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Summer is quickly coming to an end, and the holiday season is once more cheerfully rapping on doors, windows and wallets. September hasn't even come to a close, but the signs of the changing season are already peeking through. It's Coming! Wall Street Journal contributor Spencer Jakab unabashedly...

Although the present day hoopla over retirement is certainly cause for much financial concern, particularly among older Americans, retirement has not always been such a hotly contended subject – retirement has only within recent memory been a tangible concept at all. When considering retirement...

"As a business, the funeral industry has developed by selling a certain type of ‘dignity.' Dignity is having a well-orchestrated final moment for the family, complete with a well-orchestrated corpse. Funeral directors become like directors for the stage, curating the evening's performance. The...

The backpacks have long been put away, and you can't remember the last time you've packed their lunches. It's back-to-school season, but your kids are grown. However, just because you aren't shipping the kids off to school this August doesn't mean you can't take...

Unfortunately, the funeral industry has garnered a reputation over the years for taking advantage of mourners in order to add a few bucks to their sales. For, at the end of the day, funeral homes/mortuaries are businesses – a concept that is often overlooked by the general public. They...

While accessing the funds in 401(k) accounts isn't impossible, it's highly advised against -- and for good reason. According to Forbes, tapping into that money should only occur if there's an "immediate and heavy financial need." In other words, it should be considered as a...

There are plenty of difficult financial waters to navigate in young adulthood, but unfortunately, a growing number of Americans are shouldering a massive debt burden that is quite literally changing the way they live their lives. The latest data shows that debt is a top concern for members of the...

Tax season may still be months away, but the IRS is busily updating and revising tax code. While changes are a common occurrence throughout the year, the implications of the updates often go unnoticed right up until it is time to file. However, keeping an eye on the IRS during the "off...

Family members do not have to be legal dependents to be financial burdens. Likewise, major life changes seem to occur cyclically within family units. Children age and hit new stages of independence; parents age and hit new stages of dependence. Facing the generational changes of growing up and...

Inevitably, talks around retirement planning will lead to talks around estate planning. While these are not the most enjoyable of conversations to discuss in depth, they are an essential part of planning for your unavoidable future. Although estate planning is not a prerequisite to death (not...

Legacy and estate planning with a Roth IRA may sound like a no-brainer. Roth IRAs intrinsically make phenomenal transfer of wealth vehicles. With reduced estate taxes and no income tax for heirs to pay on withdrawals, establishing a Roth IRA or even converting to one from a Traditional IRA seems...

When planning to allocate wealth to future generations, one of the main concerns that arises is the prospect of tax consequences not only for the benefactor, but the recipients of the inheritance. The various methods of spreading inheritable assets – such as through gifting, custodial...