If you have an impeccable credit record, you can get your hands on some of the best credit cards that offer reward points for every transaction. That said, some of the popular value-for-money credit cards offer more than just reward points—think huge savings on shopping, dining, traveling, and much more. Here’s a list of our top five picks of the best reward points credit cards.

Citi Custom Cash Card
You can earn 5% cashback on purchases in the top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, and 1% cashback thereafter with this credit card. You can earn unlimited 1% cashback in all the other categories. Another benefit of the Citi Custom Cash Card is that there is no annual fee, and you get an introductory 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card is a perfect choice if you travel often. You can earn 2X points on travel, dining out, or takeout and one point per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you earn 100,000 points if you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. And the points are worth 25% more if you redeem them for travel. That’s a lot of value, but the card has a $95 annual fee.

American Express® Gold Card
This is one of the best credit cards if you want to collect points. You can earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards® points if you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months. Plus, it offers 4X reward points on takeout and delivery. There’s also a $120 annual dining credit at select outlets, and you can get Uber cash of up to another $120 annually on Uber rides or Uber Eats orders. Some might find the $250 annual fee steep, but the Amex Gold Card does pack a punch.

CapitalOne SavorOne Rewards Card
This CapitalOne credit card makes for an excellent choice for beginners as it offers rewards on all popular spending categories, like entertainment, food, and shopping. Plus, it has a 0% introductory APR for 15 months. You can earn unlimited 3% cashback on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and at grocery stores, and you also get 1% cashback on all other categories. And all this comes with no annual fee. This is one of the best credit cards for collecting reward points if you spend a lot on these categories.

An annuity is a lump sum invested by the policyholder with an intent to receive regular payouts after retiring until they pass away. If a person exceeds their estimated life expectancy, they are entitled to receive attractive returns on their annuity investment. The rate of return for every investor varies and is determined by some crucial factors such as deposit amount, current and expected tax rate, age, gender, investment term, withdrawal age, and minimum guaranteed interest. There might be additional factors based on the company you’re buying the plan from and the type of annuity chosen.

Usually, an annuity is split into two categories, fixed and variable annuity. The former delivers a uniform rate of return for the entire term, whereas the latter adjusts the rate of return based on market conditions such as inflation. Comparatively, fixed rate annuities are preferred over the variable kind as they ensure guaranteed yields. Here are some companies offering the best fixed annuity rates for the year 2018.

American Equity
An investment life holding organization, American Equity offers annuity solutions in all the 50 states. Some of their plans like the Guarantee Series, RateShield Series 7, RateShield Series 10, and RateShield Series 10+ offer the best fixed annuity rates. Apart from traditional fixed-rate annuities they also serve multiple plans for fixed-index and immediate annuities. You can find some helpful resources on their websites such as customer service and tax forms, calculators, and blog. They have impressive ratings from recognized organizations such as A.M. Best®, The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA), Standard and Poor’s®, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC).

Fidelity
Fidelity’s financial services involve an array of fixed annuities such as Deferred Fixed Annuities, New York Life Clear Income Fixed Annuity – FP Series and Immediate Fixed Income Annuities. The minimum investment range for these plans is from $5,000 to $50,000. These are designed for individuals saving for retirement, transitioning to the retirement phase or are already retired. Apart from annuities, they also sell investment products such as mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, IRAs, credit cards, 529 college savings, and life insurance. They have solid ratings from reviewers such as A.M. Best® and Standard and Poor’s®.

MassMutual
MassMutual offers a range of annuity solutions like fixed-deferred, variable, immediate-income and fixed-index. If you are looking for best income annuity rates from MassMutual then the most viable choice will be the Deferred Fixed Annuity plan which offers tax-deferred growth, principal protection, and death benefits. They also allow the policyholder to withdraw a specific percentage of the amount on an annual basis. Besides annuities, MassMutual renders services related to insurance, investments, and retirement. They have some remarkable ratings from accreditation agencies such as A.M. Best®, Standard and Poor’s®, Fitch, and Moody’s Investors Services.

Lincoln Financial Group
These providers have a variety of best income annuities. When it comes to fixed annuities, it deals with traditional fixed, fixed index, deferred, and immediate annuities. Lincoln MYGuaranteeSM Plus fixed annuity, Lincoln OptiChoiceSM fixed indexed annuity, and Lincoln Insured IncomeSM Immediate Annuity (SPIA) are some of their popular fixed annuity plans. Apart from annuities, they also manage services related to life insurance, education savings, family protection, and workplace benefits. They have admirable ratings from agencies such as A.M. Best®, Standard and Poor’s®, Moody’s and Fitch.

Apart from the above-mentioned companies providing the best fixed annuity rates, you can also compare insurers like American National Insurance Company, ING, MetLife, and AllState for great plans.

Choosing the best fixed annuity rates
Unlike savings, checking, and money market accounts, annuity accounts are not insured by the government. Therefore, before you pick an annuity plan to inquire how the company plans to protect your investments. Furthermore, scrutinize factors such as annual and administrative fees, minimum guaranteed return, surrender fees, death benefits, accreditation, and company’s overall reputation. If you seem confused about making a choice, then check out customer reviews online to make an informed decision.

Choosing the right mutual fund can be tricky. An elongated process with multiple screens, lists, and calculation might leave you drained. Screening out mutual funds can be a tedious process, especially, when you find out that there are 18,000 mutual funds for you to choose from. The following is a list of five best mutual funds to invest in. The screening process for this list included the cheapest 20% of mutual funds by fund category and an investment of at least $1 million by the management. Moreover, the returns provided by all these mutual funds are above the benchmark set by the fund manager.

American Funds The Growth Fund of America ®
American Funds had more than one mutual fund on the initial screening of mutual funds. The Growth Fund of America ® is at the top of this list as it is a combination of low expenses, depth of management experience, and returns in relation to risk. Any mutual fund with a low risk and a high return will be among the top mutual funds. This mutual fund requires a minimum initial investment of $250 and expenses of 0.66%, which comes to $66 a year per every $10,000 invested. It is not the most aggressively growing mutual fund, but it promises to produce above-average returns from time to time.

Dodge & Cox Stock Fund
The minimum investment for this stock is slightly high but it gets high ratings based on its consistent strong returns, low expenses, and experienced management. The portfolio for this best mutual fund focuses on high-quality as well as large-cap stocks like Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo & Co, and Charles Schwab Corp. The minimum initial investment amount for this mutual fund is $2,500, while the expenses are set at 0.52%. The fund has a top-notch management team and financial sector learnings which should allow it to do well in the rising interest rate environment.

Fidelity® Total Bond Fund
In terms of bonds, one the best mutual funds for any individual to buy is the fidelity total bond. It makes a part of the best mutual funds list by keeping the expenses low and follows an enhanced index strategy. In simple words, the Fidelity® Total Bond Fund will set a benchmark for the performance but it will not track the progress actively. This minimum initial investment is $2,500 in expenses of 0.45%. The shareholders will be in for an adequate combination of active and passive management that could produce returns higher than the benchmark index.

Vanguard Health Care
Vanguard Health Care is a sector fund, and it is very seldom that a sector fund gets to be a part of the best mutual funds list. This mutual fund makes the list as it has steady returns, low expenses, and low risk as compared to others in the category. As the risk is low, the returns might not be substantially high in the health sector funds. However, the fund has performed well above average in the long run as compared to the peers. This mutual fund has a minimum initial investment amount of $3,000 and expenses of 0.37%. Vanguard Health Care mutual funds are a strong long-term investment option for investors that are looking for exposure in healthcare stocks.

American Funds New Perspective
Investors that are looking for one of the best global stock funds with a high care holding will be attracted to what American Funds New Perspective has to offer. The management at this fund does not see boundaries when it comes to finding the best stocks to hold. They are known to go to any parts of the world to capture the stocks. This flexibility in processing has enabled the company to have above-average returns; more so in the long run. The minimum initial investment is $250, while the expenses are at 0.77%.

“Retirement is a time for personal growth, which becomes a path to a greater personal freedom.” Your retirement is often the perfect time to delve into your hobbies and passions that took a sideline since you were engrossed in ensuring that you and your family lead a comfortable life. You would be taking a great risk if you didn’t start planning for your retirement while you are still working, and this retirement planning involves investing in the right places which will yield desirable output at the right time. Simply relying on your Social Security would threaten your peace of mind, and you would be left high and dry in case of emergencies.

So, how does one lead an ideal retirement life? In addition to opting for retirement plans that your employer provides, such as 401(K) plans, it is imperative that you invest in the right, interest-yielding places. When you think interest, you think stocks. However, people harbor this misconception that stocks are foolproof, but the recent stock market crashes have proven that stocks can be perilous as well. In such cases, bonds are what seem like the ideal choice. There are a plethora of reasons why people opt to invest in bonds; bonds provide stability, pay interest regularly, are highly secure, and are a source of tax-free income.

Here are some of the top retirement bond funds you can consider investing in.

Fidelity ® Intermediate Bond Fund
Fidelity Investments offers one of the top retirement bond funds and requires a minimum investment of $2,500. It is the ideal bond fund for those who are looking for the long-term investments in the time of rising interest rates. As the federal reserve is known to hike the rates at least thrice a year, it can exert pressure on long-dated bonds, and make shorter and intermediate-term fare more appealing. One can say that Fidelity ® Intermediate Bond Fund would be a safer investment for you if you have risker funds in your portfolio as this bond fund would act as a core anchor.

Vanguard Target Retirement 2025 Fund
It is one of the top retirement bond investment funds as it requires only $1,000 as a minimum investment. Also, it is best-suited for those investors who have five to seven years to retirement as this fund expires in the year 2025. This retirement bond fund has the ability to withstand risks which arise from volatile stock and bond markets. This retirement bond fund invests in four of Vanguard’s index funds and holds approximately 65% of the assets in stocks and 35% in bonds. Also, this fund allocates 25.7% of its fixed income weight to the US bonds with 11% devoted to international debt.

Buffalo Discovery Fund
You are often advised against investing in companies that are still growing in a bid to steer clear off incurring any kind of losses. However, what most of us don’t realize that as long such a retirement bond is a moderate part of your portfolio, you won’t be coming in harm’s way. A growth fund from Buffalo Discovery Fund makes for a meaningful investment in small and mid-size operators. Moreover, your portfolio will be managed by efficient portfolio managers who engage in a disciplined approach to find opportunities that were overlooked, and unlike other retirement bond fund firms, with Buffalo Discovery Fund, it is not simply about tech and healthcare; they invest in other industries as well.

VanEck Vectors^® High-Yield Municipal Index ETF
This is one of the top retirement bond funds, and it is a municipal bond. These function on the lines of the Treasurys as these are also in government debts but are issued by the state, countries, cities, and other municipalities. Investing in this retirement bond fund is quite sensible, even if these municipal bonds aren’t as secure as the Treasurys, they yield more than their other counterparts. Also, another sensible reason to invest in this retirement bond funds is that it offers more income than their headline yield indicates as they are exempted from federal taxes, and at times from the state and city taxes as well.

If you invest in the right retirement bond fund, which yields the required results, you can live securely in your twilight years.

When it comes to credit card rewards, there is nothing better than cashback. They are flexible, so you don’t have to accumulate points and then figure out ways to redeem them. Instead, you get real dollars that you can spend the way you want.

Here are the five best cashback credit cards of 2021: 

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
This American Express card is indeed one of the best cashback credit cards of 2021. You get three percent cash back on gas stations, taxis, parking, trains, rideshare, buses, and tolls. A six percent cashback is available on (select) streaming subscriptions, and on every other purchase, one percent cashback is available. You will need an excellent credit score, anywhere between 670 and 850, to get access to this card. There is no fee for the first year, and from the second year onward, you pay $95.  

Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is indeed one of the best cashback credit cards of 2021, with an introductory bonus of $200 on purchase of $500 in the initial three months. If you make grocery purchases (excluding Walmart and Target) of about $12,000 in the first year, you can avail yourself of five percent cash back. In addition to that, there is a five percent cashback on Chase travel if you shop via Ultimate Rewards® and three percent cash back in pharmacies and dining. On every other purchase, you bag a good 1.5 percent cash back. The annual fee is zero, but the credit score requirement range is between 670 and 850. 

Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
After getting this credit card, if you make a purchase of $750 in the first 90 days, you can earn a cashback of $200. The APR is variable between 13.99 and 23.99 percent, depending on your creditworthiness. For every billing cycle, for the first $500 spent, the card will fetch you five percent cash back on the purchases made in the top eligible spending category and one percent on the subsequent purchases. There is also an unlimited one percent cash back on purchases from other categories. The card has no annual fee, but the credit score requirement range is between 700 and 749.

Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card
This card has no annual fee and will fetch you three percent unlimited cash back on select streaming services, dining, entertainment, and at select grocery stores. There is an eight percent cashback on Vivid seats till January 2023 and one percent on all the other purchases. The credit score requirement range is between 670 and 850. 

Discover it® Cash Back
This card will fetch you a five percent cashback on your quarterly rotating spending categories, all year round, and one percent on all purchases. It automatically matches all the earned cash back at the end of the first year. Zero annual fees are applicable, and there is a variable APR that ranges between 11.99% and 22.99%, depending on your credit score. The minimum credit score requirement is between 700 and 749.

Most people opt for Original Medicare, which is Part A and Part B. However, the Original Medicare plan tends to leave a gap in your coverage, and therefore, you may have to deal with many out-of-pocket costs. That’s when the best Medicare Supplement plans come in handy. These supplement plans help to fill in the gap between the Original Medicare coverage and the actual cost incurred. In order to choose the best Medicare Supplement plans, you need to know how to choose the right plan among the variety that is available. As the best Medicare plan will vary from person to person, below are some key factors that will help you to choose from the best Medicare Supplement plans.

Know your options
A Medicare Supplement plan is also known as Medigap. These plans are sold through private insurance companies. The purpose of the Medicare Supplement plans is to help fill the gap that is left after the Original Medicare benefits are applied. One in four people on Medicare choose a Medigap plan that helps them with their healthcare costs. There are 11 types of Medicare Supplement plans, which include Plan A, B, C, D, E, F, F+, G, K, L, M, and N. The same standardized benefits must be included in all the supplement plans. However, the different types of Medicare Supplement plans offer different levels of coverage, for example, Plan N offers different coverage than Plan F. Medigap policies cannot be canceled for health reasons as long as you pay the premiums, this is because the policies are guaranteed renewable.

Know the inclusions and exclusions
All the Medicare Supplement plans cover the basic benefits like coinsurance charges through Plan A, co-payments and coinsurance through Medicare Plan B, as well as the first three pints of blood needed due to a medical procedure, and hospice care co-payments. Most Medicare Supplement plans do not cover long-term care, vision, private-duty nursing, prescriptions, dental, and vision.

In order to choose the best Medicare Supplement plan, you may consider your requirements and purpose of availing of the plan. Read on to know the different plans suitable to different people.

The one who travels a lot
If you are one of those people who travel a lot, you would want to select a plan that offers foreign travel emergency coverage while you are traveling abroad. The best Medicare Supplement plans for you will be Plan C, D. F, N, G, and M as these plans pay 80% of qualifying emergency care in foreign countries. The foreign travel coverage is applicable when you meet your $250 annual deductible.

The one who needs help with the Part B costs
Plan C or F may be the best Medicare Supplement plan for you if you find it difficult to meet your Part B deductibles. Both the plans will provide help in paying for the Part B deductibles. Additionally, Plan F will help in covering the Part B excess charge. It means that Plan F will help with the payment between the Medicare-approved amount and the maximum a doctor can charge. While all Medicare Supplement plans do offer certain coverage for Part B co-payments and coinsurance, Plan K only covers 50% and Plan L only covers 75%.

The one who wants an out-of-pocket limit
An out-of-limit plan means that you are protected after you have spent a certain amount. The best Medicare Supplement plans for you will be Plan K and L as they provide a 100% coverage. After you have spent $5,120, Plan K covers 100% and after you have spent $2,560, Plan L provides 100% coverage.

The one who wants the maximum coverage
Plan F is the best Medicare Supplement plan if you want maximum coverage. Of all the people who use Medicare, 66% choose Plan F as their Medicare Supplement plan. It provides the most comprehensive coverage of all the Medicare plans. Except for foreign emergency care, people with Plan F are covered with all the supplemental benefits of Medicare.

At the moment, precious metals have become an integral part of one’s investment portfolio. These can be extremely beneficial during inflation periods. In fact, numerous financial advisors recommend that at least 10% of such assets should be part of one’s total net worth. Among precious metals, gold, in particular, has been highly popular among investors. The good news is that now one doesn’t have to go on a hunting for the best options as gold coins or bars are easily accessible on online platforms. If you are planning to diversify your portfolio by investing in this precious metal, then continue reading to know about the best online gold dealers.

APMEX (American Precious Metals Exchange)
One of the biggest and best gold dealers online, APMEX not only facilitates the sale of precious metals but also allows the buyers to sell their gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Likewise, they also sell collectible items such as rare coins and currency notes from around the world. They have a huge selection of gold with their live prices available on their website. Moreover, they dispatch gold within one business day when consumers use credit cards to make payments. To guide the clients to make the best investment decisions, APMEX also run financial planning services.

Provident Metals
This company started as a trade-show business and went on to develop into one of the largest online gold sellers due to the popular client demand. Provident Metals are recognized for their swift and responsive customer service. Currently, they are a member of numerous reputed organizations such as Professional Coin Grading Service, Paper Money Guaranty Corporation, and The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. They have an extensive selection of gold coins, bars, and rounds. Apart from gold, they also sell copper, silver, platinum and palladium products. Likewise, they are involved in the sale of national and international coins, IRA bullion and wholesale bullion products.

JM Bullion
In a brief time, JM Bullion has impressed a significant number of clients with their high quality of service. They have local stores, however, their online presence is far more established. One can find a diverse collection of gold coins, bars, and collectibles listed on their website. Similarly, they also sell coins and bars made of silver, platinum, and copper. Furthermore, they have a great customer care support and they accept a variety of payment mediums including paper checks, bitcoin, wire transfers, and major credit and debit cards.

BGASC (Buy Gold and Silver Coins)
One of the best online gold dealers, BGASC is accredited by the Better Bureau Business with an A+ rating and consistently has had positive customer reviews. Apart from the national stock, they have a vast range of mints from other nations including Canada, Mexico, and China. Moreover, they only take one business day to ship the order and insure every product while it is in the transit. However, they only offer free shipping on products costing more than $5,000. BGASC also buys gold and silver items from its clients.

GoldSilver, LLC
This online gold dealer sells gold coins, bars and jewelry, however, one can also buy silver coins and bars. Besides precious metals, they also offer IRA services and secures safes. Moreover, GoldSilver educates its customers about investing in precious metals and other forms of assets at zero cost in the form of the latest news articles and audio-visual content. There’s a provision for clients for selling gold and silver on their website. The shipping, handling, and insurance expenses are free if the purchase is over $500. Otherwise, a flat fee of around $25 has to be paid.

Apart from the above listed best online gold dealers, you can also check gold products offered by these popular companies such as Gainesville Coins, Scottsdale Silver, Monarch Precious Metals, Kitco, SD Bullion, Tex Metals, Penn Metals, Golden Eagle Coin, and Gold Mart.

To shortlist the best online gold dealers, scrutinize their product selection, shipping time and charges, accreditation, overall consumer ratings, reputation, and physical office and contact details.

“Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” This is a famous quote by Warren Buffet. People who invest in stocks regularly, swear by the wisdom shared by Warren Buffet. After all, he is one of the best investors with a net worth of over $80 billion. Going by the quote mentioned above, it is clear that the more you know about where you are investing your money, the lesser will be the risk you are taking. The market can be overwhelming for everyone, especially millennials. The Internet is flooded with all kinds of information one needs when it comes to investing in stocks, and millennials can lower their risk by conducting extensive research about the top 10 stocks to invest in.  

While millennials can take a little risk when it comes to investing in stocks, they can also focus on building a good portfolio by investing in certain high-yielding stocks. Here are the top 10 stocks to invest in.

TripAdvisor
If you look at the history of the shares of TripAdvisor Inc., you will notice that they have fallen more than 30% in the past year. Investors have been careful about the company’s stocks, especially after the entry of the competition from Airbnb and Alphabet Inc. This, however, has not caused much trouble for TripAdvisor as it still leads its market with the most important asset, their data. TripAdvisor is one of the largest online collectors of traveler reviews. With the access to extensive data, the company can optimize the user experience. TripAdvisor is incorporating many strategies to give their users a superior experience, and with that TripAdvisor is expecting a 5% to 10% increase in their revenue.

Chevron
Chevron can be considered as a growth stock, and millennials can use this as an opportunity to invest in its stocks. These are the dividend stocks that millennials can invest in for a steady portfolio. The company intends to use the cash from their earnings to increase the dividends. An interesting fact about Chevron is that the debt load with a quarterly debt-equity ratio is relatively small. Long-term investors can benefit from this company as it has a reputation for thriving even in difficult times.

Facebook
Facebook Inc. is no longer just a social media site where people exist to improve their social connection. The firm is morphing into a huge technology powerhouse soon. Facebook currently own two of the biggest messaging services in the world namely, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Facebook is currently in the process of developing new payment platforms where businesses can accept money from customers for the services they offer through Facebook. This indicates the further growth of the company, and therefore, is one of the top 10 stocks to invest in.  

Netflix
Watching videos, movies, and TV shows online instead of cable is gaining much popularity not only in the United States of America but also in many other countries. Streaming services are now more in demand than ever and Netflix has witnessed an exponential growth in the past decade. Despite the existing growth of the company, there is room for more growth and Netflix can achieve the market capitalization of around $140 billion considering its success in the foreign markets. At present, the company is paying for content licensing and new content creation, however, once Netflix achieves some of its goals, it can turn out to be a market leader. Thus, it is one of the top 10 stocks to invest in.

General Motors
This American automaker company is a great bet for the long-term investors as the company has high stakes in its industry. General Motors bought 9% of Lyft, an on-demand transportation company which will share its profits with General Motors. This is an attempt by General Motors to not miss out on any changing trends that may threaten the sales of their products. The company is continuously working toward building and introducing new technology to generate more revenue. Investing in General Motors can prove to be a fruitful investing decision by the millennials.

Other companies among top 10 stocks to invest in include Wells Fargo, Baidu, Starbucks, Waste Management, and International Business Machines (IBM).