Advisors

Stacy Francis Source: Stacy Francis Stacy Francis never planned to become a financial advisor, especially one for women going through divorce. But a candid talk with her grandmother shifted her career trajectory.  Her grandmother, Myra, was a victim of spousal abuse and, before passing, she confessed to staying in her marriage because she felt “financially

Tari Lee Sykes and her late husband, Charles Jeremy Sykes. She thought they’d have one more Christmas together. Yet a few days before the holiday, Tari Lee Sykes’s husband, Charles Jeremy Sykes, died after battling a rare lung disease for years. He’d never get to open the wrapped presents below their glistening tree. On top

Ariel Skelley | Digitalvision | Getty Images The double whammy of a declining stock market and rising interest rates has been pummeling homebuilder stocks this year, resulting in rock-bottom valuations. Those valuations make housing stocks look like the worst home in a bad neighborhood. But in reality, the industry is the cheapest house in an

Brittney Castro Source: Brittney Castro Brittney Castro began her career as a financial advisor at just 22. For her, being a young woman in an older, male-dominated profession, was an asset, so to speak, rather than a liability. Less than 33% of financial advisors are women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even fewer

Yagi Studio | Digitalvision | Getty Images Special needs trusts are essential for the well-being of a person with special needs, experts say. “The most important reason for a special needs trust is that individuals with special needs often are unable to make appropriate financial decisions for themselves and/or are at risk for financial exploitation

Hinterhaus Productions | Stone | Getty Images The “gap” between how much money men and women are paid has long been a feature of the U.S. economy. While that pay differential has narrowed since the 1960s, progress seems to have slowed in the past decade or more — a dynamic that has big implications for

NicolasMcComber | E+ | Getty Images Whether you’re new to investing or have been in the market for years, you may feel a little bit like you are lost at sea looking for a safe harbor. Investors are contending with a confluence of market forces such as inflation, interest rates increasing, and the Russia/Ukraine conflict. 

Drakula & Co. | Moment | Getty Images When it comes to retirement planning, earlier is generally better, but several factors affect how much young women are saving, according to financial experts. For retirement planning purposes, the demographic termed “younger women” may include Gen Zers, millennials and some Gen Xers with 20 years or more

Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest and author of “Own It: The Power of Women at Work.” Slaven Vlasic | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Sallie Krawcheck knows what it is like to be one of the few women in the room. She led the wealth management business of a major Wall Street

fizkes | iStock | Getty Images For anyone getting started with adulthood, the financial stuff can be among the trickiest aspects to navigate. That can be the case even for those who go on to be financial advisors. For these professionals, some advice they regularly give clients now — after years of extra education and

FG Trade | iStock | Getty Images After rebounding from the short-lived pandemic recession, the U.S. economy has faced multiple threats in 2022, sparking investor fears of a prolonged downturn.  Annual inflation reached a 40-year high in March, prompting the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark rate by half a percentage point, the biggest hike

Luminola | E+ | Getty Images Amid high inflation and rising interest rates, there are fears of a prolonged stock market downturn, and some retirees may be vulnerable without a cushion of cash, financial experts say. However, there’s also the risk of crumbling purchasing power, with annual inflation growing by 8.5% in March, the U.S.

In this article AMP Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images In my long career of recruiting experienced financial advisors, I’ve seen how different economic cycles have impacted retention and attrition. In times of uncertainty, advisors crave stability and want to work with a firm with the financial foundation to weather the storm. Alternatively, when

D-keine | E+ | Getty Images Money, for all the opportunities it affords, can be a major source of stress and anxiety if you’re not used to having it. Coming into sudden wealth, whether via inheritance, a career windfall or luck in the lottery, can create serious emotional and financial challenges for people who have

Consumers are spending more to keep up with the surging cost of living and it may get worse before it gets better. “Even though wage growth has been the best in decades, it’s been outpaced by increased household costs,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. “With inflation at a 40-year high, that has

miodrag ignjatovic | E+ | Getty Images If you have a Medicare supplement plan — aka, Medigap — there may be times when it’s worth making sure it’s still the best fit for you. Medigap policies are standardized — same-named plans offer identical benefits no matter which private insurance company sells it — but the

Newly minted graduates are in for a shock. Although the job market and starting salaries for the Class of 2022 look significantly better than last year, they may fall far short of graduates’ expectations. Employers plan to hire about 31% more new degree holders from this year’s graduating class than they hired from the Class

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images There’s a recent uptick in states swapping tiered income taxes for a flat tax, charging the same rate to all residents, regardless of earnings. Over the past 100 years, only four states have changed from graduated rates to flat taxes, according to the Tax Foundation. Another three

Israel Sebastian | Moment | Getty Images There are some financial goals more pressing for adults right now than bulking up their nest egg. For 2022, just 17% have made saving for retirement their top financial priority, according to First National Bank of Omaha‘s latest financial wellness survey. And nearly half of respondents — 46%

GlobalStock | Getty Images Deciding at what point you will collect Social Security benefits may be one of the biggest decisions you make in retirement. Yet many people who are at or near the age when they face that choice may need to brush up on the program’s rules before they do. MassMutual recently gave