As the decision to retire approaches, you’ll find the choice of when to retire is rarely black and white. Retirement- as you define it- is a personal blend of lifestyle expectations, health and financial confidence. According to the US Department of Labor, fewer than half of Americans have an estimate of how much they need with their retirement savings.1 That’s a scary fact considering the average American will spend 20 years or more in retirement. The US Department of Labor also estimates 30% of private industry workers who have access to a defined contribution plan (such as a 401(k) company plan) don’t participate.2 But you can be better than that. Asking the right questions about retirement will help you gauge your preparedness to know when you’ll be ready for retirement living.

Responsible money management is often a foreign concept to teens that is complicated and confusing. Yet, if they learn how to save and be financially responsible early, they can protect themselves in the future. To empower teens to get the best start possible, here’s a closer look at how to explain financial responsibility to them and four key strategies they can start practicing right now.

Welcome to your 60s – the time in your life when retirement is less a far-off dream and more an immediate reality. Immediacy is a decision that’s completely up to you. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), in 2021 39% of all workers expect to retire at age 66 or older. As you enter your 60s, what shapes your retirement decision? What constitutes a strategic retirement plan? Here are four things to consider.

Financial professionals can bring a lot of clarity and support to the estate planning process, and they can help you develop the optimal plan for your specific circumstances. To jump start the conversation, here’s a quickstart guide to estate planning terms, along with a few questions to ask.

Through the lens of history, we know this was an early market bubble, and as the saying attributed to George Santayana promises, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Yet people continue to lose money on the next big thing with every business cycle, from subprime bubbles, to tech bubbles, to housing bubbles.

Do you think of your spouse or life partner as your “better half”? If so, you know that your relationship is more than just two people meeting halfway. In a life partnership — and in the family that grows from it — the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. One spouse may go out into the world and earn a paycheck, while the other stays home and keeps the household running. Each person has an important role separately; but together, they create a family and a home. If either spouse were suddenly unable to contribute, the entire family would suffer.

Have you heard of the Great Wealth Transfer? If you’re a millennial, it will likely be of particular interest to you, as it may involve an inheritance coming your way. But do you know how you would handle a large influx of money? How millennials manage their wealth in the coming years will play a large role In achieving financial confidence.

In a perfect world, we all begin saving for retirement in our mid-20s—and the closer we get to retirement, the more confident we feel about having enough saved to live comfortably. However, we do not live in a perfect world. In reality, life throws at us many twists and turns that leave many behind in their retirement savings.

Charitable gift made during a person’s lifetime can serve as a valuable estate planning technique that offers three important tax benefits.

Estate planning is a very important part of planning for the future of a person’s family. When it comes to estate planning, three key documents are the last will and testament, the living will, and the health care proxy.