Financial Advisers’ Empathy Gap

You’re in a pinch and in desperate need of money. You’ve already asked family members for help, but nobody can assist you. You’ve heard of a personal loan before, but is taking one out a good idea?

In short, it depends on your particular financial situation. If you’ve racked up high-interest credit card debt, for example, and you can take out a personal loan with a lower interest rate to consolidate and pay off that debt, a personal loan might be right for you. But if you have other assets you can borrow against that will have lower interest rates — such as a 401(k) loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC) — you might want to consider pursuing those lines of credit instead of a personal loan.

Here’s everything you need to know about when a personal loan might be worthwhile, and when you might want to look elsewhere.

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Businesses with more than one owner face unique challenges in planning for the future. A buy-sell agreement is an arrangement between business partners to govern potential ownership transitions, including the “four Ds”: death, disability, divorce and disagreement.

One of the advantages of a buy-sell agreement is that can protect the company and the remaining owners by outlining how the departing owner’s shares are handled.

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