Millenials

While so much of personal finance is common sense – don’t spend more than you make, don’t buy a house you can’t afford, start to invest money while you’re young, many young people today enter the workforce fresh out of college, with a boatload of student loans, and with no clue how to properly manage their money.

As a retirement plan, 401(k) plans currently outpace the competition, with more than 54 million Americans participating in a 401(k) plan, and nearly 550,000 plans offered.

Employer sponsored, 401(k) plans are by far the easiest mechanism for workers to get started saving for retirement. And because there is typically an employer match for contributions up to a certain percentage, workers can end up leaving a significant amount of money on the table if they choose to forego participating in the company 401(k) plan.

Health insurance used to be a fairly simple process. But today, whether obtaining health insurance privately or through an employer, we’re being offered a variety of insurance plans with varying benefit levels, making the choice more difficult.

Before you enroll in another health insurance plan, here are some common terms you need to know – and understand:

For many early 20-somethings that are freshly graduated and are now facing credit card and loan bills, the last thing on their mind is investments. Your new job can just about cover rent and groceries but the limitless pocket money of your youth is now a distant memory. Granted, saving for retirement may be a far fetched idea with the mountain of immediate payments piling up; however this does not mean that young Canadians should ditch investing entirely!

You’ve finally decided that it’s time to buy a house. Your family looks at area listings and picks out a few homes to view. In the process, you find the house of your dreams, only to watch it slip away as another potential buyer puts a bid on it, backed by their preapproval, whereas you don’t even know what your credit score is.

In order to be taken more seriously as a buyer and avoid disappointment, here are a few things you should do prior to looking at current homes on the market:

 A post-secondary degree is essential to earn a foothold in the workforce. 

Health insurance used to be a fairly simple process. But today, whether obtaining health insurance privately or through an employer, we’re being offered a variety of insurance plans with varying benefit levels, making the choice more difficult.

Before you enroll in another health insurance plan, here are some common terms you need to know – and understand:

The rising popularity of robo-advisors has some in the industry wondering whether this is the beginning of the end for financial advisors.

In reality, robo-advisors have been able to do something that traditional financial advisors have not; get those with limited resources to begin creating a portfolio of investments.

Started in 1996, 529 plans provide tax incentives for those saving for post-secondary education. The plan allows funds saved to be used at any eligible education institution, which typically includes colleges, universities, vocational schools or any post-secondary educational institute that is currently eligible to participate in U.S. Department of Education student aid programs. Operating much like at 401(k) or IRA, funds deposited into a 529 plan are not taxed, either by the federal government or the state in which the participant resides.

What exactly does it mean to “fully” protect your financial future?