Personal Finance
Featured
Personal Finance Topics
Taxes
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Should You Reinvest Dividends? Not Always
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4 Financial Worries to Cross Off Your List
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You Just Retired (or Are About to). Now What?
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How the ‘Mega-Backdoor’ Roth Works
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5 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund
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How I Invest My Health Savings Account
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6 Tax Tips You Should Start Thinking About Now
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Morningstar’s Tax-Planning and IRA Resources for 2026
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5 Ways to Avoid Tax Penalties in 2026
Saving and Spending
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Trump Accounts vs. 529: Assessing the Pros and Cons
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When Inflation Hits, Don’t Let These Line Items Sink Your Savings
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Is Your Cautious Retirement Spending Doing More Harm Than Good?
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How Much Should You Allocate to Safer Assets?
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Take This Simple Step as You Approach Retirement
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The Best Places to Park Your Short-Term Investments
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10 Sources of Emergency Cash, Ranked From Best to Worst
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Strategies for Boosting Retirement Spending: How Advisors Can Maximize Client Outcomes (Safely)
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David Bach: ‘Start Enjoying Your Life Sooner’
Medical Expenses and Long-Term Care
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3 Tricky Decisions for Every Retirement Plan
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4 Financial Tasks You Shouldn’t Put Off
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3 Big Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents
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How I Invest My Health Savings Account
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Why Age 75 Is a Turning Point for Retirement Housing Decisions
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Harry Margolis: How to Confront Aging Challenges Head-On
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How to Assess Your Needs for Different Types of Insurance
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Emily Guy Birken: What to Do in the Five Years Before You Retire
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5 Strategies for Navigating the Medicare IRMAA Time Bomb
Save for College
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Estimate Your Federal and State 529 Tax Benefits
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Trump Accounts vs. 529: Assessing the Pros and Cons
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Do You Need a 529 Savings Account? Yes, for Many Reasons
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Your 529 Questions, Answered
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Morningstar’s Guide to 529 Plans
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529 Plans Keep Getting Cheaper: 5 Key Takeaways From Our 2026 Study
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I (Finally) Started Saving for My Kids’ Educations. What Was Stopping Me?
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6 Reasons the Trump Savings Account Falls Short
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How Much Do You Really Need to Save for College?
More in Personal Finance
New Retirees: Prepare for the Possibility of a Lost Decade
A financial advisor’s view on negative or flat market returns and when to claim Social Security.
Morningstar’s Guide to 529 Plans
Learn how 529s can help pay for educational expenses.
529 Plans Keep Getting Cheaper: 5 Key Takeaways From Our 2026 Study
Assets climbed to a record $550 billion, and the largest chunk is with the Big Three: Vanguard, Capital Group, and TIAA.
I (Finally) Started Saving for My Kids’ Educations. What Was Stopping Me?
My daughter’s last day of kindergarten was the milestone I needed to open a 529 savings account.
How to Tackle Estate Planning Basics in 7 Steps
Guess what? You’ve probably already started the process.
Adam Grossman: Asset Allocation Is an Investor’s Best Defense
A flat-fee financial advisor and columnist discusses why less complicated portfolios are usually best, how he addresses inflation risk in client portfolios, and his biggest worry for new retirees.
Ask the Analyst: Do Bonds Appreciate Over Time?
Bond prices can change in the short term, but they’re not the best way to generate long-term growth.
Why Your Ex Might Still Inherit Your 401(k)
How a simple paperwork mistake after divorce can leave your retirement account in the wrong hands.
4 Financial Worries to Cross Off Your List
Some concerns belong in the ‘unlikely to happen/deal with it when it actually does’ bin.
Is the Stock Market Open Today?
Use this calendar to keep up with all the stock market holidays for 2026.
When Inflation Hits, Don’t Let These Line Items Sink Your Savings
Watch your spending on housing and transportation. And remember that you’re investing for the long term.
What If This Turns Out to Be a Terrible Time to Retire?
Preretirees and new retirees concerned about today’s markets can take steps to protect themselves.
4 Financial Tasks You Shouldn’t Put Off
How to make sure these common financial ‘pain points’ don’t imperil your plan.
How to Discuss Portfolio Diversification With Different Types of Clients
Portfolio diversification can seem abstract, but the conversation doesn’t have to be.
Ben Carlson: Exploring Risk and Reward
The author of a new book about investing discusses the ‘automatic investing revolution,’ what investors can learn from past bubbles, and the role of complacency in today’s market environment.
How Portfolio Diversification Works in Inflationary Periods
Some asset classes tend to fare better than others when inflation is higher than average.
The Best ETFs and How They Fit in Your Portfolio
Explore the different types of exchange-traded funds and what we see as the top options.
Amit Wadhwaney: ’Buying Cheap Has a Number of Attractions’
The international value investor and Moerus co-founder on the importance of conviction, survivability, risk aversion, industry structure, and opportunities for value investors in today’s market.
3 Big Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents
Talk about finances, estate planning, and living arrangements when you get together for Father’s Day.
How to Build a Portfolio You Don’t Have to Babysit
These four steps can help you craft a (mostly) hands-off portfolio.
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