The cost to obtain a college education in the United States has risen rapidly in the last several years. But average household incomes aren’t necessarily keeping pace, making it difficult for many parents to send their children to expensive public and private institutions.

 

Suzanna de Baca, vice president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial, offers some answers to common questions about how parents and young adults should approach important college money decisions.

Small business owners use their entrepreneurship skills to juggle the day-to-day operations of their business, but their balancing act may leave them little time for planning for retirement. This life milestone is different for everyone, but it’s especially unique for small business owners. While most people who are anticipating retirement have savings plans sponsored by their company, the process may be more complex in the absence of such a plan. Small business owners must determine how to keep income flowing after retirement or how to capitalize off of their business by selling it and creating a nest egg. Pat O’Connell, senior vice president of the Ameriprise Advisor Group at Ameriprise Financial, shares these tips for small business owners.
 

Natural disasters are difficult to prepare for and the wake of damage they create can linger long after the danger subsides. The total impact of disasters like Hurricane Sandy, the drought in the Corn Belt, the Colorado wild fires and the more than two dozen tornadoes that hit the South last January is massive. It can take a toll on personal, state and federal balance sheets.