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The Latest Breaking News from The Free Financial Advisor

Your Advisor Recommends an Annuity. Ask These Questions Before You Say Yes.

An annuity seems wonderfully simple when someone describes it as a way to create dependable retirement income. But then the paperwork arrives, and suddenly that simple idea comes with surrender charges, riders, caps, investment options, guarantees, and enough fine print to make your head spin. Before signing anything, ask a…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 27

Is Your Emergency Fund Too Big? At Some Point, Safety Has a Price

An emergency fund should make financial surprises less terrifying, but there comes a point when piling more money into cash stops adding much protection and starts creating an opportunity cost. A giant savings balance can feel wonderfully comforting, especially after years of watching unexpected bills ambush otherwise sensible budgets. But…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 26

Federal Agencies Withdraw 2022 Guidance on Special Credit Programs — What Borrowers Should Know

Seven federal agencies have withdrawn a 2022 policy statement that encouraged banks and other creditors to use special purpose credit programs to expand access to financing for underserved groups. The rescission took effect August 25, 2026, and affects guidance involving the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, commonly called ECOA, and its…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 26

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Two Couples Have $1 Million Saved. Only One Can Comfortably Retire. Here’s Why.

Two couples each have $1 million tucked away for retirement, yet only one may feel comfortable handing in the keys to the office. That sounds strange at first because a million dollars still looks like a very large pile of money, especially when the goal involves leaving work rather than…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 26

Would You Rather Have $1 Million in a 401(k) or $800,000 in a Brokerage Account?

A $1 million 401(k) sounds like the obvious winner against an $800,000 brokerage account. After all, $200,000 is a pretty serious gap, and nobody needs a financial calculator to recognize that bigger usually beats smaller. But retirement money comes with a catch that makes this matchup far more interesting: the…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 26

$50,000 Sitting in Savings? Here’s What That Money May Be Costing You

A $50,000 savings balance looks fantastic on a bank statement, and in many ways, it represents something worth celebrating: financial breathing room, an emergency cushion, and the ability to handle an unpleasant surprise without reaching for a credit card. But there is another side to that shiny number. If the…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 25

The Investment You’ve Owned for 20 Years Is Up 800%. Is That a Reason to Keep It — or Sell It?

An investment that has climbed 800% over two decades can feel like the financial equivalent of finding an old jacket and discovering cash in the pocket. The temptation to keep holding makes sense because the investment clearly did something right, but a spectacular gain can also create a new problem:…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 25

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U.S. Mint Opens Orders for $60 Freedom 250 Race Medal With 15,000-Medal Limit

Collectors and racing fans have a limited opportunity to order a new U.S. Mint medal commemorating the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and America’s 250th anniversary.

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 25

What Would Break Your Retirement Plan First?

A retirement plan rarely collapses because someone buys one too many cups of coffee. The bigger threats usually arrive quietly: a market downturn early in retirement, an unexpected health expense, inflation that refuses to behave, or a spending habit that looks harmless until it gets multiplied across decades. The uncomfortable…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 25

IRS Keeps Interest Rate at 7% for Taxpayers Who Owe Money in Late 2026

Taxpayers carrying an unpaid federal tax balance will continue facing a 7% annual interest rate through the end of 2026.

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 24

The “One More Year” Retirement Question: How Much Difference Can Working 12 More Months Really Make?

The “one more year” retirement question sounds simple until that extra year sits directly between a person and the retirement they have pictured for years. Working another 12 months can mean another salary, another round of retirement contributions, another year for investments to grow, and potentially a larger Social Security…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 24

Your Portfolio Has 12 Funds — But Are You Actually Diversified?

A portfolio with 12 funds can look impressively diversified at first glance, especially when the account screen resembles a miniature financial supermarket. There are large-cap funds, international funds, technology funds, dividend funds, maybe a bond fund or two, and suddenly the portfolio feels like it has every aisle covered. The…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 24

A Couple Retires With $1.5 Million. Then the Market Falls 25%. What Happens Next?

A couple retires with $1.5 million tucked away, shuts down the alarm clock for good, and starts planning the good stuff: travel, hobbies, lazy mornings and absolutely no more meetings that could have been emails. Then the stock market drops 25%. Suddenly, that $1.5 million looks a lot less comforting…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 24

Should You Give Your Children Their Inheritance While You’re Still Alive?

An inheritance can arrive at exactly the wrong time. A child might receive a large sum at 65, when the mortgage has disappeared and retirement looks comfortable, while the same money could have made a dramatic difference at 35, when student loans, childcare bills, or a first home compete for…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 23

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The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 23

6 Signs Your Investment Strategy Was Built for the Market We Used to Have

Markets change, but investment strategies have a funny habit of sticking around long after their original assumptions stop making sense. A portfolio built around yesterday’s interest rates, inflation expectations, stock valuations, or retirement timeline can quietly become a poor match for the financial life it now needs to support.

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 23

Your Financial Advisor Wants You to Roll Over Your 401(k) – Ask These 7 Questions First

A financial advisor recommending a 401(k) rollover can make the move sound almost laughably simple: transfer the money, open the new account, pick investments, and carry on with retirement planning. But moving retirement money changes more than the account number on a statement, so the decision deserves more scrutiny than…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 22

The $100,000 Cash Problem: When Keeping Too Much Money “Safe” Creates a Different Kind of Risk

A six-figure cash balance can feel like the financial equivalent of a fortress. The money sits there, untouched, ready for an emergency, a house purchase, a business opportunity, or simply the next expensive thing life decides to throw through the window. But once cash reaches $100,000, keeping every dollar parked…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 22

7 Reasons Taking the Pension Lump Sum Could Be the Wrong Move

A pension lump sum can look awfully appealing when the number arrives on paper. One big check feels tangible, flexible, and somehow more satisfying than a monthly deposit that quietly shows up for years.

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The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 22

Your Parents Left You Their IRA: 6 Rules That Can Make an Inherited IRA Surprisingly Complicated

Inheriting an IRA can feel like receiving a financial gift with one tiny catch: the gift comes with a rulebook. The account may contain a meaningful amount of money, but the IRS controls how and when many beneficiaries can take it out, and those rules depend on who inherited the…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 21

IRS Proposes New Eligibility Rules for Refundable Payments From 4 Tax Credits

The Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury have issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would classify the refunded portion of certain federal refundable tax credits as a “Federal public benefit” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The proposal was published…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 21

Should You Stop Reinvesting Dividends After You Retire?

Should you stop reinvesting dividends after you retire? Not necessarily, because retirement changes what your portfolio needs to accomplish, but it does not automatically turn every dividend into spending money. Reinvesting can keep building your portfolio, while taking dividends in cash can help cover expenses without selling investments.

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 21

The Retirement Tax Trap Married Couples Rarely Plan For: What Changes When One Spouse Dies

The death of a spouse can create a retirement tax trap that has nothing to do with a surprise tax law. The problem often starts when one household loses one income source, then discovers that the surviving spouse must file under a less favorable tax status while still paying taxes…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 21

You’re 60 With $1 Million Saved — What Are the Next Five Financial Decisions?

Reaching 60 with $1 million saved sounds like the moment to crack open the champagne and retire by Tuesday. Maybe, but the bigger question now involves what that million dollars needs to do for the rest of your life, because a retirement portfolio needs a job description, not just a…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 20

You Have Enough Money to Retire — But Do You Have Enough Money to Stay Retired?

A retirement account can reach a number that looks wonderfully reassuring, yet that number does not guarantee a retirement that lasts. Having enough money to retire means having enough resources to leave work; having enough money to stay retired means making those resources support a life that could last for…

The Free Financial Advisor · Aug 20

The $500,000 Question: Is It Better to Own a Paid-Off House or Have More Money Invested?

A $500,000 house with no mortgage can feel like the financial equivalent of a giant sigh of relief. But there is another version of that $500,000 sitting in an investment portfolio, potentially producing income and growing over time, and suddenly the choice gets much more interesting. Neither option automatically wins…

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