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Vacation season is almost upon us and, for many Americans who haven’t traveled abroad in several years, their vacations have been years in planning. However, even the best laid plans can quickly come unraveled if you don’t take some extra measures to ensure that your finances are protected before you leave on your trip.

The term beneficiary crops up every now and again. Usually you’ll see it on an insurance form or hear about it in relation to a will, but despite the nonchalance we toss the term around with, beneficiaries are incredibly important. Let’s break down the details on how and why beneficiaries matter.

If you’ve ever played the Game of Life board game, it becomes clear that compressed into the colorful path there are various stages of life. Each stage holds its own major financial challenges as well as prospective profits in addition to surprises (new baby!) and forks in the road.

Because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan that could possibly fit the unique needs of every family, risk management is a process that focuses on the problem of risk at every level of a family’s lifestyle in order to ultimately arrive at a solution for each. Each risk calls for separate measures, which usually require separate forms of insurance.

Life happens, and, when it does, it sometimes has a tendency to get in the way of the things we are trying do for ourselves and our families.

When people warn you that having kids is expensive, it’s no joke. From diapers to food, braces to sports activities the costs add up quick. For a middle-income family in the U.S. raising a child up until age 18, costs an estimated average of $245,340 (or $304,480, adjusted for projected inflation), according to the 2013 “Cost of Raising a Child” report from the U.S.

It is no secret that the typical American is working long hours with little respite compared to other countries with large economies. Full-time employees report an average work week of 47 hours and four out of 10 American workers say they work over 50 hours a week.

Here’s a thought: retirement doesn’t mean the end. It doesn’t mean an end of self-importance or purpose, it just means a new chapter—a paradigm shift of what life is beyond long days and meetings and bosses. Unless you own your own business, and even then, you are not your business.

You think back fondly on those halcyon collegiate days--studying in the quad, late-night pizza, tailgating for the big tailgating game, dorm living, tossing your graduation cap in the air...beyond the lifelong friends and the parties and fun, college helped you get to where you are today.

Although the stock prices are trading near their all-time highs, it hasn’t exactly been a joy ride for retirees who are counting on their retirement plans for a lifetime of income.  The type of unruly market action that we have seen over the last few months always unleashes a flurry of “expert” commentary that seems to be directed at those who are most vulnerable to flash