Student loan debt in the United States is over one trillion dollars and growing. Millions of people are carrying the burden of student loans. Many still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to paying them off. 

Paying off your student loans can be difficult. With high interest rates and different rules than other types of loans, student loans are a tricky business. For those that want to be done with them at last, we have some great tips for paying off your student loans in less than five years.

There are many reasons why you may want to determine how much your business is worth. 

You may be approached by a proposed buyer. You may want to sell and invest the money for your retirement. You may want to know it for insurance purposes. 

If you are retired or getting close to retirement, chances are you are familiar with budgeting. There are many techniques for budgeting out there, but the basic idea is to balance your income and expenses. One way to do this is to think about your expenses as percentages. 

Budget percentages, as made popular by radio personality Dave Ramsey, help you understand where your money is going. The goal is simple: keep your expenses in each category within a certain percentage of your income. Most people who follow this method adhere to 10 common categories.

If a business wants to hire and retain top-performing employees, it needs to offer substantial benefits. While options like healthcare and paid time off are enticing, nothing is quite as appealing as tax breaks. High-earning workers typically want to save as much money on taxes as possible while maintaining investment opportunities. 

Fortunately, that’s accomplished through deferred compensation plans. These plans can come in many forms and offer specific advantages (and potential disadvantages). This article will dive into how these plans work and why they can be so attractive. 

Retirement should be fun, and make life a bit more simple. You shouldn’t be struggling to live off of the money you have. 

How do you expect to get by after retiring? You may only rely on a small income from your social security. 

Only 32% of Americans are investing in 401(k) plans. Even though 59% of American companies offer these plans to their employees, many U.S. citizens opt out of one. If you work for a company that offers a 401(k), it is in your best interest to sign-up, especially if you want to live comfortably after you retire. 

While having a 401(k) is a great investment, people go through rough patches and need additional financial support to help pay for expensive situations. If you have a 401(k), you can get a loan to help you with your finances. Before applying, we want you to know how much a 401(k) loan will actually cost you. 

Real estate owners and investors use the 1031 exchange as a way to build wealth by deferring the capital gains tax. For those unfamiliar, the IRS requires investors to pay taxes on the value of sold investments when that investment realizes a profit. Real estate and other investments are subject to capital gains taxes. 

Named after IRS Section 1031, the exchange has many different variables. All investors must understand the ins and outs of Section 1031 before performing an exchange. It comes with many rules, such as the type of property and certain time frame restrictions. 

Saving for retirement is a big deal. The average American will spend nearly a million dollars between the time they retire and their death. Social Security payments won’t cover those expenses, so having savings and investments is essential. 

One of the most common retirement plans is the 401(k). It’s a benefit that some jobs offer. You and your employer generally get some sort of tax advantage, which makes it a popular choice.

Let’s just get right to the point; joint tenancy is a legal arrangement involving two or more individuals co-owning property. All parties share equal rights, title, and obligations. “Property” can include bank accounts, businesses, or personal items but joint tenancy most often pertains to real estate. 

These ownership arrangements can be made between business partners, married or unmarried couples, friends, or family members. Joint tenancy also includes right of survivorship. This means that if one owner passes away, the surviving owner(s) can immediately take ownership without going to probate court.

Usually, when people think of estate planning, they imagine filling out a will or establishing a trust. However, some assets allow you to name beneficiaries directly through a process called transfer on death (TOD). 

Transfer on death can be beneficial in various circumstances, particularly if you want to avoid probate. Today we’re going to discuss the ins and outs of TOD and when it is most beneficial. 

Investing in our friends, family, and community is a natural behavior. Sacrificing our time, money and effort to benefit others is altruistic, helping us feel that we provide real value in the world. But for all that you spend to help others, how much do you spend on investing in yourself? 

Investing in yourself is more than setting up a retirement account or buying a home. Rather than planning for the future, self-investment is most often directed toward the present. It manifests in several ways, such as:

When it comes to retirement, one of the most valuable questions you can ask yourself is, “how much is enough?” Unfortunately, it can be challenging to determine the right amount because there are many variables to consider. 

In this article, we’re going to discuss the finer points of saving for retirement so that when it arrives, you can feel secure in the size of your nest egg. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to limit your lifestyle or cut down on expenses during your golden years. So, the more planning and preparation you can do now, the better off you’ll be later on. 

This post was last updated on January 15, 2021, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs. 

When you retire, you deserve to enjoy years of relaxation and stress-free time doing the things that make you happy with the people you love. One of the best ways to make sure this happens is by paying off your mortgage before entering your retirement years. In this article, we’ll show you the freedom that not having a mortgage in retirement brings, and we’ll also tell you how to get there.

The world of family trusts is not just for the fabulously wealthy, the aristocrats, or the savviest of investors. Most do not know what a family trust is, and fewer still ask whether they need one. 

We will cover some of the basics of trusts to help shed some light on a topic that so many people could benefit from.

As you begin estate planning, you will face difficult choices, further complicated by the current pandemic. However, it’s essential that you have a plan in place to protect your loved ones financially. There are many different ways you can do so. 

Today, we’re going to discuss two of them. Wills and trusts are both estate planning tools, meaning they help you control who inherits your assets after you pass away. The similarities between the two end there, though.

When it comes to estate planning, having a comprehensive and well-planned will is essential. Without this crucial document, your loved ones could face various legal and financial challenges once you’re gone. 

However, while a will is vital, not everyone knows what to include. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here are the top four things you should have in your will. 

Planning for retirement brings forth many questions. Which type of account is best? How much should I be saving? 

Everyone’s unique situation brings a different answer. However, the more you know about planning for retirement, the better off you will be in the future. 

Most Americans are familiar with health insurance. We pay a premium to receive access to a health network. While some receive health insurance as a benefit from their employers, others must seek coverage on their own. 

The quality and type of health insurance often correlates with monthly premium. Higher quality insurance costs more than basic programs. However, other factors such as the policyholder’s individual health status affects the price of health insurance as well.

The idea of using life insurance as a retirement plan may seem, at best, counterintuitive. At worst, it sounds vaguely fraudulent if you’re not familiar with the intricacies of the life insurance industry. As far as most people are concerned, life insurance is there to support your family after you pass away, not to help you after you retire.  

What if you’re the beneficiary of someone else’s policy? Could you use the death benefit you receive for retirement then? Hypothetically, yes.

We all love our retirement accounts. Saving for the future gives us something to look forward to and reminds us how our hard work will pay off down the road. 

A 401(k) is one of the most popular and common types of retirement plans we have access to today.. By diverting money from our paycheck into our 401(k), the goal is to save enough so that by the time we retire, we can live comfortably without a change in lifestyle.