Planning & Retirement
Prepare for financial milestones and events
Financial planning

Shape Up Your Financial Plan for 2024
From polishing up your portfolio, to checking on your estate plan, to making tax-efficient choices, now is the time to get your financial plan on sound footing for the new year.

Ace Your Year-End Tax Game
To win in pickleball, you need to know the rules. It's the same with tax planning. Explore five tax-aware strategies that could help you discover opportunities to save on taxes.

2023 Taxes: 8 Things to Know
With Tax Day approaching, here are eight things to keep in mind as you prepare to file your 2023 taxes.
College and education

Save or Pay Off Student Loans?
Just because you have student loans to pay off doesn't mean you should put investing on hold to do it—you don't have to prioritize one over the other.

Education: 529 Savings Plans
A popular college-savings vehicle is the 529 savings plan, which provides several tax advantages when used for education expenses.

Budgeting for Student Loans
Ready to face the return of student loan repayments? Conquer your budget by tracking expenses, cutting back on non-essentials, and balancing debt payment with retirement savings.
Estate planning

Annuities in Your Estate Plan
If you have an annuity you no longer need, consider these five ways to deploy the extra income in your estate plan.

Reducing Estate-Attorney Fees
Working with an estate attorney can be costly. These three tips can help keep legal expenses to a minimum.

Tax-Exemption Countdown
Lifetime estate and gift tax exemption thresholds are poised to be cut in half at the stroke of midnight December 31, 2025, leading to a potentially sharp jump in some estates' tax liability. But there's still time to prepare.
Saving for retirement

Traditional IRA Withdrawals
Whether you're considering a traditional IRA or already contributing to one, it's a good idea to know what will happen when it's time to take your hard-earned savings out. Here are four questions to get you started.

The Future of Social Security and Medicare?
Medicare and Social Security are projected to run out of money in less than a decade. Mike Townsend discusses possible solutions to the shortfalls and the likelihood of each.

Saving for Retirement Without Steady Income
For the millions of workers without the steady income of a 9-to-5 job, here's how to save for retirement.
In retirement

Required Minimum Distributions
Investors 73 and older must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from tax-deferred retirement accounts. Learn how Charles Schwab can help you meet this requirement.

Annuities in Your Estate Plan
If you have an annuity you no longer need, consider these five ways to deploy the extra income in your estate plan.

The Key Ages of Retirement
Retirement is a series of milestones that arrive as you age. Here are the ones you should know about.
Tax planning

Ace Your Year-End Tax Game
To win in pickleball, you need to know the rules. It's the same with tax planning. Explore five tax-aware strategies that could help you discover opportunities to save on taxes.

Are You Ready for Tax Day?
The sooner you start gathering your tax forms and getting ready to file, the less stress you're likely to feel as Tax Day approaches.

2023 Taxes: 8 Things to Know
With Tax Day approaching, here are eight things to keep in mind as you prepare to file your 2023 taxes.