Learn how to set up a trust

Contrary to popular belief, trusts aren’t only for the wealthy

Trust funds can be expensive to set up, given that their establishment often requires paying a lawyer for their time. But for many, that expense might be worth it depending on the complexity of the assets and the ability to specify when, where or how an estate’s assets are used.

It’s not always clear whether a will or a trust is the best for an individual estate

While trusts are typically more expensive to set up than a will, they also help beneficiaries avoid specific types of taxes, depending on the type of trust. Wills typically go through probate, whereas trusts do not. An article offers a list of questions to consider when deciding between the two.

Both individuals and businesses can establish trusts

Business trusts can allow trustees to manage a beneficiary’s stake in a business, and more. There are many different specific types of business trusts.

Learn how to invest in index funds with this step-by-step guide

There are a few questions experts suggest answering before investing in an index fund, such as your goals for your investment and the index you want to track. This article walks you through those questions to help you get started.

Three ways to save for your child’s future

Parents can open a custodial Roth IRA when their child starts to earn income (think: summer job), which can help them start saving early. For example, 529 accounts help parents save for college, while UTMA/UGMA accounts function like trusts.

A guide to emotionally preparing to found a company

Founding a company comes with more than just logistical challenges—it's a daunting emotional task, too. In this article, a psychologist breaks down how first-time founders can prepare for the mental pressure of starting a company.

Each state has its own regulations regarding marriage

Some states don’t even require a ceremony or license, opting to allow “common law” marriages. Prenuptial agreements and other legal matters will likely require an attorney’s help. And marriages can offer benefits, like tax breaks.

Study up on capital gains basics

Common capital gains tax tips include making sure you have money set aside for your capital gains tax burden and considering making estimated payments throughout the year.

Burning Man typically costs thousands of dollars to attend

It is no secret that Burning Man is a costly endeavor, with disposable income needed to buy tickets, take time off work, create shelter, hold living supplies, and provide entertainment and gifts while living in the desert.

Becoming an Olympic swimmer costs tens of thousands of dollars

When you see Olympic athletes win gold, it's the culmination of years of hard work and discipline. But it isn't all sweat equity. Before ever stepping foot on the world stage, these athletes have to pay or find funding for private coaching and lessons, club memberships, and meet fees, with estimates that it costs $25K to $40K to make it to the Olympics.

How starting a union works

Starting a union within a workplace is a long, complicated process. There are many steps to take depending on how management reacts to each decision workers make during the proceedings. If you’re interested in helping your workplace unionize—or curious about what the journey to unionization looks like—this video can help.

Companies pay multiple fees as part of the IPO process

When a company decides to approach IPO, it typically hires investment bankers—who earn about 7% of the IPO’s gross proceeds—to help set the organization’s target valuation range and schedule an IPO date. But that isn't the only fee associated with the IPO process.

Money laundering is a three-step process: placement, layering, and integration

"Placement" occurs when dirty money is introduced into the financial system. Then "layering" happens when the money is moved around to disguise where it actually came from. Finally, the money is placed in other assets or investments in a step called integration.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Should you prepay for your funeral?

The median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial was $8,300 as of 2023, according to The National Funeral Directors Association.

What it's like to do your own taxes for the first time

Most Americans across the country have one thing in common: They hate doing their taxes. Many use an accountant or an online service like TurboTax to avoid doing taxes themselves. In this video, two journalists decide to do their taxes on their own for the first time.

Surprising costs associated with homeownership include taxes and roof maintenance

Owning a home includes not just expected costs such as a mortgage, homeowners insurance, and landscaping, but also less-obvious expenses like property taxes, repairing and maintaining one’s roof and HVAC system, and HOA fees.

In 2024, attorneys spent an estimated $541M on outdoor ads

A $70M increase from 2023, this marketing tactic helps lawyers bring attention to their names in an oversaturated market. Read this article to find out why lawyers advertise on so many billboards.

Learn how to withdraw $1K from your IRA

Normally, you face a large penalty if you take money out of your IRA before age 59½. Now the IRS is letting individuals withdraw up to $1K without facing the 10% fee (with the exception of Roth IRAs) for emergencies.

A wedding cost calculator

Want to know how much your wedding will cost? Simply enter your wedding date, location, and a few more details about your wedding plans, and this tool will spit out an estimate for how much it will all cost—with details on how each estimate was figured, from a wedding dress or tux to ordering the cake. If you're planning a wedding soon (or just dreaming about planning one), explore this wedding cost generator.

Listen to the evolving economics of prosthetics

Amputees must navigate the challenging medical and economic aspects of limb support and replacement, but advances in technology and research may reduce these costs. A below-knee prosthetic typically costs $15,000 to $20,000—not counting all the rehab costs.

Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be complex

Debtors must know whether their liabilities are secured or unsecured and what type of assets they have. They also need to know what a filing can and can’t help them with.

Should you use ChatGPT for budgeting?

Some people using AI to help them budget—but is it a good idea? In this article, a personal finance editor explains what happened when they tried to use ChatGPT to help them create a budget. Read the article here.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Some argue that America is too dependent on consulting

Many major companies in America—not to mention the federal government—spend thousands of dollars a month paying to contract major consulting firms.

Term life insurance costs about $80 per month

Permanent life insurance, on the other hand, can run you anywhere between $540 and $700 a month. However, the average monthly cost can vary depending on your age, sex, and policy type.

One man lost roughly $100K to a con artist—then turned it into a business

The victim of the con now helps other victims of similar crimes. He's also written a book and hosts a podcast on the subject.

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, and became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

Planeterrellas create artificial auroras that mimic the atmospheric displays of light by setting up an electric field between two metal balls in a jar filled with a small amount of air.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.