INSIGHTS

CFG & Dakota Brizendine Awarded at Finseca 2022 Leaders and Managers Program (LAMP)
This year, several leaders from CFG attended Finseca’s 2022 Leaders and Managers Program (LAMP), a premier leadership event for the financial security profession. Professionals from the financial services industry spent three days connecting, learning, and sharing their thoughts on where we’ve been and where we’re going as an industry.

Never Want to Retire? Here’s How to Plan
Most working Americans relish the notion of one day calling it quits and retiring to a warmer climate, or staying put during their senior years and pursuing personal interests. They may plan to exit the workforce gradually, by reducing their hours or consulting part-time. But the endgame is clear: leave the 9-to-5 grind behind when they reach retirement age.
And then there are those who intend to keep working for as long as they can, either because they have not saved enough to retire, or because they find purpose and meaning in their career. They may want to never retire. Regardless of your mindset on retirement, it is still helpful to have a plan in place.
Should You Accept a Loan From Your Parents?
A financially stable parent can identify many ways to give an adult child a financial boost: funding a college education, starting a business, or buying a car are a few reasons parents might loan or even give money to their adult children.

What to Do When Facing a Financial Emergency
Many Americans are unprepared for sudden financial hardships. Eighteen percent of us have less than one month of expenses saved to cover an emergency. Emergency savings is a cornerstone of financial wellness. But so are insurance and mutually supportive groups such as family, friends, community organizations, and houses of worship. All of these can help us when we experience potential financial disasters.

How New Parents Can Start Budgeting for Their Kids
Babies are a cause for celebration. But a new child also requires some careful financial planning by the parents. Indeed, that little bundle of joy comes with some pretty big financial expenses. The average cost of raising a child born in 2015 to age 18 for a middle-income family in the U.S. is roughly $233,610, or $284,570 when adjusted for inflation, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That figure does not include the cost of a college education. To provide for your growing family, you as a parent must take steps to get your financial house in order.

How to Save on a Wedding
The wedding industry might tell us that the average wedding typically costs more than $20,000, but many couples can’t afford that kind of expense. Even in families that want to follow the tradition of the bride’s father footing the bill, the father often has more pressing costs to worry about, like saving for retirement. The people who really care about you will not care how much you spent on your wedding or how much you tried to impress them. While hosting a loving and memorable event, it’s possible to save in many areas.

A Financial Checklist for Your First Job
When you start your first full-time job after college, you will have many important financial decisions to make. With greater earning potential comes greater financial responsibility, from maximizing your employee benefits, such as life insurance and retirement planning, to paying down your student and credit card debts to investing in an emergency fund. You can help to set yourself up for lifelong financial comfort if you learn the basics and establish good habits now by following our first day at your new job financial checklist.

7 Gifts for College Grads That Will Teach Them To Save Wisely
Graduation season is coming. Do you know what you’re giving your favorite college senior to congratulate them on earning their degree? Most young adults will appreciate cash, but if you’d like to give him or her something more satisfying than grad gift money there are plenty of different options.

5 Overlooked Tax Deductions & Credits
If you didn’t get the raise last year that you thought you deserved, there may still be a way to put more of your hard earned money back in your pocket—by claiming all of the tax deductions and credits for which you are eligible.

4 Things to Remember Before Filing Your Return
Want to lower your 2020 tax bill? A number of opportunities to offset prior-year income and capture credits are still available until the April 15, 2021 tax filing deadline. Click the article to learn more.