Preferred Consumer Financial Guide

Get a Grip on Mutual Fund Fees

by Kristi Vaughan

Are fees eating away at your mutual fund investments? Understanding what you are being charged and when you are paying it can help you become a wiser investor.

Just as there are different investment strategies and fund managers, so too are there different ways of paying the management, transaction and service costs of mutual funds. And, as you consider investing in mutual funds it is important to note that these costs are incurred whether the fund is increasing in value or declining.
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Is the Right Choice for You a Bank or a Credit Union?

By Teresa Ambord

If you're soon to be in the market for a loan, it might be a good time to think about where you do your banking. If you've been a customer of your bank for many years, that might work in your favor. Then again, credit unions are often able to offer lower credit rates.
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Retirement Planning: How to Save for the Future

by Michele Blandino

For most people, the need to save for retirement, particularly when they are in the midst of their working years, is a difficult concept to understand. Yet, the uncertain future of the Social Security system, coupled with the increasing incidence of under-funded or bankrupt corporate pension plans, makes the need to start saving early even more critical.
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Retirement Planning: The Basics of the 401(k)

By Michele Blandino

What exactly is a 401(k)? Simply put, 401(k) plans are employer sponsored salary deferral retirement savings plans. Unfortunately, that’s the simple part – the rest of the explanation is slightly more complicated.
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