Question of the Month (August 2021): Trust Selection

John recently received a financial windfall from his deceased Aunt Helen. He would like to set up a trust to function as an inflation hedge and generate a variable amount of annual income for a duration of 10 years. After expiration of the trust term, John would like the assets within the trust to pass to his son and daughter, who will be listed as the beneficiaries. He will use a portion of the windfall to make one initial contribution to the trust and plans to add additional assets incrementally throughout the trust term. Read More

Question of the Month (April 2021): Strong Form Vs. Weak Form

This question was discussed in detail during the April 2021 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! Read More

Question of the Month (February 2021): Corporate Retirement Plan Eligibility

This question was discussed in detail during the February 2021 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! Read More

Question of the Month (December 2020): Stop-Loss Provision

This question was discussed in detail during the December 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! Todd has an unlimited major medical policy with a $350 deductible and 80/20 coinsurance to a $5,000 stop-loss. Todd has a claim of $10,000. How much must he pay out-of-pocket? Read More

Question of the Month (August 2020): COBRA

This question was discussed in detail during the August 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! For how many days does the COBRA election period last? Read More

Question of the Month (August 2020): Mortgage Ratios

This question was discussed in detail during the August 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! The independent rule of thumb for PITI indicates that it should generally not exceed: Read More

Question of the Month (August 2020): Social Security Integration

This question was discussed in detail during the August 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! Assume that an 8% money purchase plan is to be integrated with Social Security. What is the plan’s maximum permitted disparity? Read More

Question of the Month (July 2020): Economic Policy

This question was discussed in detail during the July 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! What action will be taken by Congress or the Fed in an environment with high unemployment, falling stock prices, and declining consumer spending? Read More

Question of the Month (June 2020): Investment Suitability

This question was discussed in detail during the June 2020 episode of the BIF Bites podcast! Your young neighbor Suzy recently received $500 for her birthday. She is an aggressive investor and wants to get every penny invested right away. She also wants to invest the $100 she makes each month from her paper route. She is very interested in investments and knows that she should invest in a well-diversified portfolio. However, she also knows that she is still learning and could use some guidance from experts with experience. What type of investment would you recommend as the best fit for Suzy? Read More

Special Webinar Question: Financial Planning Process

This question is a part of BIF's Special Webinar series which was created to help students affected by the July 2020 CFP® Exam postponement to September 2020. Read More