Many investmeortunities come with a compelling story and an enticing promised return. These investments can be quite complex. While there is no substitute for due diligence, listen to find out how you can apply a quick test to assess the risk of a venture.

Sharp declines and lack of near-term clarity make investing in stocks difficult. But it's the cost of doing business if you desire the long-term gains that stocks have historically offered. Click here to view the full video.

Musical Treat

The times have changed, but some of the issues have remained the same, in Marvin Gaye's beautiful, haunting "What's Going On". We'd all like to know.

"You can't always get what you want," Mick Jagger plaintively sings in one of his numerous Rolling Stones hits. The Corona Virus outbreak leads many of us to want the impossible -- certainty. That's unlikely to be the case in the near-term, no matter how much we desire it.

Unless you are the kind of person who keeps a copy of the Internal Revenue Code on your nightstand, you are probably not aware of the important tax law changes that were recently enacted by Congress. The SECURE Act makes significant revisions to the rules governing retirement accounts and Section 529 college savings plans. Excellent summaries of the new provisions can be found here and here.

We avoid tasks that we find annoying, whether it's re-arranging a closet, cleaning out the garage, or obtaining and signing a will. Knowing that it is critically important to implement an estate plan does not always act as sufficient motivation to take care of it.