As the year draws to a close, it’s crucial for families to review and organize their financial and tax affairs. Taking timely action can optimize your tax outcomes, enhance your financial health, and position you for success in the year ahead. Below is a practical timeline of important tasks and strategies to consider before December 31.

Leaving a legacy of giving is more than a financial decision—it's a testament to your life’s mission. With thoughtful planning, your wealth becomes a force for good that endures for generations.

When it comes to financial planning, open and honest communication with your loved ones is as important as the numbers themselves. Engaging in key conversations ensures everyone is aligned, reduces misunderstandings, and strengthens your family’s financial future.

Retirement is often envisioned as a time to relax, pursue passions, and enjoy life without financial stress. For those who have planned thoughtfully and worked closely with their financial advisors, this vision becomes a rewarding reality. Let’s explore a typical day in the life of a retiree who has secured their financial future through disciplined planning and smart wealth management.

Designing retirement is about more than money—it’s about freedom, purpose, and peace of mind. Let’s work together to build a strategy that turns your dream retirement into your reality.

Open enrollment season is your yearly opportunity to review and adjust your employee benefits. While health insurance often takes center stage, supplemental coverages like vision, dental, and disability insurance can play a vital role in protecting your financial well-being. Here’s how to evaluate and choose the right supplemental benefits for you and your family.

Health insurance in retirement is not a given—it requires strategic planning and informed choices. Align your health coverage with your overall financial plan to safeguard your well-being and your wealth in your golden years.

If you qualify for an HSA, it’s more than just a savings account—it's a strategic financial tool for health, wealth, and peace of mind. Ignoring it means leaving tax savings and long-term benefits on the table.

Leveraging your company’s retirement plan effectively means you’re not just saving—you’re building a powerful foundation for your financial future. Make the most of the tools available, and take charge of your retirement today.

By being proactive and strategic this open enrollment season, you’ll secure the benefits that best support both your professional and personal life. The effort you invest now ensures peace of mind—and potentially significant savings—throughout the year.

Luck is not a plan, and hope is not a strategy. Those who are retiring unaware of these factors may risk outliving their money. Creating a strategy may help you better prepare for retirement.

A "white elephant" is a gift that may cause more issues than it resolves, much as an elephant might eat an unwitting recipient out of house and home. It's an asset that comes to you via gift or inheritance and needs to be quickly sold, liquidated, or transferred to avoid further expenses of time or money. In such cases, it is crucial to understand how to disclaim an inheritance properly and avoid holding the burden.

The period following the death of a loved one is a stressful time and can be confusing for family members. Choosing the right executor can help ensure that the distribution of your assets may be done efficiently and with as little upheaval as possible.

Only 24 percent of adults have an estate strategy document, such as a will, in place, which may not be entirely surprising. No one wants to be reminded of their own mortality or spend too much time thinking about what might happen once they’re gone.

The earlier you start, the greater the compounding potential. If you’re investing for retirement in your twenties, you may gain an advantage over someone who waits to invest until his or her thirties.

Preparing for college while still in high school can be difficult for even the most academically-minded student. These days, you need to excel in the classroom, make sure you're involved in extracurricular activities, and enroll in challenging classes to impress a college admissions board. On top of that, the financial cost of higher education may add to what is already a stressful time in an ambitious student's life. Luckily, with a little preparation, you may be able to make applying for financial aid painless and stress-free. Read on to learn more.

For many people, college sets the stage for life. Making sure your children have options when it comes to choosing a university can help shape their future. Work with them today to make goals and develop habits that will help ensure their success.

Parents often judge their child's success by the letters they see on their report card. But helping kids develop strong habits and a can-do mindset can set them up for success inside and outside of the classroom for the rest of their lives.

Though Mark Twain famously quipped, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow,” we know that procrastination can be detrimental, both in our personal and professional lives.

With the children now out of the house, financial priorities become more focused on preparing for retirement. At this stage, you may very likely be at the height of your earning power and fast approaching peak savings as you lay the groundwork for retirement. During this final leg to retirement—and throughout your retirement period—wealth protection is critical.

One reality of life is that risk is ever present. It exists in our commute to work, in our investment choices, and in our lifestyle decisions. Some risks can be transferred to an insurance company (e.g. auto or homeowners), while others we assume ourselves.

Anyone who is carefully building a financial portfolio may want to limit their exposure to risk. Umbrella liability can be a fairly inexpensive way to help shelter current assets and future income from the unexpected.

The only thing you can know about unexpected expenses is that they’re coming. Having an emergency fund may help to alleviate the stress and worry that can come with them. If you lack emergency savings now, consider taking steps to create a cushion for the future.

As a parent or grandparent, you may have diligently saved money in a 529 account to help fund your child's or grandchild's college education. But what happens if they decide college isn't the right path for them? It's a valid question that many families are facing as more and more people choose alternatives to traditional four-year colleges.

College marks a great milestone in a child’s life. It may be the first time he or she will live away from home. Dropping off your child at college may be an experience loaded with emotions, so here are a few tips for a smoother transition.

For current college kids, it may be too late to avoid learning about debt the hard way. But if you still have children at home, save them (and yourself) some heartache by teaching them the basics of smart money management.

Want to give your child or grandchild a financial head start? A Roth IRA might be a choice to consider. Read on to learn more about how doing this may benefit both of you.

New retirees sometimes worry that they are spending too much, too soon. Should they scale back? Are they at risk of outliving their money? This concern may be legitimate.

The typical retirement strategy is built on the pillars of your 401(k) plan, your Traditional IRA, and taxable savings. Getting the instruments of your retirement to work in concert has the potential to help you realize the retirement you imagine.