While it’s highly recommended that we use a financial advisor when we start to grow our investment portfolio, there are a lot of things you can do before you ever speak to a financial advisor to grow and maintain your investment portfolio. Investing, like everything else in life, has no guarantees, and even the hottest stock or the best tip may not always perform the way we would like.

Paying fees for professional investment management is something we’d all like to avoid. Why pay for some guy in a suit to manage your investments when you can do-it-yourself with a simple online brokerage account? There are many reasons to trust a professional - read on to find out whether it’s worth it to go with the pros.

We’re all familiar with fitness fanatics, raving about life changing workouts guaranteed to get you into tip top shape. While there is a new fitness craze in the air, it’s time to exercise your wallet. Financial Fitness is a set of goals or programs to help you identify your financial goals, and how to get in the best financial shape of your life.

Smart-phones are less of an option these days and more of an extension of everyday life. Your phone is there for you when you need to know the weather, connect with your friends and colleagues, and when you just have to post that perfect Instagram of yesterday’s brunch.

Being financially literate in today’s economic climate is more important than ever. Understanding finances can help you make better money management decisions, budget your money properly, adequately save for college, and be financially prepared for retirement. While it may sound daunting, financial literacy starts with a budget.

As we move into fall, and a chill sneaks into the air, it's inevitable to start thinking about how winter is coming as well.

Sometimes simple is best. Many of us tend to complicate our financial situation; overthinking our options while ignoring the basics.

But like anything else, the simplest rules are often the most important ones; and the ones most likely to be ignored. How many of these rules do you follow?

The American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA) recently published a list of personal finance trends that we should all be concerned about. These trends highlight the fact that almost 63 percent of Americans today are unable to pass a basic financial literacy test.

Here are the troubling trends, as well as some tips on how to avoid them:

More than 60 million Americans had their identities stolen in 2018, a significant increase from 2015, where more than 15 million consumers were affected. With identity theft numbers on the rise, it certainly doesn’t appear likely that scammers are going away anytime soon.

Most consumers typically have both a credit card and a debit card. Of course, the biggest difference between the two is that a debit card will immediately take money out of your bank account when used, unlike a credit card, which will pay for the purchase and later add the amount of the transaction to your monthly statement.

But are there any other differences between the two?