Annuities are a mystery to many consumers, but when that mystery is clarified and the product is better understood, consumers are generally interested in adding annuities to their financial planning strategy.

Families struggling to make ends meet might think it seems like a good source of emergency funding to turn to early withdrawals from a 401K. If you find yourself in that situation, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Wherever you are in your financial planning journey, it’s wise to circle back regularly and make sure you’re doing the right things (and avoiding making mistakes). Thinking you’ve got a plan you can set and forget is dangerous; you might find you’ve missed opportunities to maximize your financial situation.

How can life insurance support wealth building for Black Americans and their families? I spoke with writer Ronda Lee to share some insights on ways to leverage the cash value found in permanent life policies to that end.

What is whole life insurance, and what are some of the benefits of this type of policy? I shared some insights with Ronda Lee and Paul Kim of Business Insider — here are a few of the main points.

I had a chance to speak with Mark Roper of WMAR-2 Baltimore about the impact of inflation on 401(k)s and retirement planning — watch the video to learn more.

Sorting through your financial situation can be overwhelming. Especially when you want to make sure you’re on track to reach your future financial goals — it can feel like a lot of pressure. Here are some practical steps you can take to learn how to organize your finances and keep your financial plan working for you.

When you’re considering buying a life insurance policy, you need to decide which type of policy makes the most sense for you. I spoke with Erin Gobler of Sound Dollar to provide some helpful information consumers can use when making that decision — check it out here.

I shared insights with GO Banking Rates on saving for retirement and maintaining an emergency fund — this article, with my insights as well as other financial experts, is a helpful resource for financial planning.

More and more individuals are joining the gig economy. Traditional employment often provides employer-sponsored retirement strategies. Losing out on benefits like this is one of the trade-offs freelancers make, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save for retirement as a freelancer. Let’s look at 3 savings methods for self-employed retirement plans.

I was profiled in a ThinkAdvisor piece, diving a bit into my background, hobbies, and insights on the insurance and annuities industry. Check it out to see what the trends are to watch and how I envision the industry changing.

I’m asked quite often, “Hey Mark, when should I seek advice from a financial professional?”And I always have the same answer. As early on in your career as possible. Do it now.