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.
Market Commentary
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 22, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 16, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 8, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 8, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 1, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 25, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 19, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 11, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary - January 4, 2021
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 21, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 14, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 7, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 30, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 23, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 16, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 9, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 2, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | October 26, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | October 19. 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary - October 12, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | October 5, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 28, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 21, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 14, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 8, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 31, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 24, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 17, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 10, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 8, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 27, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 20, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 6, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 29, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 22, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 15, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 8, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 1, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | May 18, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 27, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 13, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | May 4, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 20, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | April 6, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 30, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 23, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 16, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 9, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | March 2, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 24, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 18, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | February 3, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 27, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 13, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | January 6, 2020
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 30, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 23, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | December 16, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of December 2, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of November 25, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of November 18, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | November 11, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 28, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 21, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 14, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of October 7, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | September 30, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 23, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 16, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 9, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of September 3, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of August 26, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 19, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of August 12, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | August 5, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | August 5, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 29, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 29, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of July 22, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 22, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 22, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 15, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 15, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 8, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 8, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | July 1, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | July 1, 2019
- Midyear Outlook 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 17, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | June 17, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | June 10, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | June 10, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of June 3, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of June 3, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of May 20, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 20, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of May 27, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 27, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | Week of May 13, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | May 13, 2019
- Weekly Market Commentary | May 6, 2019
- Weekly Economic Commentary | Week of May 7, 2018
Estates & Trusts
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What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?
Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.
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How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?
A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.
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What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?
The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.
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How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?
To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.
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How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?
If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.
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How Will I Pay Estate Taxes?
If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.
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What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.
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How Can I Benefit from a Wealth Replacement Trust?
A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.
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Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?
One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.
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What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?
Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.
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History of the Federal Estate Tax
Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.
Retirement
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What Is a SIMPLE?
The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.
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How Much Do I Need to Save?
Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.
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A New Chapter for Retirement
With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.
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What Is a 1035 Exchange?
A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.
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Unforgettable Birthdays
There are key dates after you turn 59 that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.
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Don’t Bank Your Retirement on Your Business
Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.
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How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?
Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.
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Save Now or Save Later?
If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.
Tax Planning
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What Is the Estate Tax?
Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.
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What Is the Gift Tax?
The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.
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How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?
IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.
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What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?
Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.
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What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½
Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.
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How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?
Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.
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What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan
Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.
Investing
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What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?
ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.
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Growth Stocks vs. Value Stocks
The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.
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What Types of Bonds Are Available?
Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.
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What Is a Stock Index?
Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.
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What Is an Annuity?
An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.
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What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?
Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.
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What Is Asset Allocation?
Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.
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How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?
There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.
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529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans
529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.
Cash Management
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How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?
Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.
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What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?
Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.
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What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?
Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.
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What About Financial Aid for College?
It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.
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What Savings Alternatives Are Available?
There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.
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How Does Inflation Affect Me?
Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.
Risk Management
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Why Purchase Life Insurance?
If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.
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Why Are Annuities Considered an Insurance Product?
An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.
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Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?
A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.
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Life Insurance for Business Owners
Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.
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What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?
Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.
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What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?
Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.
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What Is Term Life Insurance?
Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.
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What Is Whole Life Insurance?
Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.
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What Is Universal Life Insurance?
Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.
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What Is Variable Life Insurance?
Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.
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What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?
There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.
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What Is the Difference Between an HMO and a PPO?
Selecting health insurance is often one of the most important decisions you will make. Do you know the different types?
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Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?
The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.
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What Does Medicare Cover?
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?
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What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?
When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.
Portfolio Compass
Client Letters
- Client Letter: Plenty of Positives | John Lynch | September 6, 2018
- Client Letter: "Recapping the Latest Earnings & GDP Reports" | John Lynch