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Do you pride yourself on having a good credit score? In the world of credit, there’s good, and then there’s excellent. Even if you are doing most things right when it comes to watching out for your score, there are several lesser known ways to maintain what you have and take your credit to the next level. Understanding how your credit score is calculated is an important place to start. Six basic credit factors go into calculating this score. While all factors matter, some affect your score more than others. From roughly highest impact to lowest, these factors are: Derogatory…

Our Approach to the Robo-Advisor Trend If you follow the investment management/financial planning industry, then you no doubt have heard the term “Robo-Advisor”. Robo-advisors are the hot topic right now and some advisors even view these types of digital platforms as the future of the industry. Robo-advisors come in all shapes and sizes, but for the most part tend to be lower-cost, automated investing solutions accessed digitally with minimal one-on-one interaction with a person. Some services don’t provide any contact with a live person while others offer call centers with new people answering each time you call, providing no real…

Before the holiday madness hits, spend a few minutes to focus on year-end planning. You'll find here a full checklist of important items to consider.

Planning for the possibility of becoming incapacitated can be daunting. While many may have their estate planning documents squared away and have end-of-life plans carefully laid out, they may not have planned adequately for the possibility of incapacitation. Incapacitation, or the physical or mental inability to make or communicate your decisions, often caused by illnesses like stroke or cognitive disease, is a real threat for retirees. Incapacitation presents a unique challenge, in that your family members, designated POAs (Powers of Attorney), doctors or lawyers will need to make decisions for you – and will need access to your documents and…