At a high level, you may be aware of the basic differences between index funds and actively managed mutual funds. One key difference lies in their respective names: Index funds typically seek to match the performance of a particular market index or benchmark, while actively managed funds pursue more sophisticated objectives under the active guidance of professional fund managers.

There’s more to the story, of course. Before investing in any fund, index or otherwise, this is what you need to know about these common types of investments.

What Are Index Funds?

Index funds seek to emulate the performance of an…

How much do you know about mutual funds? Are you confident in your ability to read and synthesize a fund’s prospectus, or to objectively analyze key factors like its historic performance and the qualifications of its management team?

If you answered “very little” to both questions, you’re in good company. Many non-expert investors are not well-equipped to independently analyze and evaluate mutual funds.

While it’s always best to consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investing decisions, minding these important considerations will position you to begin evaluating suitable mutual funds on the merits.

Add Up Fees and Expenses

First…

By Daniella Rand

You probably know something about Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs. Millions of Americans have traditional or Roth IRAs, contributions to and/or distributions from which may have certain tax benefits not afforded to funds held in or distributed from taxable brokerage accounts.

Far fewer Americans hold tax-advantaged funds in trusteed IRAs. Are they missing out?

The short answer is, “it depends.” Let’s take a closer look at the mechanics and benefits of trusteed IRAs — and how to tell whether a trusteed IRA might just be your wealth management plan’s missing link.

How Do Trusteed IRAs Work, Anyway?

…

By Daniella Rand

Your typical wealth management ad features a gracefully aged protagonist or pair looking ahead to a long, productive retirement. It’s never easy to pin down the actual age of the actors featured in these spots, but it’s clear they’re not fresh out of college.

If you are fresh out of college, you’d be forgiven for assuming that financial planning and wealth management are for old people — sorry, the “gracefully aged.” Why would a financial advisor even give you the time of day, you of meager income and scant assets?

Plenty of reasons, actually. But let’s not…

By Daniella Rand

That many Americans aged 50 and over aren’t ready for retirement isn’t exactly breaking news. But the extent and degree of that unpreparedness is shocking nonetheless.

Not long ago, Bank of America Merrill Lynch released a groundbreaking study quantifying some of the challenges and concerns facing American pre-retirees. More than 4,800 respondents weighed in on the retirement-related issues keeping them up at night, offering a comprehensive and nuanced picture of Americans’ state of pre-retirement financial preparedness.

Let’s take a look at eight takeaways that really jump out of the report and unpack what they might mean for…

By Daniella Rand

Everyone starts their financial planning journey somewhere.

At The Rand Group, we focus on seven universal planning priorities:

• Health
• Home
• Family
• Finances
• Giving
• Work
• Leisure

Let’s take a closer look at each at what each entails — and the key questions you need to ask as you begin your planning journey.

Priority #1: Health

“At least you have your health.” Unfortunately, that’s not always a given. Healthcare costs’ relentless rise is a perennial source of worry for planners of all ages. Consider:

• Will You Be Able to Afford Healthcare Costs in Retirement? Retirees’ healthcare costs vary widely…

If you are reading their article, it is obvious that you are looking for exercise techniques and you have taken the first. You deserve to be congratulated because the remaining fit in today’s world has become a major problem these days and people don’t get enough time to remain fit. Therefore, it is important to learn some basic techniques that can help you in remaining fit and up to date.

Here are to tips to have a great and fit body:

Exercise Everyday:

There is no better way to stay fit than exercising. You must exercise daily and at least…

Music is good for the soul and it calms your mind. Music plays a great role in helping you deal with stressful events of your life. Music is a form of art and it can play a great role in relaxing your mind. Music has the potential to relax your mind. In addition to it, it has a tendency to comfort you by reducing stress.

Raising your mood in a positive way:

Music is a great thing in a way that it allows you to raise your mood by comforting you. It has not remained a part of our education…