The SECURE Act is major legislation that was passed by Congress as part of a larger spending bill and signed into law by the president in December.

What if you're saving as much as you can, but still feel that your retirement savings goal is out of reach? As with many of life's toughest challenges, it may help to focus less on the big picture and more on the details.

Sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing (also called socially responsible investing) has been around for a long time, but growing interest has moved it into the mainstream.

Every year, the Internal Revenue Service announces cost-of-living adjustments that affect contribution limits for retirement plans and various tax deduction, exclusion, exemption, and threshold amounts. Here are a few of the key adjustments for 2020.

According to a recent survey, 76% of Americans reported having at least one financial regret.

Raising kids is hard enough, so why not make things easier for yourself when it comes to saving for college?

Tax basis can be important when deciding whether to make gifts now or transfer property at your death.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act roughly doubled the standard deduction ($12,200 for single filers and $24,400 for married taxpayers filing jointly in 2019) and indexed it for inflation through 2025.

A recent survey found that more than half of retirees have retirement planning regrets. Unfortunately, many of these retirees had to cut back on their lifestyles to compensate for financial shortfalls.

If you are concerned about the high costs of long-term care but don't want to purchase traditional long-term care (LTC) insurance, you might consider two strategies that combine permanent life insurance coverage with long-term care benefits.

As you move through different stages of life, you will face new and unique financial situations. When you navigate through these various life events, you might seek professional guidance to help you make sound financial choices.

Estate planning is the process of managing and preserving your assets while you are alive, and conserving and controlling their distribution after your death. There are four key estate planning documents almost everyone should have.

If you have the opportunity to contribute to both a 401(k) and a health savings account (HSA), you may wonder how best to take advantage of them. Determining how much to contribute to each type of plan will require some careful thought and strategic planning.

Publicly traded companies are required to report their financial performance to regulators and shareholders on a quarterly basis. Earnings season is the often-turbulent period when most companies disclose their successes and failures.

Historically low mortgage interest rates and rising home values are just a couple of reasons why investors may be drawn to real estate investing. Not only does real estate have the potential to provide a steady income stream, but it can help diversify an investment portfolio and act as a hedge against inflation.

Ever since a legal secretary named Ida May Fuller received the first Social Security retirement check in 1940, Americans have been counting on Social Security to provide much needed retirement income. For many older Americans, Social Security is their main source of guaranteed retirement income—income that continues throughout their lifetimes and is indexed for inflation every year (in 2019, the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, was 2.8%).

Defensive investment strategies share a common goal—to help a portfolio better weather an economic downturn and/or bouts of market volatility. But there are some key differences, including the specific criteria by which particular stocks are selected. If you are nearing retirement or just have a more conservative risk tolerance, one of these defensive strategies may help you manage risk while maintaining a robust equity portfolio.

Investing in foreign stocks provides access to a world of opportunities outside the United States, which may help boost returns and manage risk in your portfolio. However, it's important to understand the unique risk/return characteristics of foreign investments before sending a portion of your money overseas.

If you were unpleasantly surprised by the amount of tax you owed or the amount of your tax refund when you filed your 2018 tax return, it may be time to check your withholding.

No matter how much money you have or which life stage you're in, becoming financially independent starts with a dream. Your dream might be to finally pay off the mountain of debt you've accumulated, or to stop relying on someone else for financial support.