The summer rally continued through August, once again defying market pundits and conventional wisdom. In the midst of this move higher, however, there has been wide disparity among the various sectors. The market continues to favor growth-oriented sectors given accelerating economic growth and consumer spending, as well as robust spending on technology to fuel efficiency gains, while rising interest rates have made yield-oriented sectors less attractive.

Are you one of the many who believes that once you get your finances and investments in order, everything will fall smoothly into place and your wealth will grow on its own? The truth is, regularly reviewing your finances is essential to ensuring your investments are moving in a positive direction. Below are the seven financial decisions you should review on a regular basis:

Many homeowners will struggle with how to best spend their home improvement budgets. Most home improvement publications will tell you that renovating the kitchen will generally add the most value to your home.

As a member of the military community, the first step in owning the home of your dreams may be understanding the VA Loan and how it works. The VA Loan offers valuable benefits to those who are eligible, but sometimes those benefits are overlooked. We’ve provided four often overlooked insights about the VA Loan

Congress recently passed major tax reform legislation known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This act is the largest modification to the US tax code in over three decades and means major changes for businesses and individuals. With half of the 2018 tax year already done, are you aware of how these reforms are affecting your military family and the tax return you’ll file next year?

We’re now nearly three months into the open enrollment period for the new Blended Retirement System (BRS), which went into effect for new military members on January 1, 2018. While you have until the end of 2018 decide whether you’ll opt into the BRS or stay with the legacy retirement system, time is of the essence. Each month you wait could mean lost matching funds if you end up going with the BRS. However, making a decision like this one isn’t always easy and should never be rushed.

Managing your day-to-day financial planning needs can be stressful. But those significant life changes, the ones that really require special attention and strategies, could just paralyze you into inaction. Having kids to care for, attending college, changing relationships — they all affect the way you spend money and balance your budget. Let’s consider why eight of these unique life situations may cause you to seek the advice of a financial expert.