Getting married is exciting, but it brings many challenges. One such challenge that you and your spouse will have to face is how to merge your finances. Planning carefully and communicating clearly are important, because the financial decisions that you make now can have a lasting impact on your future.

Discuss your financial goals

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As with virtually all financial matters, the easiest way to be successful with a cash management program is to develop a systematic and disciplined approach. Spending a few minutes each week to maintain your cash management program, can help you to keep track of how you spend your money and pursue your financial goals.

Generally, you should leave the construction of an investment portfolio to your professional investment advisor, especially if you are investing a significant percentage of your total wealth, or if you're relying solely on the success of your portfolio to meet your future financial goals.

Life insurance is an agreement between you (the policy owner) and an insurer. Under the terms of a life insurance policy, the insurer promises to pay a certain sum to a person you choose (your beneficiary) upon your death, in exchange for your premium payments.

Congratulations! You've just landed a new job. Here are some important things to be aware of before you receive your first paycheck.

When will I receive my paycheck?

You vaguely remember signing a form every year at college registration time. Now that you've graduated, it's all become painfully clear — those forms were promissory notes detailing your student loan obligations. Your loans aren't going away, and you'll want to repay them as quickly as possible.

Trust Basics

Whether you're seeking to manage your own assets, control how your assets are distributed after your death, or plan for incapacity, trusts can help you accomplish your estate planning goals. Their power is in their versatility — many types of trusts exist, each designed for a specific purpose.

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a retirement savings plan for federal employees, including employees covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), and service members.

Social Security was originally intended to provide older Americans with continuing income after retirement. Today, though the scope of Social Security has been widened to include survivor, disability, and other benefits, retirement benefits are still the cornerstone of the program.

How do you qualify for retirement benefits?