Personal Finance

An estate takes lifetimes to build but can be lost in the blink of an eye. Most of us don’t imagine the assets that took decades to accumulate being drained in a few short years, but in some cases, this is exactly what happens. Here are some risks to an estate and ways to manage those risks.

When we think of emergency preparedness, flashlights, bottled water, and first aid kits immediately come to mind.

For many Americans, the art of saving is something that they have yet to master. This may be especially true for those who have just entered the workforce or have gotten their first good-paying job. The mantra of these professional men and women is often to spend instead of save and it’s time that changed.

It’s never too early to start planning for retirement, especially when it comes to tax planning in the “distribution phase” of your life.

Every year, more than 147 million Americans file federal tax returns, according to the Tax Policy Center. Many of those tax filers dread searching through their files to locate their mortgage, retirement, and investment account statements. But gathering your records for tax season can also be an excellent opportunity to evaluate your income and expenditures.

Concerns over identity theft continue to grow, especially with the news of data breaches at major companies and financial institutions. Unfortunately, you have little control over the hacking of these companies, but you do have control over your actions.

These days most people have sensitive financial information online.

If the Coronavirus’ effect on the markets has taught us anything, it’s that every single person reading this should start the process of creating an emergency fund.