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So you want to retire early? What you can do now to prepare

You’ve done your time. You’ve had a long (and hopefully rewarding) career and are ready to ease into retirement. There’s one problem. You’re not quite officially retirement age yet. You have a few years (maybe more) until you reach age 62 and can start receiving Social Security. And a few more years still until you…

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Helping your child buy a home

How quickly they grow up. Spend a few minutes talking to parents whose children are now grown up and you might hear a common refrain that goes something like this: the years go by so fast, one day they were in diapers and the next day they were moving out of the house. When a…

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Do you need an emergency fund? 6 reasons you do

An emergency fund is like building cardio in your exercise routine. It strengthens your daily financial wellness (like your heart and lungs), increases your long-term financial health (similar to your metabolism) and can lead to a longer, more financially fit life. Without an emergency fund, you may have to rely on credit cards, a loan…

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Why you should regularly review beneficiaries

Imagine this. Your ex-spouse is enjoying a fabulous cruise around the world thanks to your generosity following your untimely death. Sound good? No? Well, it’s happened to more than one unfortunate soul, and all because they didn’t take the time to review and update their beneficiaries when they got divorced. The truth is it’s easy…

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Consider the “why” when gifting assets

When it comes to gifting assets and passing down an inheritance, too often we fixate on the “how,” but don’t consider the “why”. In other words, although the mechanics of making gifts and transferring assets are important, such setting up irrevocable trusts or net gifts and bargain sales, so too is identifying the greater purpose…

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Is your family prepared for the unexpected?

It’s not a topic that most of us like to think about, but the truth is we should. That topic is an unexpected loss of income because of death or disability, and a sizable portion of us are likely to experience this unfortunate reality at some point during our working lives. Consider this:  according to…

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