Life Expectancy

Knowing your likely life expectancy is an important factor in making long-term financial plans.

Lease Payment

How much would your monthly lease payment be?

LTCI Cost of Waiting

Estimate the potential cost of waiting to purchase a long-term care insurance policy.

Risk Tolerance

This calculator is designed to help you clarify your comfort level with investment risk.

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Are Consumers Holding the Keys to a Better Economy?

Consumer spending still accounts for about 70% of gross domestic product, but some government statistics suggest that consumers may have reduced spending drastically in recent years, especially on discretionary items. High unemployment, household debt, and a general lack of confidence can affect consumers' ability and willingness to spend.

Another Economic Stimulus

Temporary incentives could affect businesses of all sizes. Although Congress was unable to tackle the controversial issue of future income tax rates before the 2010 midterms, it quietly passed a little-noticed tax package, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2009 (H.R. 5297), that may benefit small businesses and even individual taxpayers.

Building a Business Versus Building Wealth

The market for small businesses has been less than ideal over the past few years. Thus a business owner's efforts to build a successful business may not always translate to an increase in personal wealth. One way to insulate a business owner's personal financial situation from the fluctuating small-business market is by investing outside the company.

Exchange-Traded Funds: In a Class by Themselves

In 2010, the combined assets of the nation's ETFs topped more than $800 billion. ETFs are unique investments that share some similarities with mutual funds but trade like stocks. ETFs have some appealing characteristics, including trading flexibility, potentially lower expense ratios, tax efficiency, and diversification.

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