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Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.

An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.

Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.

Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.

529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

Bond ratings gauge a bond issuer’s financial ability to repay its promised principal and interest payments.

Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.

As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.

Property and casualty insurance can help protect a variety of assets. Find out what it does and doesn’t cover.

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.