Brittany shows a scenario where a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) could reduce your tax bill for years to come. In a year with abnormally high taxable income, consider a DAF as a way to make the most of your charitable donations.

Chris shows how making Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from an IRA can be a tax-smart way to donate to charities in retirement. If you’re over age 70.5, have an IRA, and want to donate to charities, consider QCDs as a way to minimize your taxable income and maximize your charitable giving! As always, talk with your financial and tax advisor.

Starting early with a Roth IRA can make a significant difference in your financial future. By taking advantage of the potential tax benefits and benefits of compounding, you may position yourself for success and flexibility in the long term. Remember, the earlier you start, the more time your money has to grow.

With the start of the New Year and classes coming back in session, there is no better time for a fresh beginning with your finances. Here are 8 smart budgeting tips that can help you build a strong financial foundation before you graduate.

Whether your earnings came from hard work or good luck, the final few months of the year are a perfect time to review this year’s income and make sure you have a smart tax plan in place. Here are the planning steps to take.

Graduate school can be a worthwhile investment, but it can also be expensive and time-consuming. To help you weigh your options, take these three steps:

With an HSA, not only do you get a tax deduction on the money you contribute, but the earnings in the account are tax-deferred and the withdrawals are tax-free if you use the funds for qualified medical expenses*. Read on to learn more about the HSA and why you might want it to be part of your longer-term savings plan.

For younger investors, we believe the overarching theme of SECURE 2.0 is greater opportunities to save for retirement. Here are five of the biggest updates for young professionals.

If you have federal student loans, you have undoubtedly enjoyed the past few years of zero interest + zero required payments on your loans. However, federal student loan payments and interest accrual are set to resume by mid-2023, and this could be a harsh awakening for many loan borrowers.

There’s no one right or wrong way to approach financial advising, but given the plethora of options it’s not surprising that only 35%* of Americans work with a financial advisor – it’s so hard to know when and where to start!

At some point, you realize the Internet doesn’t have all the answers you need. Sometimes facts and general education aren’t enough – you need someone who knows you and can help you make a decision.

When it comes to financial goals, we’re often thinking about big, long-term objectives like saving for retirement, paying for college, or buying a home. Life is all about balance, though: you deserve to enjoy life now while planning for the future, so it’s important to consider what your shorter-term priorities might be.

For families who are in the position of paying for daycare or a nanny, it can still be a complicated decision to make because there are many factors to consider - some of these factors are financial, some are less quantifiable. While every family should make the decision that is uniquely best for them, it is wise to weigh the potential advantages of either choice.

The new year is right around the corner, so it’s a great time to revisit your charitable gifting strategy. In today’s installment of our series “Uncertain Seas: Navigating 2021 Tax Reform,” Brittany Mollica has a case study in some tax-efficient ways to give.

Given how expensive college (and children in general) can be, it’s important to plan ahead. Here are three steps for setting and reaching your college savings goal.

Advisor Brittany Mollica is featured on this week’s episode of The Mind Money Spectrum podcast. She speaks with hosts Aaron Agte and Trishul Patel to discuss credit scores. Learn how you can identify which actions will help build your credit score when you're just getting off the ground, or what you can do to improve a less-than-ideal score.

If you’re starting 2021 with a goal of bettering your finances, it may be time to improve your credit score. Here are 6 simple steps to improving your credit score.

Refinancing your mortgage solely to get a lower interest rate isn’t always the smartest financial move, so here are some questions to consider before you call up a mortgage broker

With mortgage rates at historically low levels, you might feel compelled to browse Zillow in search of your perfect first home. Going through the process firsthand has caused me to think about how to know when you’re ready to make the leap from renter to homeowner.

How do you make wise and opportunistic financial decisions during such an uncertain time? For context and insights from Hilltop, watch our webinar: Personal Finance 101 – Planning in a Pandemic.

It is undeniably tough to watch your account balances fall – that’s your hard-earned money! This is where your financial advisor comes in. We’re here to remind you of the bigger picture so you can stick to your plan, take advantage of any investment opportunities, and, just as importantly, not lose any sleep over it.

The SECURE Act changes a wide variety of rules and several items could be relevant to younger families and professionals.

Many of us are thinking about our New Year’s Resolutions as we celebrate the start of the 2020s. While most resolutions are related to physical health, we’ve put together some suggestions for financial health resolutions, particularly for retirement accounts provided by your employer (401(k), 403(b), TSP, etc.).

When it comes to the “food” category of my budget, I’ve noticed that it’s easy for expenses to add up way faster than planned. To counteract that, I've implemented some strategies within the past year that have helped me cut down on my dining and grocery expenses while wasting less food and still getting to eat at my favorite restaurants.

For most people, dying is a more visceral fear, so we tend to focus our anxiety and worry on the possibility of death. But facing a period of disability without the proper insurance in place is a serious risk. If you lose income because you’re too sick or injured to work, the financial cost to you and your family can be devastating.

You’ve mastered the basic differences between a Traditional and a Roth IRA (by reading part one of this post) and you’re ready to start saving. Now, it’s game time: which type of account should you use? There’s no right or wrong answer, but there are a few items you should think through before making your decision.

You’re a saver, and you’ve heard that contributing to a Traditional or Roth IRA is a good tax move. But you may be bewildered about the difference and trying to decide which one is for you. We’re here to help! This post is part one of two and will discuss the rules of Traditional and Roth IRAs.

Budgeting does not have to be difficult or time-consuming. It can actually be comforting to know that you have a plan for your money, especially if that includes a regular Starbucks run!

As a young professional, you may think you’re too busy to learn how your tax return works. Whether you’re new to adulting and filing on your own for the first time or you’ve been filing for a few years and want to actually understand it this time, you don’t need to be intimidated by the 1040.

The reason your cash reserve is so important: you can never predict when your car is going to break down, when you might lose your job or when you’ll need to take a trip to Urgent Care. These surprise expenses can be costly, and you don’t want to be forced to withdraw from your retirement accounts or take on credit card debt just to pay the bills.