You may have purchased life insurance years ago and never gave it a second thought.

Eight states have no state income tax.

Regardless of your age or financial knowledge, you can be certain that criminals are hatching schemes to separate you from your money — and you should be especially vigilant in cyberspace.

If you have qualifying children under the age of 18, you may be able to claim a child tax credit. (You may also be able to claim a partial credit for certain other dependents who are not qualifying children.)

Here's a closer look at some specific types of investment risk that could influence individual stock prices and/or cause broader market swings during the second half of 2021.

The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.1 years in January 2020.

An explosion in the number and variety of streaming services, coupled with more time spent at home in the last year, might have you wondering whether it's time to cut the cord on cable.

For the past decade, U.S. stocks have outperformed foreign stocks by a wide margin, due in large part to the stronger U.S. recovery after the Great Recession.

Debt poses a growing threat to the financial security of many Americans — and not just college graduates with exorbitant student loans.

In January 2021, more than seven out of 10 workers were very or somewhat confident that they would have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement years.

One of the most fundamental truths of investing is that you can't time the market.

If you lose a job, switch employers, or step into retirement, you might consider rolling your retirement plan savings into an IRA.

If you make significant gifts to your children or someone else's children (perhaps a grandchild, a nephew, or a niece), or if someone else makes gifts to your children, there are a number of things to consider.

Before they transition into employer-sponsored health plans or buy private health insurance, young adults are more likely to be uninsured than other age groups.

In late December 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, another relief package in response to the pandemic.

Take the following quiz to see how well you understand some of the finer points.

While mothers deserve appreciation every day of the year, Mother's Day offers a special opportunity to celebrate them.

Historically low interest rates resulted in record homebuying, even as housing prices escalated.

Term life insurance provides life insurance coverage for a specific time period (the term).

An estimated 145 million Americans own real estate investment trusts (REITs) in their retirement accounts and other investment funds.

The average age for claiming Social Security retirement benefits has been steadily rising.

In 2020, three companies in the S&P 500 index announced plans for stock share splits, down from 102 companies in 1997 and seven in 2016.

Tax filing season is here again. If you haven't done so already, you'll want to start pulling things together — that includes getting your hands on a copy of your 2019 tax return and gathering W-2s, 1099s, and deduction records.

If we've learned any lesson over the past year, it's that no matter how carefully we plan and prepare, we'll likely encounter unexpected hurdles.

Active and passive investing are two different strategies for optimizing a portfolio. Wise investors know a little about each.

We all want to save money, but experts chime in on what to consider when you’re buying readers.

Global population is projected to peak at 9.7 billion in 2064 and decline to 8.8 billion by the end of the century, according to a study from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Now more than ever it's important to have control of your finances.

Growth stocks have dominated the market for a decade, but some analysts think value stocks may have strong appeal during the economic recovery.

Here are a few key cost-of-living adjustments announced by the IRS for 2021.

A record number of young adults lived at home with their parents in 2020, driven by the coronavirus pandemic but exacerbated by other factors.

The coronavirus pandemic has completely changed the corporate landscape.

As people move through different stages of life, there are new financial opportunities and potential pitfalls around every corner.

"You can't time the market" is an old maxim, but you also might say, "You can't always time retirement."

The inflation measure most often mentioned in the media is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which tracks the average change in prices paid by consumers over time for a fixed basket of goods and services.

When it's time to prepare the next generation for a financial legacy, you might want to bring your family members together to talk about money.

During the holiday shopping season, your credit score is probably the last thing on your mind.

In early 2020, 61% of U.S. workers surveyed said that retirement planning makes them feel stressed.

The pandemic has left those in skilled nursing, rehabilitation facilities and assisted living feeling isolated and often sad. Here’s what you can do to help.

Most American families don’t like to talk about money, but as parents age it becomes a crucial conversation.

Americans gave almost $450 billion to charity in 2019, an increase of 4.2% over the previous year.

For adults with student debt and extra money on hand, deciding whether to pay off student loans early or put those funds toward retirement can be tricky.

This year has been challenging on many fronts, but one financial opportunity may have emerged from the economic turbulence.

Here are some things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves before the end of the year.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced consumers to change many habits, including how they shop.

Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your employer-provided benefit options and make elections for the upcoming plan year.

Market turbulence in 2020 may have wreaked havoc on your investment goals for the year.

Federal and state governments have spent extraordinary sums in response to the economic toll inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals in the "sandwich generation" have the dual responsibility of providing care for an adult — often a parent — while also raising children.

Stock market volatility in 2020 has clearly reinforced at least one important investing principle: Short-term goals typically require a conservative investment approach.

The Federal Reserve's unprecedented efforts to support the U.S economy during the COVID-19 pandemic include a commitment by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to purchase Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities "in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning and effective transmission of monetary policy."

You have decided you need life insurance coverage and are considering buying a term policy. But you ask your financial professional, "Do I get any of my money back at the end of the term?"

During the 2019-2020 academic year, U.S. colleges and universities conferred an estimated...

The health and economic crisis created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on how we all will travel going forward. And though it may be difficult to think about planning a trip during these uncertain times, here are some things to consider if you do decide to travel.

In 26 states (and Puerto Rico), laws generally hold children financially responsible for certain debts of their parents. These laws are referred to as filial responsibility laws (or filial support or filial piety laws).

The 2020-2021 academic year is right around the corner, and the coronavirus pandemic has upended the college world, like everything else.

Because of a long-term rise in the employment rate for women of all ages

Americans use debit cards more often than credit cards, but they tend to use credit cards for higher-dollar transactions. The average value of a debit-card transaction in 2018 was just $36, while credit-card transactions averaged $89.

Dramatic market turbulence has been common in 2020, and you can't help but hear about the frequent ups and downs of the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500 index. The performance of these major indexes is widely reported and analyzed in detail by financial news outlets around the nation.

As the number of COVID-19 cases began to skyrocket in March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

More than 79 million foreign tourists visited the United States in 2019, adding $254 billion to the U.S. economy.

It's never too soon to start teaching children about money.

The Roth "five-year rule" typically refers to when you can take tax-free distributions of earnings from your Roth IRA, Roth 401(k), or other work-based Roth account.

The first part of 2020 was rocky, but there should be better days ahead. Taking a close look at your finances may give you the foundation you need to begin moving forward.

Happy Memorial Day from Oak Tree Financial Services.

Recent college graduates aren't the only ones carrying student loan debt.

Your ability to earn an income may be your most valuable asset.

Wills and trusts are common documents used in estate planning. While each can help in the distribution of assets at death, there are important differences between the two.

This lady is putting on a brave face, but her private thoughts are a little more stressed-out—and amusing.

By now you know that Congress has passed a $2 trillion relief bill to help keep individuals and businesses afloat during these difficult times.

The U.S. population was 328,239,523 in 2019, an increase of 0.5% over 2018.

Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion in student debt.

Current available delivery services and other helpful resources to help prepare for the COVID-19 virus (also known as novel coronavirus).

The rules for tax records apply to other records you use for deductions on your return...

Social Security is much more than a retirement program.

After losing ground in 2018, U.S. stocks had a banner year in 2019, with the S&P 500 gaining almost 29% — the highest annual increase since 2013.

About 72% of taxpayers received a refund in 2018 and 2019.