It’s not the responsibility of others to tell me how I can help society become a better society. It’s my responsibility to identify the actions I can take, no matter how small, to move society in the direction of justice.

You have three choices for the funds in your old 401(k) plan. The two you mentioned (leaving it where it is or rolling it over to your new employer) and third, rolling it over to an IRA. The best option for you would depend on several different factors, but generally . . . .

Brokerage firms are bound by federal and state law regarding the distribution of assets after death. They also have to worry about potentially being sued if they do something a potential beneficiary might not like.

Probably the best way to deal with this would be to see if the social group has a religious purpose or in some other way falls under the church’s charitable purpose. If so, the church can establish a new bank account . . . .

Your estate plan can't be a document which is created and then shelved. Over time, your estate plan will no longer reflect your actual estate. Ongoing maintenance is required to help your family avoid confusion, fighting, and even lawsuits.

Historically, there was a "three-legged stool" of retirement which provided Americans with a comfortable and safe retirement. The stool, however, has been eroded away, leaving many without sufficient income in retirement. Making small changes now can net a massive improvement in your lifestyle in retirement, and may provide you with the option to retire earlier or wealthier.

A net worth statement is one of the key documents you’ll need in planning your finances and achieving your goals. Creating your net worth statement might seem like an intimidating task, but for most people it’s actually relatively simple. Learn how to create a basic net worth statement in about 15 minutes.

If you haven’t reviewed beneficiary designations on all of your accounts, your heirs can be severely impacted. Improperly set designations will override your will, could increase tax liabilities, and can cause financial difficulties for your family.

The prospect of paying for a child’s college education can seem both daunting and impossibly expensive; but it doesn’t have to be. With a little knowledge and advanced planning sending a child to college can easily be managed.

When developing your financial plan, focus less on your finances and focus more on the lifestyle you want to achieve. Your financial plans should be rooted in the life goals you want beyond your finances. No matter if your goal is to pay off debt or own a villa in Europe, your finances are simply a means to an end.

As the year comes to a close, it is important you and your family enter the new year with a plan for your finances. By focusing on what you would have liked to do better last year, you can develop a solid plan for the new year of actions you can take to improve your financial situation. 

The human brain is an amazing thing, capable of dreaming up whimsical fantasies about our personal finances and how we are doing with our wealth and our debts. Creating a net worth statement is one of the greatest tools we can wield in stripping away our fantasies and waking ourselves to the realities of our personal finances.

For those who regularly read and learn about their personal finances, it is easy to fall into the thinking you don't need a professional financial adviser. For some, do-it-yourself financial management can work quite well when you are first starting out. As your life and your finances become more complex, doing it yourself can cause unforeseen problems. Here are some of the signs that indicate you might need a professional financial adviser.

You're probably familiar with the net worth statement as a tool for getting a quick snapshot of all you own and all you owe. But the net worth statement is the Swiss army knife of your financial documents, allowing you to use it for a surprising number of purposes. Keep your net worth statement handy for helping with all aspects of your financial plan including your insurance needs, estate planning....

Maintain an ongoing dialogue with the four key individuals who will be in charge of fulfilling your final wishes; the executor of your estate, the guardian of your children, your medical power of attorney, and your financial power of attorney. 

Over time your estate plan can become overgrown by changes to your assets. Keep your estate plan nice and tidy by updating the document when you sell or buy assets.

Regardless of what your will or trust says, the beneficiary designations on your accounts will determine where your money goes. Make sure to update your beneficiary designations to support your wishes.