Insights

Sarah Duey   I once had clients with only one daughter. They created a living trust for only their grandchild without ever telling their daughter why.   As the trustees, we worked with this daughter, because her child was still a minor. There were hard feelings — a lot of wondering why her …

Teaching your kids about money early will serve them long into adulthood.   Watch our webinar: Teaching Your Kids About Money with Carson’s Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Advanced Solutions Erin Wood and Vice President, NextGen & Advisor Development Programs Julie Ragatz, …

Beth Schanou, Senior Wealth Planner   Finances can be difficult to talk about – especially with your parents when they need your financial help.

The first payment of the Child Tax Credit started hitting bank accounts on July 15 and will continue every month for the rest of 2021. 

There is a strong premium on earning a college degree, perhaps driven by previous generations who witnessed the power of education. But you may find yourself receiving a student loan bill every month, even now as you contemplate sending your kids to college. Though an education continues to …

By Erin Wood, Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Advanced Solutions After my struggle with pregnancy issues, I was surprised by how quickly I found out I wasn’t alone. Friends, relatives, coworkers – people I’d known for years – were suddenly sharing with me a vital but private p …

As a financial advisor who’s spent her career in the midwest, I’ve worked with more farm families than I can count. From buying new expensive equipment to riding out the drought years, there can be millions in play even on small family operations. Estate planning – splitting up the land bet …

Your financial advisor may not be the first person you call when considering splitting up, but they should be somewhere on the list. One of the concrete things you can do to help with the process and the healing to follow is to plan ahead. 

For most students, experts say it remains financially worth it to go to college, despite rising tuition and opportunity costs in relation to increasing wages for workers holding only a high school diploma. The average rate of return (net gain or loss on college investment across a career) is 14%. 

I have always loved the feeling of summer. Once Memorial Day celebrations kick off, the atmosphere seems to relax. Sunshine, water and sunscreen seem to be everyone’s focus. Long, warm nights are filled with the sounds of lawn mowers and children laughing.