What You Need to Know About CFP® Practice Exams
Taking CFP® practice exams gives candidates a chance to assess their readiness for exam day, test their understanding of financial planning concepts and identify knowledge gaps. Practice tests are designed to simulate the exam experience, with questions covering each core subject area. You may complete one or more practice exams, along with shorter quizzes or… read more…
How to Write Effective Cold Outreach Emails as a Financial Advisor
A good cold outreach email for a financial advisor is short, specific, and low pressure: about 125 words or fewer, built around who you are, why the prospect should care, and how to keep talking. It also has to follow the rules. Cold emails count as marketing communications under the CAN-SPAM Act, FINRA Rule 2210,… read more…
I Inherited My Husband’s $250,000 IRA at 62. Could It Affect Taxes on My Social Security?
If you inherited your spouse’s IRA, the account itself generally isn’t taxed when you receive it. Withdrawals from a traditional IRA count as taxable income, which can increase how much of your Social Security benefits becomes taxable. That could raise your federal tax bill, but as a surviving spouse, you may be able to time… read more…
Tax Advisor for Retirement Planning: Services and Examples
Taxes can change how much of your retirement income you actually get to spend. A tax advisor can model the consequences before you withdraw from an IRA, convert money to Roth or sell an investment. That is valuable information, given that Social Security, pensions, investments and retirement accounts can all interact on the same tax… read more…
Editor's Picks
CFA vs. CFP®: Which Do You Need?
Chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified financial planner (CFP) are common certifications for individuals working in finance, namely financial advisors. These are designed to tell a client (or employer) that the holder has received education in certain types of financial… read more…
6 Tips for Choosing a Wealth Management Firm
Wealth management firms are all different, with their own specializations and services. As a result, the process for choosing a wealth manager is a very personal one. Wealth managers work closely together with their clients to identify financial goals and… read more…
What Is a Fee-Only Financial Planner?
If a financial planner, financial advisor or another type of financial professional is fee-only, that means they receive compensation solely from the fees clients pay for their services. They do not earn commissions for recommending certain products. A fee-only structure… read more…
Why First Homes Could Be Investment Properties
If you’re young and looking to purchase a new home to live in, you may want to consider turning it into an investment property. While most people wait until after they’ve bought their first or second home to begin investing in… read more…
Data Articles and Studies
Where Americans Are Hustling — 2026 Study
As the cost of living rises, one job is no longer enough for some workers to keep up with household expenses. As of 2026, 8.6 million Americans, or 5.3% of employed workers, hold multiple jobs. But multiple jobholding varies by region. In some states, second jobs remain relatively uncommon, while in others, workers are holding… read more…
Best and Worst Cities for Women in Tech — 2026 Study
Women remain underrepresented in the tech sector. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, women make up “nearly half of the total U.S. workforce … [but] just 22.6% of the high tech workforce.” Opportunities for women in tech can vary considerably by location, and these differences shape access to jobs, career advancement and earning potential.… read more…
Where Americans Are Broke — 2026 Study
Having a negative net worth means a household owes more than it owns, and high debt relative to assets is associated with greater perceived depression, more stress and poorer health. For nearly two decades before the Great Recession, the share of U.S. households whose debts equaled or exceeded their assets held fairly steady, then rose… read more…
Where Wages are Growing — and Falling — in Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, but when it comes to income, some parts of the Lone Star State are more synonymous with Texas-sized paychecks than others. Economic opportunity can vary sharply by county, shaping how far earnings go and where workers see the strongest gains. SmartAsset compared average weekly wages for private-sector workers across 252 of… read more…
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