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Don’t Make These Mistakes When Hiring a Financial Advisor

When it Comes to Your Hard-Earned Money, It’s Crucial to Find the Right Advisor for You

Hiring a financial advisor can be the best way to develop a strong financial plan and achieve your long-term financial and life goals. Too often, however, people hesitate to seek out the assistance of a professional when it comes to helping them manage their finances – even if they’re struggling. In fact, research on the subject shows that even though 71% of adults need improvement with their financial planning, only 29% take the step of hiring a financial advisor. Some are too nervous to put their money in someone else’s hands or simply don’t feel that an advisor would be beneficial, yet research suggests those who work with a financial advisor have significantly more money for retirement than those who don’t.

So, how do you take this critical step and choose the advisor who is right for you? With something as important as your hard-earned money, you’ve got to find someone you can fully trust. As you consider hiring a financial advisor, keep these common mistakes in mind to avoid them as you begin your process.

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10 Tips for a Happy Retirement

You Worked Hard to Get Here and Now it’s Time to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor

We spend most of our working lives striving toward the ultimate goal of enjoying a happy retirement. But what exactly does that look like? And how do you achieve it? The answers to those questions depend a lot on YOU. Every retiree is going to have their own definition of what a fulfilling retirement looks like. For some, a happy retirement might look like getting to spend more time on hobbies, while for others it might look like finally getting to travel to all those destinations they’ve dreamed about. It might even be simply about spending more time with your kids and grandkids. Whatever a happy retirement looks like to you, you’ll have to be intentional to achieve it.

Below are 10 habits that can help you find happiness and fulfillment throughout your retirement.

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Fitting Life Insurance into Your Retirement Plan

All Your Options for a Financially Secure Retirement

When it comes to planning for a financially secure retirement, most people focus on aspects such as their investments, retirement savings accounts, home equity, Social Security, and other assets that they’ll depend on to support their income needs in this phase of life. Too often, the role that life insurance plays in a retirement plan is overlooked. Below are a few questions to ask yourself concerning life insurance and retirement planning as you begin to consider whether you have the right coverage for your current situation and your long-term goals.

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Does More Money Equal More Happiness?

It’s Not About the Material Goods, but Rather Financial Stability

Does more money equal more happiness? Well, you’ve probably heard the age-old adage, “Money can’t buy happiness,” but how true is that statement, really? When we think about it, we tend to focus on the luxuries that money can buy, like lavish vacations or expensive cars. However, an influx of cash provides something else that’s often overlooked – financial stability. When it comes to day-to-day happiness and peace of mind, financial stability goes a long way in decreasing our overall stress and freeing us from common worries.

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8 Ways to Build Wealth Over Time

You Need Vision, Discipline, and Patience to Achieve Your Financial Goals

Everywhere you look you can find get-rich-quick schemes that promise a shortcut to building wealth for anyone who believes them. Yet, more often than not, these schemes carry significant risk, and most investors who take them on end up losing money rather than making what they were promised. Instead of falling victim to these sorts of promises, focus on building your wealth with traditional, prudent methods. This requires smart wealth management skills, a comprehensive investment strategy, and a long-term mindset.

If you’re ready to be disciplined about building your wealth over time, check out the eight tips below.

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Does a Small Business Owner Need a Financial Advisor?

The Right Advisor Can Help You Boost Your Small Business Profit While Preparing for Retirement

As a small business owner, have you wondered whether you need a financial advisor? Most often, the answer is yes.

While there are certain parts of running a business that you can teach yourself as you go along, managing your business finances with little or no background may not be one of them. In fact, poor money management is one of the most common reasons businesses fail. If you’d like help with things like building a budget, developing a smart tax strategy, and fine-tuning your cash flow, it may be time to hire a financial advisor. Read on to learn about the benefits and how to choose the best advisor for you.

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Estate Planning Tips for Small Business Owners

What You Need to Know to Protect Your Greatest Asset

Estate planning for small business owners isn’t always at the top of the to-do list, but it’s one of the most important steps you should take to set up a legacy of success. It may feel overwhelming to think about what happens when you pass on, but it’s critical to have conversations now to ensure all your hard work doesn’t go to waste.

If you don’t have an estate plan, then your local state law will likely dictate where your business goes after you die. There are many things you can do now to prepare, from focusing on tax efficiencies to drafting up a solid will and estate plan, that will help you secure the proper transition of your company.

Read on for six smart estate planning tips for small business owners.

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Tax-Smart Strategies to Help Your Kids Pay for College

In the Face of Skyrocketing Education Costs, it Pays to Prepare

Even if they’re still quite young, it’s never too soon to begin planning strategies to help your kids pay for college in the future. Higher education is already expensive, and because college costs increase at about two times the rate of inflation each year, it will only get pricier as the years go by. Currently, it’s estimated that today’s toddlers – who will start college around 2038 – can expect to spend around $35,592.339 each year on tuition, fees, room, and board for an in-state public school. For kids who want to go to a private school, they can expect to spend around $81,470.95 yearly for the same.

Luckily, there are many financial aid opportunities, scholarships, and grants that can help your child cover college costs. In addition to these, there are also some key financial planning strategies that can make college costs a bit more manageable.

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