Personal Finance

It’s almost the end of another year—a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous months, and start setting goals for the new year, including financial ones. To be successful, it's important to know the "when" of your financial goals. Most fit into one of these three categories: short-, medium- or long-term goals.

Many small businesses offer their employees ways to save for retirement. If you work for a small business, there are some plans that the government has created specifically for these employers. Employers may choose to offer one of them, though they are not required to do so. Here is a small biz retirement plan rundown.

If you shopped on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, chances are you did what smart shoppers are supposed to do around the holidays. You saved your receipt, just in case. When it comes to investing, the equivalent to "saving your receipt" is keeping good records of your transactions, statements and other account information.

When it comes to taking control of holiday spending this year, a recent survey offers insight on where to start if you want to stay in the black on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and beyond. Just look in the mirror.

Trading binary options can be an extremely risky proposition. Unlike other types of options contracts, binary options are all-or-nothing propositions. Trading binary options is made even riskier by fraudulent schemes, many of which originate outside the United States.

Whether you decide to use an investment professional or not, it's important to understand what your investment choices are and how different types of investments put your money to work. Some factors that make a difference in your investment selection are your goals, or what you want to accomplish by investing, and the time frames for meeting those goals. It's also important to have a handle on your attitude toward risk, or what's called your risk tolerance.

In a financial emergency, you may be able to tap into your 401(k) plan assets in the form of a loan. But while taking a loan may help solve an immediate financial need, there can be consequences that may reduce your long-term financial security.

Open enrollment is an employee's annual opportunity to choose a medical, dental or vision plan; change or start flexible spending accounts; or add or drop dependents to insurance coverage. It's also a time to take stock of retirement savings plans.

Aging can change many things in a person's life, including the ability to manage one's own money. Given this sobering reality, here are some important steps to plan for diminished financial capacity and illness.

FINRA and the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) issued an investor advisory to explain the pilot and how it might affect certain orders you place with your full-service or online brokerage firm. We also provide some background on the pilot and why it is being implemented.