Helpful DuGood Articles

It’s no secret your credit score is important. But many are surprised how great a role it can play in the overall cost of your loan. When financing a vehicle, your credit score matters in terms of:

You may be familiar with the rules for putting money into a 401(k) plan. But are you familiar with the rules for taking your money out? Federal law limits the withdrawal options that a 401(k) plan can offer. But a 401(k) plan may offer fewer withdrawal options than the law allows, and may even provide that you can't take any money out at all until you leave employment. However, many 401(k) plans are more flexible.

Nearly all of us these days have some type of mobile device that is essentially a part of us. It is filled with all kinds of personal information, such as our contacts, our email conversations, and perhaps even our health information. Losing it, having it accessed without permission, or finding out it’s infested with malware can be a really scary moment. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to protect those devices and the information on them.

Every day hackers prowl social media networks looking for victims. They use spyware to remotely access your phone, laptop, iPad or computer through downloads, emails, or instant messages in hopes of obtaining your social media passwords.

Retirement planning involves an analysis of the various choices you can make today to help provide for your financial future. To make appropriate choices, you need to predict — as well as you can — your future economic circumstances. You'll also need to establish your post-retirement goals. When you've determined how much of an income stream you'll probably require in the future, you'll be in a position to make wise choices now about income, saving, investments, and employer-sponsored or other retirement plans.