When it comes to retirement, there seems to be a never-ending checklist of tasks to complete in order to prepare yourself for this major milestone. You need to save enough to maintain your lifestyle, invest wisely, create a withdrawal strategy, minimize your taxes, and claim your Social Security benefits. But there’s one other critical piece of retirement planning to keep in mind: signing up for Medicare. And with healthcare being one of the top five expenses in retirement, your Medicare choices are some of the most important decisions you will make.

As you have heard, Spredfast has announced a merger with Lithium Technologies. When companies undergo a change this significant, there are often ripple effects that impact those who work for the company. In this case, you may have a large sum of Spredfast options coming due this year. Do you know what to do? What do you need to know about your employee stock options?

If you work for a company that offers Employee Stock Options (ESOs), you may be wondering how you should take advantage of them and whether they can help you reach your financial goals. In a previous article, we walked you through an overview of Employee Stock Options, but even if you understand how they work, you might not know how to maximize their value and how they fit into your financial plan. Here are six financial planning principles that may help you make the best decisions for your financial situation.

If you work for a large company, it’s likely that you have the opportunity to take advantage of a comprehensive benefits package. Understanding all of the perks that you are entitled to is crucial to your long-run financial success. One perk I’d like to highlight is Employee Stock Options (ESO). Through my explanation of the ins-and-outs of ESO’s, you will have a better understanding of how you can make the most of them.

Whenever a financial change occurs at the government level, there is a domino effect in your personal finances. For example, the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects more than just your net pay. On the surface, we know that Trump’s tax reform bill lowers tax rates for individuals and corporations, increases the child tax credit, doubles the standard deduction, and caps or eliminates several deductions. But does it have any cascading effects on your estate plan?

Would you rather plan a vacation or strategize your retirement? A Charles Schwab retirement survey found that Americans spend considerably more time and energy researching vacation possibilities and car purchases than planning for retirement. And even if you are one of the few who has their financial ducks in a row, have you given any thought to the psychological transition that occurs when you reach this milestone? We know that money can only buy happiness if used intentionally, so let’s take a look at the three things women need to experience a fulfilling retirement.

Do you remember the game of telephone you played as a kid? The game where someone whispered a message into someone else’s ear and everyone repeated it until the final result was completely different? Well, the commonly-held assumptions about Social Security are kind of like that. The true details of the system are complicated, difficult to muddle through, and the messages that are received are often skewed.

We already know that women face more financial hurdles than men, especially when it comes to retirement. They earn less, save less, live longer, and spend more time out of the workforce to care for children or other family members. Unfortunately, the obstacles don’t end there. Women are more likely to face disability than their male counterparts, but only 20% of American women are aware of this looming threat.