Pop Quiz: If someone were to offer you an investment where you can pay more than the minimum contribution, but not less, which would result in loss of previous contributions, the money is not safe from loss of principal, is less safe with each payment, is not liquid,...

I just Googled “Social Security” and got 1.08 billion hits. Needless to say, it’s a hot topic. Without even clicking on those links, I know what most of them have in common. It’s not good. As most of us know, Social Security began as a measure to implement a “social...

You almost never hear “student loans” and “Social Security” used in the same conversation, let alone the same sentence. Until now. It seems there are a lot people who’ve fallen behind on their student loans. Way behind. How far? Some of them are grandparents old...

24/7 Wall Street has come out with their annual list of top America brands they predict will disappear. Whether it is obsoleteness, the terribly competitive nature of their industry or just bad planning, this year’s brand drop out list is very compelling. A lot of...

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg made news recently not because of the value of his stock in Facebook but because he refinanced his $5.95 million mortgage on his Palo Alto, California, home with a 30-year adjustable-rate loan starting at 1.05 percent. So the obvious...

I'll admit that I know nothing about what your particular retirement plan looks like. However, if it is like most of the prospective clients I meet with where the bulk of your assets are in a 401K or an IRA, then suffice it to say the grade you'd be getting from me is...

You don't have to be a high school kid to feel the pressure to be popular. Cliques are formed in high school, in college, on the job, and even at your local church. What is it within us that drives us to want to be popular, to want to be mainstream, and to not want to...

For most people, the world financial crisis has been a wake-up call. In today’s financial landscape, people need to be more frugal, more goal conscious and more financially literate. There is no doubt that Americans have changed the way we shop and plan our household...

From the moment you graduate college, the quest for building a solid financial future for many people begins. It's been said a man's home is his castle so let's compare this "quest" for a solid financial future to building your financial castle. I'm amazed at the...

This is your captain speaking. To reach our destination of getting a rudimentary understanding of life insurance, we are going to be cruising at an altitude of 10,000 feet, so go ahead and strap your seat belts. As we take off, should the thought of our destination...

If owning a home is part of the American Dream then I guess mortgages would be one way to go about financing the American Dream. The very thing that makes home ownership possible for the vast majority in America is the same thing that everyone is so quick to want to...