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      Hi Neighbor, I'm David A. Iobst, CFP®

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      Welcome to our research center! We've put together a library of information on important financial topics that we believe you'll find helpful.

      Simply click on one of the general financial topics below and you'll find a selection of easy-to-understand information sheets about related financial concepts and strategies. This information is updated regularly to reflect the latest facts, figures, legislation, and economic trends.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Roth 401(k)?
      A Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax money, and allows for tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings if requirements are met.

      Retirement Planning

      Why Do People Buy Annuities?
      Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.

      Transferring Wealth

      Can I Benefit from an A-B Trust?
      An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

      Transferring Wealth

      Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?
      One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Determine the Financial Strength of My Insurance Company?
      Using a financially sound insurance company is an important part of ensuring your family’s financial security.

      Retirement Planning

      Should You Bank Your Retirement on Your Business?
      Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Will I Pay Estate Taxes?
      If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?
      Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?
      To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Split-Annuity Strategy?
      A split-annuity strategy can generate immediate income while potentially stretching some retirement savings.

      Tax Planning

      What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½
      Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally trigger a 10% federal tax penalty.

      Tax Planning

      How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?
      Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

      Personal Finance

      What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?
      Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.

      Retirement Planning

      What Are My Retirement Planning Options?
      There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.

      Personal Finance

      How Does Inflation Affect Me?
      Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a 401(k) Plan?
      401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

      Transferring Wealth

      What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?
      Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a SEP IRA?
      A SEP IRA is a type of plan under which the employer contributes (up to a certain limit) to an employee’s IRA.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Mutual Fund?
      A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

      Transferring Wealth

      What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?
      Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Protect My Home?
      Since your home is one of your greatest assets, you should make sure it is adequately protected. That's where homeowners insurance enters the picture.

      Investment Planning

      What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?
      ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

      Retirement Planning

      How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?
      Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

      Transferring Wealth

      What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?
      The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Split-Dollar Life Insurance?
      Split-dollar life insurance is an arrangement to purchase and fund life insurance between two parties.

      Investment Planning

      How Are Annuities Taxed?
      One attractive feature of an annuity is tax-deferral but qualified and non-qualified annuities are taxed differently.

      Investment Planning

      What Do Bond Ratings Mean?
      Bond ratings gauge a bond issuer’s financial ability to repay its promised principal and interest payments.

      Tax Planning

      What Is the Most Tax-Efficient Way to Take a Distribution From a Retirement Plan
      Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA versus a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

      Personal Finance

      What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?
      A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

      Personal Finance

      Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?
      The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.

      Investment Planning

      How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?
      There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.

      Personal Finance

      What Is the Difference Between an HMO and a PPO?
      Selecting health insurance is often one of the most important decisions you will make. Do you know the different types?

      Personal Finance

      What Are the Main Types of Auto Insurance?
      Even if your state doesn’t require certain types of auto insurance, it may be wise to purchase multiple types to ensure you are covered for a variety of situations.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Universal Life Insurance?
      Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.

      Tax Planning

      How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?
      Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

      Personal Finance

      What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?
      There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Variable Life Insurance?
      Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.

      Tax Planning

      What Is the Capital Gain Tax?
      Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Better Manage My Short-Term Cash?
      There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Life Insurance for Business Owners?
      Company-owned life insurance is one way to help protect a business from financial problems caused by the death of a key employee.

      Tax Planning

      How Can I Upgrade My Insurance — Tax-Free?
      A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company without tax liability.

      Tax Planning

      What Tax Deductions Are Still Available to Me?
      Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

      Transferring Wealth

      What Is the History of the Federal Estate Tax?
      Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Bond?
      A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.

      Tax Planning

      When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?
      With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

      Retirement Planning

      How Much Do I Need to Save?
      Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

      Retirement Planning

      Unforgettable Birthdays
      There are key dates after you turn 59½ that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Insure My Future?
      To help you choose insurance wisely, determine how much coverage and what kind of policy is best for your situation.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Disability Income Insurance for Business Owners?
      As a business owner, a disability can create an economic hardship putting both your personal finances and business at risk.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a 1035 Exchange?
      A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Last-Survivor Life Insurance?
      Couples who want to help protect their legacy from estate taxes could consider last-survivor life insurance.

      Investment Planning

      What Are Zero-Coupon Bonds?
      Zero-coupon bonds represent a type of bond that does not pay interest during the life of the bond.

      Investment Planning

      What Types of Bonds Are Available?
      Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

      Investment Planning

      What Is Asset Allocation?
      Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Traditional IRA?
      If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

      Personal Finance

      Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?
      A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.

      Investment Planning

      What Are the Different Classes of Assets?
      There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.

      Tax Planning

      What Is the Estate Tax?
      Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a 403(b) Plan?
      A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan that can only be offered by a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

      Investment Planning

      How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?
      The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Mutual Fund Load?
      It’s important to understand mutual fund loads, or sales charges, and exactly what they entail so you can make informed investing decisions.

      Investment Planning

      529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans
      529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

      Transferring Wealth

      What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?
      Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

      Retirement Planning

      Save Now or Save Later?
      If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust?
      A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

      Investment Planning

      How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?
      The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Money Purchase Pension Plan?
      A money purchase plan is a retirement plan where employer contributions are based on a fixed percentage of compensation.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?
      Profit-sharing plans give employees a share in the profits of a company and can help to fund their retirements.

      Personal Finance

      How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?
      Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is an IRA Rollover?
      If you leave a job or retire, you should consider your options regarding your employer retirement plan assets.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Term Life Insurance?
      Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.

      Tax Planning

      What Tax-Advantaged Alternatives Are Available?
      While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can I Benefit from a Wealth Replacement Trust?
      A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

      Tax Planning

      Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?
      It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

      Personal Finance

      How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?
      Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Property and Casualty Insurance?
      Property and casualty insurance can help protect a variety of assets. Find out what it does and doesn’t cover.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Maximize My Insurance Benefits?
      Several factors could undermine the financial security provided by the proceeds of your life insurance policy.

      Tax Planning

      What Is Tax Deferral?
      There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

      Investment Planning

      What Are Dividends?
      It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

      Tax Planning

      How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?
      IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

      Tax Planning

      What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?
      Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

      Personal Finance

      How Do I Make a Property Insurance Claim?
      When it is time to make an insurance claim, it helps if you are familiar with your policies and the steps you should take to file a claim.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?
      Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

      Personal Finance

      What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?
      Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?
      A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

      Retirement Planning

      What Does the Changing Pension Landscape Mean for Retirement?
      With the changing pension landscape, it is important to take charge of your own retirement security.

      Investment Planning

      How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?
      Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

      Investment Planning

      What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?
      There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares or bonds.

      Transferring Wealth

      How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?
      If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.

      Investment Planning

      What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?
      Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is an Indexed Annuity?
      An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

      Personal Finance

      Why Purchase Life Insurance?
      If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.

      Tax Planning

      What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?
      For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

      Personal Finance

      How Can I Extend My Liability Coverage?
      Consider additional liability insurance to help protect you from the potentially devastating effects of liability lawsuits.

      Investment Planning

      What Is Stock?
      Before investing in stocks, it is important to understand some of the basics and the risks involved in owning stocks.

      Tax Planning

      What Is the Gift Tax?
      The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

      Personal Finance

      What Is Whole Life Insurance?
      Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.

      Retirement Planning

      What Are Annuity Living Benefits?
      Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Stock Index?
      Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

      Investment Planning

      What College Investment Options Do I Have?
      Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.

      Investment Planning

      What Is an Annuity?
      An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Closed-End Fund?
      With closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a professionally managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.

      Investment Planning

      What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?
      Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

      Personal Finance

      What Does Medicare Cover?
      Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?

      Retirement Planning

      Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?
      Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.

      Investment Planning

      What Investment Risks Should I Know About?
      Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

      Investment Planning

      What Is Diversification?
      An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

      Personal Finance

      What Cash Management Tools Are Available?
      Short-term cash management instruments can help you establish a sound cash management program.

      Personal Finance

      What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?
      When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a SIMPLE?
      The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

      Retirement Planning

      What Is a Roth IRA?
      Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren’t included in gross income.

      Personal Finance

      Why Are Annuities Considered an Insurance Product?
      An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company to pay you future income in exchange for premiums you pay.

      Investment Planning

      What Is a Bond Ladder?
      A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

      Retirement Planning

      How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?
      The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

      Personal Finance

      Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?
      Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.

      Personal Finance

      Is a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit Right for Me?
      Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows interest payments to be tax deductible, could have its advantages.

      Investment Planning

      How Are Common and Preferred Stocks Different?
      It's important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of common stock versus preferred stock.

      Personal Finance

      What Savings Alternatives Are Available?
      There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.

      Retirement Planning

      What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?
      When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.

      Personal Finance

      What About Financial Aid for College?
      It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.
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