- Fiduciary vs. Financial Advisor
When you’re looking for someone to guide you through the world of personal finance, there’s a lot of jargon you have to work through. Financial advisors and fiduciaries are just two of the titles you’re likely to come across, but… read more…
- Should You Work With a Tax Advisor?
Most Americans have very simple tax needs. Their employer handles biweekly withholding, then every April they file for a refund or payment based on their appropriate standard deduction. However, depending on how you manage your investment portfolio, things can get a little more complex than that. If you have significant investments or other forms of income,… read more…
- Is My Financial Advisor a Fiduciary?
Before committing to a financial advisor, it helps to know whether that professional is a fiduciary. Fiduciaries must act in a client’s best interest at all times, while brokers follow a separate standard under Regulation Best Interest, which applies only when making specific recommendations. While the titles may sound interchangeable, they reflect different legal standards… read more…
- Is a CFP® a Fiduciary?
The financial advisory industry comprises a multitude of professionals, services and products. But when it comes to financial planning, advisors who hold the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation are the gold standard. These financial advisors must go through a rigorous… read more…
- CPA vs. Financial Advisor: Which Do You Need?
A certified public accountant (CPA) focuses on taxes, offering services like preparation, filing and tax strategy guidance. A financial advisor, by comparison, typically specializes in financial planning and investment management, which can also include tax planning. Some financial advisors may also hold a CPA designation, but their primary role is helping clients grow and manage… read more…
- Should You Work With a Real Estate Advisor?
Real estate advisors provide research, analysis, planning, strategy and management input when evaluating, acquiring, selling, developing, improving and financing the real estate portion of an investment portfolio. Because real estate investing can be so high-stakes, the services of one of… read more…
- Financial Advisor vs. Accountant
The world of finance can be a complicated and confusing place. Myriad types of financial professionals offer services to help you with the various aspects of finance that affect your life. If you have wondered whether a financial advisor or an accountant is best for your financial planning needs, this will steer you in the… read more…
- Check for This Red Flag Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
When selecting a financial advisor, there are a number of things you should consider, including an advisor’s professional credentials, fee structure and investing philosophy, not to mention your personal rapport with this expert. A new study, though, highlights the importance of researching the ownership of a financial advisory firm. Research from the University of Oregon… read more…
- What Is an Investment Consultant?
An investment consultant is a financial professional who provides advice on how to manage investments, aiming to help clients meet their financial goals. They analyze financial data, recommend investment strategies and often assist in selecting and monitoring investments such as stocks, bonds or mutual funds. Investment consultants work with individuals, businesses or institutions, offering insights… read more…
- What Can a Wealth Advisor Do for High-Net-Worth Clients?
A wealth advisor is a type of financial advisor who serves mostly high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. This means they are usually working with very large amounts money for these clients. If you are looking to find a financial advisor, consider… read more…
- Financial Advisory Services
Financial advisory services encompass a range of offerings aimed at helping individuals and businesses manage their finances effectively. These services can include retirement planning, investment management, tax strategies and estate planning, tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. By working with a financial advisor, clients gain access to expert insights that can help… read more…
- One-Time Checkup With a Financial Advisor
Hiring a financial advisor can make sense when you need or want professional guidance with managing money or building wealth. While advisors often prefer to build ongoing relationships with clients, there are finance professionals who offer one-time consultations. Meeting with… read more…
- How to Hire a Financial Advisor
There are lots of facets of your money management that you can take care of personally, using your own research and skill and with the help of comprehensive online tools and calculators. Hiring a financial advisor, however, can help take… read more…
- Demand-Pull Inflation: How Does It Work?
Demand-pull inflation occurs when the demand for goods and services outpaces their supply, leading to a general increase in prices. This type of inflation typically happens during periods of strong economic growth, where consumers and businesses have more disposable income to spend. As more money chases a limited amount of goods, prices naturally begin to… read more…
- What Is Wealth Management?
Wealth management is the most comprehensive form of financial planning, encompassing an entire strategic plan to manage an individual’s assets. This offering typically includes advice on multiple financial matters at once, such as retirement planning, investment management, financial planning, estate planning and more. While wealth management is typically associated with the more affluent, almost anyone can… read more…
- When Should You Hire a Retirement Specialist?
Retirement presents special challenges, financial and otherwise, to retirees. Fortunately, they don’t have to face those challenges alone. Retirement specialists are financial advisors who focus on counseling retirees and those approaching retirement about the best way to use their current… read more…
- A Guide to Financial Advisor Debt Counseling
Credit cards, student loans and other types of debt can be a hurdle to reaching your long-term financial goals. If managing your finances on your own is getting overwhelming, you might seek out a financial advisor for debt help. While… read more…
- What Does a Financial Aid Advisor Do?
Requesting financial aid often feels like it requires a mile-high stack of paperwork and just getting the right type of aid can be confusing. A financial aid advisor can help students and their families navigate the complicated financial aid process… read more…
- Do Small Business Owners Need a Financial Advisor?
Running a small business can take up a significant amount of time and energy. You may be wondering if you should hire a business financial advisor to help stay on top of your business and personal finances. A financial advisor… read more…
- A Guide to Interest Coverage Ratio
Interest coverage ratio, or ICR, is used to evaluate a company’s ability to pay the interest it owes on its debts. There is no generally agreed upon standard for what makes a healthy ICR across all industries. A higher value… read more…
- What Does a Financial Analyst Do?
When you need financial advice on how to manage your investments or create a financial plan, there are numerous experts who can help. Financial analysts, for example, spend their time diving into economic and stock market data to help create… read more…
- Bankruptcy Basics: How to File, Types, and More
Bankruptcy is a way for an individual or business to have their debts legally discharged in the event that they cannot pay them. For example, if your home is being foreclosed upon or your debts have built up to the… read more…
- What Does a Cosigner Do?
If you meet a lender’s credit and income requirements, you’ll normally have free rein to take out loans on your own. But in circumstances where your credit levels aren’t high enough, or if you have no credit history at all,… read more…
- A Guide to Free Look Periods for Annuities
If you’re looking for a way to create an additional income stream for retirement, you may consider purchasing an annuity. An annuity is an insurance contract that pays out money to you during your lifetime that you can use to… read more…
- Working With a Financial Advisor Online
A financial advisor can help you create a plan for managing your money, including saving and investing for retirement. Traditionally, you’d need to meet with a financial advisor in person to get advice, but these days many financial advisor firms allow you to connect with a professional online. Working with a financial advisor online has… read more…