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

It’s important to understand mutual fund loads, or sales charges, and exactly what they entail so you can make informed investing decisions.

The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

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.

Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

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

It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.

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

Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.

To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.

The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.

Using a financially sound insurance company is an important part of ensuring your family’s financial security.

If you were to suffer an illness or disability that required long-term nursing care, would you be covered?

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

Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.

A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan that can only be offered by a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

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

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

There are key dates after you turn 59½ that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.

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

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

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

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

Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

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

IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

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

Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

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

Life insurance can be used to help preserve the value of your estate for your heirs.

Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

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

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