Practice Finance

You may not need a planner - but you do need a plan.

Rockford, Illinois-based Savant Capital Management has hired Brian Knabe, MD, as a financial adviser.

Right about now, wealth management feels a lot more like damage control.

A friend has suggested that I create a living will. How do I get started?

When I approach age 60, should I stop putting money in my Keogh?

I need a quick source of cash. Is it possible to tap funds from my individual retirement account, assuming I plan to repay the account?

I live in an area with a lot of foreclosed homes. It seems like a good investment to buy some of these homes and turn them around for profit once the housing market takes off again. How do I get started?

Considerable rewards await those who invest in mutual funds that hold packages of principally higher-than-subprime-quality mortgages.

I've been reading a lot about variable annuities recently. When does investing in one make sense?

I've started writing my will, but I'm not sure whom to choose as the executor. What factors should I consider?

How can I invest in a more environmentally friendly manner?

Not having children may mean you don't have to worry about day-care costs, college tuition, or wedding bills, but it doesn't ensure a comfortable retirement.

This year my wife began working full-time again, so we sent our 8-year-old son to summer day camp. Can we include the cost when figuring our child-care tax credit for 2008?

My brother asked me to be the executor of his estate. Could I be personally liable if I accidentally do something wrong?

My sister asked me to co-sign a loan so she can get a larger amount than she'd qualify for on her own. I trust her to repay the debt fully and on time, but what risks do I face if she doesn't?

Consumer confidence is a good snapshot for how we feel today, but it is not a reliable factor in making long-term financial decisions.

The good job you and other physicians are doing to increase the life expectancy of patients has a downside: Social Security may wind up on life support. Part of the solution may be to increase the retirement age to reflect this greater longevity.

Despite a sagging economy and a weak stock market during the first half of 2008, retirement plan participants increased the amounts they contributed compared to the same period in 2007, according to results of an analysis from Boston-based Fidelity Investments.

According to the terms of a class-action lawsuit, credit bureau TransUnion must provide free credit monitoring to anyone who had an open credit account or open line of credit in the United States during the past 21 years.

I paid $980 each for some $1,000 bonds with a 6 percent coupon. They mature in 10 years, but the issuer can call them earlier at face value. The broker's statement shows a 6.3 percent yield to maturity and says the yield will be higher if the bonds are called. How can that be?

An unfamiliar broker called me to suggest some promising stock investments. I asked him to send me the details in writing, and he followed up with a letter that featured seals of approval from both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Does that mean these investments are legitimate?

My wife and I are adopting a girl from China, and we'll fly to that country in late December or early January to finalize the process and bring her home. What's the maximum adoption tax credit we can claim on our 2008 return?

I'm thinking about closing some high-interest credit card accounts that I'm no longer using. Will this remove the accounts from my credit record?

A key to assembling a model portfolio is picking solid mutual funds that you can hang onto in all market seasons. Here are are some top actively managed equity mutual funds in five asset categories-large-cap domestic stocks, small-cap domestic stocks, international stocks, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and commodities.