Top 5 Financial Companies To Own For 2014

Courtesy of Eric and Erika Torres If you're recently engaged or just married, your money concerns probably begin and end with paying for the wedding and honeymoon. But there's plenty to think about after you've tied the knot, from divvying up spending to planning a shared retirement. We asked the happily married, the happily divorced, and a few money experts to give us their best advice for newlyweds trying to sort out their combined finances. Start Talking Banker-turned-financial-consultant Denise Winston of Money Start Here says that wedding finances are a great place to start the conversation. From there, it's easy to transition to talking about debt, spending habits, and retirement planning. "I always ask clients, 'Tell me what your dream life looks like.' When you have that conversation with your partner, you can build expectations," she says. "[If] one of you wants to have kids and buy a bigger house to raise them in, and the other doesn't, you have different ideas of your dream life and how much it's going to cost." Cherylyn Murphy, a happily married communications professional with two children in N.J., says communication is key. "Make sure both parties know what's coming in, what's going out and what it takes to financially run their lifestyle. Don't lie about expenditures, hide money or make large purchases without both parties agreeing first." Get Used to Being a Couple Eric and Erika Torres publish the Newlyweds on a Budget blog, and were married after three months of dating and a three-week engagement. "The hardest aspect of combining our finances once we got married was definitely learning to view money as ours, rather than yours and mine," Erika says. "Especially when one partner makes significantly more than the other partner, a lot of resentment can build. It took us a while to finally get to a good enough place with our finances where we both feel comfortable and involved." Avoid or Pay Down Debt "Don't force yourself to buy more expensive furniture, cars, clothes, or homes just because your friends look like they're on their on their way up in the world," says journalist John Platt, happily paired in Maine. "For all you know, they're in debt up to their eyeballs." The Torreses had significant debt when they were married, but are now nearly debt-free. "We lived in a shack in someone's backyard," Erika recalls. "We put 20 percent of our take-home pay toward debt and savings. We hardly ever went out to eat and instead had friends come over. It was not easy, but we're in a much better place right now." Switch it Up Whatever decisions you make about your finances, resist the urge to put one person in charge of the couple's money. "Don't let money become one person's 'thing,'" says newly-divorced Aaron Futch, a lawyer from Bethesda, Maryland. "It should be a joint responsibility, with joint decision-making. I've seen friends who split up, and one member of the couple had no idea what their financial situation was, or how to manage their own finances in the future." Winston of Money Start Here recommends switching things up so you don't fall into a rut of who's managing the finances.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Ames National Corporation(ATLO)

Ames National Corporation, a multibank holding company, provides commercial banking services primarily within the central Iowa counties of Boone, Marshall, Polk, and Story. The company offers a range of deposit services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, and time deposits of various types ranging from money market accounts to longer-term certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises short and medium-term commercial and residential real estate loans, agricultural and business operating loans and lines of credit, equipment loans, vehicle loans, personal loans and lines of credit, home improvement loans, and mortgage loans for sale into the secondary market. The company also offers cash management services, merchant credit card processing, safe deposit boxes, wire transfers, direct deposit of payroll and social security checks, and automated teller machine access. In addition, it offers trust, Internet banking, and investment brokerage services. The compa ny was founded in 1903 and is based in Ames, Iowa.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Investors Bancorp Inc.(ISBC)

Investors Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Investors Savings Bank that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company accepts deposits and originates loans. Its deposit products include savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company offers commercial real estate, construction, multi-family, and commercial and industrial loans; and consumer loans, including home equity loans and home equity lines of credit, as well as mortgage loans secured by one-to four-family residential real estate. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 82 full-service branch offices located in Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren Counties, New Jersey; Nassau and Queens, New York; and Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey. Investors Bancorp, Inc. is a subsidiary of Investors Bancorp, MHC.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks For 2014: American Independence Corp.(AMIC)

American Independence Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the health insurance and reinsurance businesses in the United States. The company provides specialized health coverage and related services to commercial customers and individuals. It offers various insurance products comprising medical stop-loss, fully insured health and dental, and short-term statutory disability. American Independence Corp. offers its products and services through managing general underwriter and agency subsidiaries, independent brokers, producers, and agents. The company was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in New York, New York. American Independence Corp. operates as a subsidiary of Independence Holding Co.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Pimco California Municipal Income Fund II(PCK)

PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC. It is co-managed by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It primarily invests in municipal fixed-income securities. Its portfolio of investments include investments in california municipal bonds and notes, other municipal bonds and notes, call and put options written, california variable rate notes, other variable rate notes, corporate notes, california variable rate demand note, and U.S. treasury bills. PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II was formed in 2002 and is based in New York City.