this Summer
A regular program of disciplined financial practices can help you in the long-run Many people realize that the best way to stay in shape is to develop an appropriate fitness regimen and then stick with it. If you start a fitness...
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Health Is Wealth: How Improving Your Physical Health May Benefit Your Finances
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What Should Small Business Owners Know About Data Privacy Obligations?
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Tax Prep Checklist: Everything You Need to Be Ready for Tax Season
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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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Another Perspective of Long Term Care
What do you think of when you hear the words long-term care (LTC)? If you are like most people, the first image that may come to mind is a bedridden, elderly individual who requires constant care, along with various medical treatments...
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Resources for First-Time Entrepreneurs
For many people, entrepreneurship is the ultimate American dream. Five years ago, there were already more than 25 million Americans running their own businesses.1 And with the COVID-19 pandemic leading many W-2 workers to reevaluate...
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