Saving for retirement should be part of every stage of your work life — from your first job to your last.

There are some things to think about, and some trade-offs, at every age.

Money is deeply related to our histories, childhoods, fears, and dreams of success. For most couples, sharing finances at some point becomes necessary and desirable. So how do you successfully manage finances in a way that protects each person and lets you move ahead together?

The Fed was focused on curbing inflation by moderating growth. Now, the brakes are coming off.

How will this impact investors?

Remove emotion from decision-making? Really? We’re human. Everyone has emotions. The important part is learning how to manage them while managing your money.

You did the right thing, saving for retirement in a tax-deferred account. You lowered your taxes, but you know that in retirement, when you start to withdraw those funds, the taxes will be due.

Take control over your income stream in retirement. Roth conversions can work very well to create flexibility in retirement income streams and could lower taxes owed.

Getting married is a milestone unlike any other. Money choices for your life now, and financial planning for the future are a big part of your new shared life. Marriage brings many advantages, but it also requires you to decide how to spend, save, and invest during your life together. Here’s how to get started.

The mid-point of the year is a great time to identify ways to keep your financial plan moving smoothly toward your goals. Looking at it now means you can spend your summer days worry free.

Creating a flexible financial plan that protects your family, grows your assets, and minimizes tax is the foundation of building wealth. At this stage, you are starting to accumulate enough that mistakes and missed opportunities can be very costly.

Have you thought about what age you will claim social security benefits? If you are married, then you have even more options for strategies that can accomplish your goals. Thinking through the age that each partner will claim, and coordinating your dates, can help you get the most out of the benefit.

How do you get to maximum retirement flexibility? Start by avoiding retirement risks. The more your plan is set up to accommodate predictable events or situations, the greater your ability to adjust to the unpredictable.

Check out the MyMoney Five — Spend, Earn, Save & Invest, Protect, and Borrow. It’s the U.S. Treasury’s framework to tackling your finances and gaining financial literacy. We applaud any tools that help increase financial literacy. Well done Financial Literacy and Education Commission!

Traditionally, taxes have taken a backseat to investing. We think that’s wrong. They are just different sides of the same coin. Investing can help you grow income, and tax planning can help you keep the growth you've achieved. You need both.

The cost of college has skyrocketed, raising questions about the cost/benefit of a college education. And even if investing in a college education will someday pay off, financing college now requires a lot more planning and saving than it used to.

Are you thinking about retirement? In our new reality of volatile financial markets, higher interest rates, higher inflation, and ever-increasing medical costs, it can feel like retirement is even more complicated. We can help with tried and true solutions.

All three main types of investment accounts are all taxed at some point. Dividing your investments among them and then being strategic about your withdrawals can increase what you keep after the taxes are paid.

The inflation rate has come down from the forty-year highs we experienced in 2022, but it is still elevated. While it’s hard to find a silver lining to such high growth rates, with taxes, there are some positive impacts of higher inflation.

Getting organized is one of those goals that can seem like it would be life-changing – if you could just get it done.

So why is it so hard to get started on organizing your money? Maybe because money is tied to deep emotions and is woven into all our relationships. Organizing your pasta by shape in matching containers? Easy and satisfying. Looking over your spending and deciding what to reprioritize? Scary and hard.

It’s been a multi-year process, but the FAFSA Simplification Act (FSA) passed back in 2021 is finally showing results, and the new FAFSA has been rolled out online starting December 31, 2023.

Northwestern Mutual's annual Planning and Progress Study is out, and the results this year are very interesting. The study examines U.S. adults by generation to understand attitudes and behaviors toward money, financial decision-making, and financial security.

Given the volatility of the last year, the results reflect more uncertainty. But they also indicate that while each generation has different goals, needs, and attitudes toward money, seeking financial advice from a trusted resource is a constant.

Just as donating assets to charities while living can be gratifying to the donor and can put funds to work immediately, creating a gifting strategy that transfers assets to family and other people has similar benefits.