Articles
Welcome to our research center! We've put together a library of information on important financial topics that we believe you'll find helpful.
Simply click on one of the general financial topics below and you'll find a selection of easy-to-understand information sheets about related financial concepts and strategies. This information is updated regularly to reflect the latest facts, figures, legislation, and economic trends.
Simply click on one of the general financial topics below and you'll find a selection of easy-to-understand information sheets about related financial concepts and strategies. This information is updated regularly to reflect the latest facts, figures, legislation, and economic trends.
Cash Management
What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?
What About Financial Aid for College?
How Does Inflation Affect Me?
What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?
How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?
How Can I Better Manage My Short-Term Cash?
Is a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit Right for Me?
What Is a Reverse Mortgage?
What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?
How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?
What Cash Management Tools Are Available?
What Savings Alternatives Are Available?
Estates & Trusts
What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?
How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?
How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?
How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust?
How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?
What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?
What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?
How Will I Pay Estate Taxes?
What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?
How Can I Benefit from a Wealth Replacement Trust?
How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?
How Can I Build and Preserve My Estate?
Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?
Can I Benefit from an A-B Trust?
What Is the History of the Federal Estate Tax?
Investing
What Is Asset Allocation?
What Are the Different Classes of Assets?
What Do Bond Ratings Mean?
What Is a Bond?
What College Investment Options Do I Have?
What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?
What Investment Risks Should I Know About?
What Types of Bonds Are Available?
What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?
What Is a Mutual Fund?
529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans
What Are Zero-Coupon Bonds?
What Is a Closed-End Fund?
What Are Dividends?
What Is Diversification?
What Is a Mutual Fund Load?
What Is an Annuity?
How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?
What Is a Stock Index?
How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?
What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?
What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?
How Are Annuities Taxed?
What Is a Bond Ladder?
How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?
What Is Stock?
How Are Common and Preferred Stocks Different?
How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?
Retirement
What Is a 401(k) Plan?
What Is an Indexed Annuity?
How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?
What Are My Retirement Planning Options?
What Is a Roth IRA?
Save Now or Save Later?
What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?
What Is a Traditional IRA?
Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?
What Is an IRA Rollover?
What Is a Roth 401(k)?
What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?
What Is a Money Purchase Pension Plan?
What Is a 1035 Exchange?
What Is a SEP IRA?
What Is a SIMPLE?
What Is a 403(b) Plan?
Why Do People Buy Annuities?
What Is a Split-Annuity Strategy?
What Are Annuity Living Benefits?
Unforgettable Birthdays
How Much Do I Need to Save?
What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?
How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?
Should You Bank Your Retirement on Your Business?
What Does the Changing Pension Landscape Mean for Retirement?
Risk Management
How Can I Extend My Liability Coverage?
Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?
Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?
How Can I Determine the Financial Strength of My Insurance Company?
What Is the Difference Between an HMO and a PPO?
How Can I Insure My Future?
What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?
Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?
How Can I Maximize My Insurance Benefits?
What Does Medicare Cover?
How Can I Protect My Home?
What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?
What Is Term Life Insurance?
What Is Universal Life Insurance?
What Is Variable Life Insurance?
What Is Whole Life Insurance?
Why Purchase Life Insurance?
What Is Property and Casualty Insurance?
Why Are Annuities Considered an Insurance Product?
What Are the Main Types of Auto Insurance?
What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?
How Likely Am I to Need Long-Term Care?
What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?
What Is Disability Income Insurance for Business Owners?
What Is Life Insurance for Business Owners?
How Do I Make a Property Insurance Claim?
Tax Planning
When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?
What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½
What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?
What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?
How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?
How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?
What Is the Capital Gain Tax?
What Is the Estate Tax?
What Is the Gift Tax?
What Is Tax Deferral?
What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan
How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?
Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?
What Tax Deductions Are Still Available to Me?
How Can I Upgrade My Insurance — Tax-Free?
What Tax-Advantaged Alternatives Are Available?
What Is the Tax History of the United States?
Newsletters
Will you outlive your retirement income? Are your financial expectations for the coming year realistic?
Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide variety of financial topics. Simply click on one of the newsletter topics below to read the article in its entirety.
Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide variety of financial topics. Simply click on one of the newsletter topics below to read the article in its entirety.