As a financial planner, I get a lot of concerned questions from my clients regarding their investments. One recently asked me: What exactly happens if the brokerage firm I’m custodied with goes out of business? This is a great question because many people don’t know their investments have protection in the first place, or they’re … Read more

If you’re a student (or parent) looking for a place to park your money without excessive fees or unrealistic balance requirements, check out the impressive array of low-cost, low-balance checking accounts available to students. Some actively restrict membership to younger individuals, most often those between 17 and 23 or 24 years old. But others are … Read more

Business banking is a little different from consumer banking. Our master list of the best online banks around is surprisingly short on business checking accounts with no monthly maintenance fees, minimum balance requirements, or monthly transaction limits. Also, most business bank accounts impose transaction limits and demand hefty minimum balances to waive high monthly maintenance … Read more

Historically, one enormous advantage the wealthy had over the rest of us was access to expert investing advice. They didn’t need to be experts on stocks or market movements or investing. They could pay someone to “just take care of it.” Today, everyone has access to expert investing advice — if not through human investing … Read more

Cash-back credit cards are popular because they provide tangible, easy-to-understand benefits. Who doesn’t like getting a credit on their monthly credit card statement – or, better yet, actual cash deposited into the account of their choice? Cash-back credit cards can be even more popular than our top-rated gas credit cards and travel rewards cards. But … Read more

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find truly free checking accounts. But they’re still out there if you know where to look. Indeed, many online banks and a few choice brick and mortars still offer legitimately free, FDIC-insured accounts with few restrictions and plenty of sweeteners. Some even pay interest, though not enough to keep up with … Read more

Travel rewards credit cards are not one-size-fits-all. They fall into several broad categories. These categories include airline rewards credit cards designed to reward spending with specific airlines or airline partnerships, hotel credit cards that focus their rewards firepower on hotel stays and related expenses, and even cash back credit cards that offer accelerated cash back … Read more

Dozens of banks and credit unions lure new business with account-opening promotions. Some reward first-time customers with bonuses worth hundreds of dollars just for opening an account and making qualifying deposits. The best land on our regularly updated roundup of the top new bank account promotions. You’ve probably seen credit card issuers get in on the … Read more

Over the long term, the stock market returns around 10% on average. Investors looking to sit back and relax can put their stock investments on autopilot, investing in index funds, possibly managed by a robo-advisor or investment advisor. It’s easy, and it works. But what if you’re not satisfied with average returns? Investors seeking an … Read more

It’s been difficult to watch the action in the stock market lately. The Federal Reserve, or Fed, is moving to combat inflation at levels we haven’t seen in more than four decades, and most financial experts agree that there’s a high probability of an economic recession in the near term.  Of course, the market is … Read more