Blog

Walking across the stage and receiving your college degree can be the first step toward adulthood. Gone is the structure of education, replaced by the uncertainty of finding your first professional career.

But one thing that is often certain after graduation is student loan debt.

For many families, finances are rarely discussed in detail, even as children mature into adulthood. But as your parents' age, especially if they live into their 80s and 90s, there's a chance that they may lose their cognitive function and be less capable of managing various tasks. This can be upsetting for some parents and they may try to fight it, or deny that it’s happening.

How do you know if your financial professional is the right person to manage your life savings? It’s an important decision and choosing the person (or team) that will help you pursue your financial goals can be tough. It pays to shop around to find the right professional for you and your family. Here are some tips to see if a financial professional is a good fit.

There comes a point in life where you want to begin sharing or gifting all the things you’ve collected over the years—stories, wisdom, financial wealth. And unlike the Ancient Egyptians believed, you cannot take your worldly goods with you when your light goes out. You can share your stories wisdom in a manifesto or through funny tales to your family, but what about the money?

It’s believed that retirement planning as we currently know it didn’t really exist until a few decades ago. Up to that point, people worked until 65 and then sailed into retirement on a pension plan.

Unlike the summer family reunion and work meetings, you can always count on a few specific dates every year. Days like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and Tax Day. But even if April 18th is hardwired into your brain and calendar, sometimes it makes more sense to file for an extension instead of the tax deadline.

In a recent survey by JumpStart Coalition for Financial Literacy, only 26 percent of those between the ages of 13-21 said that they had been taught how to manage money. Yet, when they turn 18, kids are signing contracts for student loans, opening credit card accounts, and in many instances, living away from home with little financial guidance available.

If you’ve just begun your career and started collecting a decent paycheck, retirement probably feels like it’s lightyears away. But it will get here quicker than you expect, and when it does, you’ll want to be prepared.

Unlike the summer family reunion and work meetings, you can always count on a few specific dates every year. Days like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and Tax Day. But even if April 18th is hardwired into your brain and calendar, sometimes it makes more sense to file for an extension instead of the tax deadline.

It’s that time of year again. And though tax time should be no surprise, many Americans file for tax extensions. Whether you hire a tax professional to file for you or file on your own, you’re going to need to get organized to meet the April 18th deadline. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track so you can stress less and get your taxes filed by Tax Day.