This is the first of a series in which The Epoch Times will publish, chapter by chapter, the book The Secrets of Successful Financial Planning: Inside Tips From an Expert, by Dan Gallagher. Introduction For more than three decades, until my December 2017 retirement, I’ve asked clients about the financial strategies and experiences they had prior to…

Some parents will tell you firsthand there’s no expiration date on this raising kids gig. For some, that means they extend financial help to their kids into adulthood. When I was 21 and got into a master’s program at a college of my dreams, my mom swooped in to help me pay for my degree….

It’s likely that you have one primary source of income—just like most people. It’s fine to have a single source of income. It can, however, be dangerous as well. How would you cope if your primary source of income dried up, or your job was lost? That’s exactly what happened in the aftermath of the…

The concept of financial independence isn’t a far-fetched dream! Cultivating financial discipline right from your twenties or even thirties can put you on track with the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement. However, most individuals fail to achieve financial independence before their retirement. Now, think that you are 70, and when you look back, you…

Women often don’t score as well as men in surveys of financial literacy. One area where we seem to do better is “longevity literacy,” or understanding how long we’re likely to live. Longevity literacy is essential to smart retirement planning. Overestimate your longevity, and you could retire too late or scrimp too much. Underestimate it…

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, only 33 percent of Americans feel confident about retiring comfortably. Many individuals and families struggle to secure their financial future, making it essential to be aware of the pitfalls and mistakes that can derail your retirement plans. My story began when I was 25, fresh out of college,…

For new college graduates, receiving that first post-degree paycheck can be almost as exciting as getting the diploma itself. But it also presents a challenge: Given the many demands on a young person’s budget, how should those funds be managed? We asked five money experts to share their best personal finance strategies to help this…

Hitting the million mark, especially if you did it all by yourself, is a huge achievement—both financially and personally. While some people make peace with the millionaire tag, most head towards the next big milestone—becoming a billionaire. However, a lot of people fail to realize that although the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire…

Professional organizers might define household clutter as a pile of unmade decisions. Money clutter is much the same. Those credit cards you no longer use but haven’t closed? That’s money clutter. So is the retirement account you left behind three jobs ago and the financial paperwork you keep but no longer need. Money clutter also…

Retiring is a step that seniors look forward to. Working days will have ended, and you can begin to live on the money you have saved in various retirement accounts over the years. There are plans to fulfill and trips to make. While no one wants to consider the need for long-term care—have you included…