While it may be prudent to use a financial professional when you start your investment journey, there are a lot of things you can do before you ever speak to a financial professional. Investing, like everything else in life, has no guarantees, and even the hottest stock or the best tip may not always perform the way we would like. Keeping that in mind, here are a few things you can do (or not do)...

You’re probably aware that there are many options for retirement planning including 401(k)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and more. Some of the more common plans are employer-sponsored ones like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457(b)s. These arrangements have higher contribution limits and let employees save for retirement on a post-tax or a tax-deferred basis, which is more typical. However, as individuals move from job to job or employer to employer, they are faced with decisions about what to...

Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes guts to stick to your plan and avoid selling into a bad market. “Buy low, sell high” seems easy enough to master. Many investors fail to follow this advice including DIYers and professional advisors alike. There are ways to avoid the pitfalls of emotional investing — here’s a collection of a few to remember. Establish long-term goals If you are glued to the market report and...