As with every presidential election, emotions around investments run high as individuals worry about what the next four years will look like.  This election cycle is no different as two very different candidates fight for the honor of our country's top office.  With all the emotions and uncertainty to come advisor, Stuart Vick Smith, joined KVUE to share some pointers to get our investments to November without losing the bank.  

KVUE: Financial Tips for an Election Year

There are topics that are widely recognized as ones to avoid when it comes to talking about them in public. There is one that tends to be treated with silence even when the setting is private. Death and end-of-life care usually are uncomfortable to talk about, plain and simple. But failing to do so can ultimately add additional grief, guilt and uncertainty to an already difficult time.

The aim of The Conversation Project is to raise awareness about the importance of having end-of-life discussions and to provide the groundwork for getting those talks started. The Conversation Project is an organization that was co-founded by Ellen Goodman, a former Boston Globe columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner. It strives to change our culture "so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it. It's time to share the way we want to live at the end of our lives. And it's time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don't want for ourselves."

The Conversation Project offers a starter kit to help you start planning your talk with those closest to you. The kit explains why having these conversations is so important and offers a step-by-step guide to help turn your plan into an actual conversation.

> MORE: " Why You Should Throw a Dinner Party to Talk About Death" 

It's a world of impulse buys, flash sales and never-ending asks for your money. "No matter how much money you have or make, it could never keep up with all the seemingly urgent invitations to part with it," writes Tim Maurer , director of personal finance for the BAM ALLIANCE and author of  Simple Money: A No-Nonsense Guide to Personal Finance .  

Maurer's hope is that through prudent planning, by establishing and following a true financial road map, you can create a clear, long-term financial plan based on need and logic and not on whimsy. Though every situation is unique, he shares his suggestions for the top 10 places your next dollar should go. 

There perhaps is no more powerful question you can ask yourself than, "What would happen if, suddenly, I were no longer here?" On top of the grief your loved ones would be feeling, would they also be strapped with financial burdens and significant changes to how they live each and every day?

An article from the BAM ALLIANCE extolls the benefits of creating a "Hit by the Bus" binder, a collection of key contacts, up-to-date information, financial paperwork and other documents that will provide direction to family members during an emotional time. 

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