By Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb, Financial Advisors at Wealth Enhancement and co-hosts of “Your Money” on WCCO AM 830 on Sunday mornings. Email Bruce and Peg at yourmoney@wealthenhancement.com. Advisory services offered through Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment advisor and affiliate of Wealth Enhancement Group. 

Equal pay for men and women has been the law since 1963. Yet, well into the next century, women with similar education, skills, and experience are still paid less than their male counterparts. So, what is the wage gap between men and women?

What if you could sell off a highly appreciated asset, avoid capital gains taxes and create a steady stream of retirement income for yourself or your loved ones? It may sound too good to be true, but those are just a few benefits of establishing a charitable remainder trust (CRT).

For most things in life, having a plan is one of the best ways to set yourself up for success. It should come as no surprise, then, that having a financial plan for retirement is one of the keys to helping you reach your retirement goals.

According to a recent AICPA study, the number one concern for their clients with respect to retirement planning is running out of money. In fact, 30% of their clients listed it as their top concern.

Social Security is a big asset–one that could potentially exceed a million dollars in accumulated benefits over your lifetime–and it poses a number of complex decisions requiring financial projections as well as knowledge of Social Security rules and regulations. It’s important that you ensure your entire financial plan is ready to withstand potential changes.

“You have to spend money to make money.” Yes, this statement has become a bit of a cliché, but it’s also accurate when it comes to investing fees. Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues with these fees is that there can often be a lack of transparency when it comes to how much you’re being charged. It’s critical for investors to understand what they’re getting from these surcharges. Here are two key questions you should ask. 

When it comes to financial planning in a relationship, we rarely see partners who divide money management equally between the two of them. Instead, what tends to occur is that one partner pays the bills and balances the budget while the other focuses on managing the investments.