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Wondering If You Need a Will? If You Have to Ask, the Answer is Probably ‘Yes’

Who needs a will? “Well, any adult who might die [does],” says FPA member and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional Leon C. LaBrecque of Sequoia Financial Group in Troy, Mich. “I know that sounds tongue-in-cheek, but…the stark facts are, almost

Hire Expectations: How to Get the Most Out of a Get-to-Know-You Meeting with a Financial Adviser

So you’re shopping for a financial adviser? When it comes time to sit down with a financial professional for an initial meeting, first impressions can go a long way toward determining whether that meeting ultimately will lead to a more

Women in Transition: Navigating the Unique Financial Issues That Females Face

In a perfect world, gender distinctions would have little or no bearing on a person’s financial life. There would be no major discrepancy between the earning power of men and women, and as a result, women could go about the

Make the Most of the 529 Plan — for College and Maybe Before, Too

College can be expensive. And as anyone who has contemplated funding a child’s college education likely is well aware, it’s not getting any cheaper. Which is why it’s critical to consider taking advantage of any and all programs that make

The Best Places to Stash Your Just-in-Case Cash

As important as maintaining a reserve of readily accessible cash is to protect against life’s big what-if’s, the idea of setting aside money for something that may never come to pass isn’t exactly appealing, particularly if it means parking that

Five Steps to Limit the Financial Damage from a Natural Disaster

A major earthquake in Alaska. Devastating wildfires in California. It was a busy final few months of 2018 for natural disasters in the United States, punctuating another year of costly losses of life and property, and providing Americans with a

Best of Both Worlds: Blending Technology and Human Advice for a Better Financial Life

With technology touching virtually every aspect of our lives, it can be easy to lose sight of the critical role that person-to-person relationships and human expertise continue to play in certain key areas — and in our financial lives in

Eight Money Resolutions That Can Benefit You in the New Year – and for Years to Come

New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be a zero-sum game, where a few months of eating healthier or exercising more frequently are quickly offset by a return to old habits. Rather than pursuing a resolution that isn’t sustainable over the

What Exactly is a Retirement Income Plan?

Year after year, in survey after survey, the prospect of running out of money — of falling short of income — ranks among the biggest worries that Americans have about retirement. Which raises the question: What can people do in

Charitable Giving in the Trump Era: Five Tax-Favored Strategies

With the giving season approaching and the 2018 tax year nearing its close, charitably minded people will have to get more creative with their giving strategies in order to reap tax benefits under the sweeping federal tax package that took


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