This article was originally published in July 2021 and updated in February 2026 to reflect current information.

It’s highly common for our clients with children, grandchildren, and other family members to direct their assets to things or activities that will help those family members financially. Allocating portions of your legacy and offering financial assistance can make a lifelong impact on your loved ones. So, how and when should you get started, and what do you need to consider?

One of the most important aspects of responsible financial planning is risk management. A proper understanding of risk can help you anticipate losses and gains and create an investment strategy with your financial planner as you build wealth. Assessing your risk tolerance can guide you in your investment decisions. Armed with this knowledge, you can start to see the risk of avoiding risk.

It is important to identify your financial goals, what it will take to reach those goals and understand the level of risk you are willing to take to get there. Your goals and behavior must be aligned.

Note: This article was originally published on May 27, 2021 and updated on June 17, 2026 to reflect current information.

Your nonprofit exists to serve a mission. Strong financial management is one of the things that can help to make that mission sustainable. Not just this year, but for the long term.

For many nonprofit organizations, partnering with a qualified financial advisor can provide meaningful support across investment management, fiduciary governance, and donor development. Here's a look at some of the key benefits.

With the upcoming holiday season, we reached out to our Carnegie Investment Counsel team to share gift book recommendations. No two answers were alike and the recommendations were rich and unexpected.

While some investing wisdom is timeless and can be as simple as “save early and often,” behavioral finance shows us that the best advice is one that can be followed and adhered to long enough for it to deliver. 

Priorities in one's 20s are and should be different than those in one's 40s and beyond. 2020 has put a wrinkle in even the best laid plans and added other layers of uncertainties to be taken into account for both short- and long-term financial decisions. Here are some steps to consider in the different phases of financial life.

Originally published in 2020. Updated in October 2025 to reflect recent annuity sales trends and product developments.

As life expectancy increases and stock market volatility seems to grow, annuities are gaining in popularity as people seek safety for their money.  According to InvestmentNews, total U.S. annuity sales rose from about $219 billion in 2020 to $434 billion in 2024, and reached $223 billion in the first half of 2025.

We’re seeing structural drivers behind the surge: more capital is flowing into the annuity business via private equity; distributors are building new platforms; and consumers increasingly worry about guaranteed income sources beyond the market or Social Security.

It is essential to share some truths about annuities and explain the risks of these seemingly safe products, which are sold as “can’t miss” solutions. 

How to choose the best financial advisor for you

Looking for a female financial advisor? At Carnegie Investment Counsel, we asked three of our female financial advisors for tips about how to find the best investment advisor for you. They emphasized that team members at Carnegie, male or female, focus on providing a customized and hands-on approach to services from financial planning to portfolio management. The point is to assess any advisor for the best fit when choosing a long-term financial partner.

This article was originally published in October 2019 and updated in February 2026 to reflect current information.

As financial scams continue to grow in sophistication, older Americans remain one of the most targeted populations. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), adults age 60 and older reported more than $3.4 billion in fraud losses in 2023 alone. The Federal Trade Commission also reports that Americans lost more than $10 billion to fraud last year, a record high.

In the world of finance, we are continually learning and seeking high-quality data and information to help us make the best decisions for our clients' wealth.

Our advisors truly enjoy providing financial advice and guidance to those around them, but we were curious about the best financial advice they have ever received. We asked them to share one thing that has helped them achieve success.

So, here are eight valuable points to consider adding to your knowledge bank.

Some DIY investors may feel like they are saving money by managing their own investments. But just like with your car, is it smart to be your own mechanic? A lot can go wrong. What might that cost you? And if you found a great mechanic who you trusted, would you ever want to fix your own car again?

From our years of experience, we find many investors who feel they are managing their own portfolios well. But across the board, when we review their portfolios, we find they are missing out for multiple reasons. Here are a few examples: