Following post was contributed by Justin Weinger

Is your broker an ethical businessperson who works for a licensed, registered firm? If you value your financial health, you had better make sure. Even in this age of doxxing, it pays to spend an hour or so checking out the background and reputation of any company to whom you will be transferring large sums of money. There are some unscrupulous players out there, but in all fairness to the industry, there aren’t nearly as many as there used to be. It’s also important to remember that every sector of the economy has its bad apples, so it’s always wise to do your research before choosing a brokerage firm. Here are some easy and effective ways to weed out the potentially unsavory entities as you begin your search for an investment advisor or broker/dealer.

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The following is a guest post

The global stock market has experienced a rapid downturn in the last ten days. The slump has sounded alarm bells on the state of the world economy. It has also given investors in the stock market a headache, due to uncertainty. 

The situation has different effects on different investors. For example, an investor who is about or at retirement might consider risking less. However, if you are an investor that has a long way to go before retirement, a sharp recession in the stock market should not scare you away from investing.

As the more experienced investors usually advice, the worst thing an investor can do is to sell. When the market is experiencing a slump, it is the best moment for you to increase the amount of money you save.

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The following is a 3rd party contribution.

According to Bloomberg, a Government Accountability Office report found that 48 percent of people over 55 years of age have nothing saved for retirement. Three-fifths of people over 55 have no pension plan. Thus, they will be forced to rely upon Social Security benefits alone in their old age. Of those aged 35 to 64, about 41 percent expect to run out of money sometime during retirement.

Retirement planning is key. It is also important to find reliable and honest sources of retirement planning information. Sadly, we have likely all heard about scams and Ponzi schemes that have ripped off consumers who were diligently trying to save for their golden years. Where can one find vetted information on retirement planning?

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The following is a guest post.

When planning for your retirement, you want to make solid investments that will help you live comfortably after you leave the workforce. You will find a lot of advice on how much you should be saving now if you want to retire early. Most of the advice you will get will be about saving and investing in a certain percentage of your income. Investment is a great way to prepare for retirement, and while there are effective methods of investing, there are other methods that will not help you retire early. 

That said, below are 5 investments that will help you retire early. 

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The following is a 3rd party contribution.

Struggling with cash? You’re not alone.

There are plenty of people throughout the US today that wish they had a little more money to put into their savings accounts at the end of each month. However, finding the extra money you want for the future is easier said than done.

Fortunately, the new year is here, and that means that it’s time to get inspired and get motivated with some new tips and tactics for saving money. We’ve rounded up some simple tricks that could help you to save more as you move into 2020.

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