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…
Revocable Trust Taxes: IRS Rules, Examples and Strategies
A revocable trust can change how your assets are managed and transferred, but it generally doesn’t change how they’re taxed while you’re alive. You typically still report the income, and the assets remain part of your estate. The bigger tax shift comes at death, when filing rules, basis and beneficiary taxation can change. Let’s explore… read more…
I’m Retired With $200k Sitting in Cash. Here’s How I’m Investing It Without Losing Sleep.
If you are retiring with a large sum of cash, inflation is reducing the buying power of that money every year you leave it idle. Investing it all at once, on the other hand, could expose cash you may need short term to a market drop. Another strategy might help you divide that money based… read more…
Ask an Advisor: I Inherited an IRA from My Parents. When Do I Need to Start Taking RMDs From It?
If you’ve inherited an IRA from one of your parents, you may or may not have required minimum distributions (RMDs). Whether you do largely depends on when your parent passed away. But RMDs aren’t the only distribution rule that you need to understand. You also need to be aware of how long you have to… 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
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…
How Much Do You Need to Earn to Be in the Top 1% in Your State in 2026?
Fewer than two million American households rank among the top 1% of earners. When examined by state, the income needed to join this group varies dramatically. In some places, households can enter the top 1% at income levels that fall well below the threshold elsewhere, reflecting an uneven landscape of wages and wealth. SmartAsset analyzed… read more…
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