Financial Planning

CFP Board Consumer Advocate offers tips to stay on track The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) commissioned a consumer survey series examining four groups of Americans based on their saving patterns. One particular group stands out among the rest as they exhibit high confidence about their financial future due to their…

A consumer survey series commissioned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) examines four groups of Americans based on their saving patterns and finds one group demonstrates heightened concern over their financial future due to competing obligations, such as paying mortgage and credit card debt. The group, identified as “Tentative Savers,”…

Imagine cash falling from the sky into the hands of grateful consumers. Fleets of helicopters hover over cities, dispensing massive flurries of $100 bills. Everyone gets their fair share of the money. Presto, economic stimulus. This is pure fantasy, of course, but some economists think that the Federal Reserve should consider its figurative equivalent. Picture…

Does buying a home make sense for you financially? It may or may not, depending on some financial, career, and lifestyle factors. Your savings, your credit, your salary, your level of disposable income, and your housing preferences all count. If you are serious about becoming a homeowner, you should have three priorities: keeping your credit…

A new series of consumer surveys from Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) reveals four distinct groups of Americans based on their saving patterns, including one segment that exhibits optimism about their financial futures even while wrestling with the sharp competing interests of saving monthly, paying down debt and meeting retirement goals.…

Just how many millionaires does America have? By the latest estimation of Spectrem Group, a research firm studying affluent and high net worth investors, it has more than ever before. In 2015, the U.S. had 10.4 million households with assets of $1 million or greater, aside from their homes. That represents a 3% increase from…

September is National Life Insurance Awareness Month – a good time to think about the value and importance of insuring yourself. According to a recent Bankrate survey, 42% of Americans have no life insurance at all. They may not know that life insurance coverage has become much more affordable than it once was. Many people…

Man is Mortal. That makes life insurance a little unique and interesting, doesn’t it? We purchase things like health insurance, car insurance and home insurance, then hope we never have a need to use them. Life insurance is different because it’s a widely accepted fact that, sooner or later, each one of us will die.…

As Bankrate.com noted, 43% of Americans have no life insurance. Some view it as optional; some have simply procrastinated when it comes to buying a policy. Others believe that they can’t afford it. In reality, life insurance is cheap today. If you just want term life coverage – essentially, life insurance that you “rent” for…