News
Assumptions About Expenses
Have you ever reflected on the fact that frequently, the final years of your full-time career often coincide with your peak income? However, as your earnings increase, so can your expenses. And if you’re not saving at the same rate, it could be difficult to sustain your lifestyle in retirement.
Will Your Strategy Work?
Heading into retirement, It is essential to understand your options, and what will work best for you. It is similarly important, however, to understand what won’t work. Are you aware of every factor you need to take into consideration going into retirement? If not, your current strategy may not be
Extend Savings While Balancing Risk
Retirement means more than a change in your employment status. It’s the point where the use of your savings changes. During retirement, a retiree’s focus turns from accumulating savings, to how they’re going to live off those savings, potentially for decades to come. That’s why it is important to focus
Priorities
The importance of saving up enough for retirement cannot be emphasized enough. Seniors who retire mostly or solely on social security often end up strapped for cash. So, it’s essential to have additional income sources to tap into that can provide additional income. While we know retirement savings should be
Increases
We’ve written about several of the increases that are happening in 2023 and thereafter, and it is important to keep them all in mind as you plan for your retirement. Since hitting a 40-year high of 9.1% in June, inflation has cooled somewhat. If that trend continues, the Cost of
When Only One Spouse Retires
Clients are coming to us more and more frequently with questions regarding this retirement situation: Let’s say one of a couple retires, and the other continues to work. This often presents a need for rebalancing in order to better ensure that the remaining spouse is sufficiently taken care of. Call
Women Live Longer Than Men… What Does This Mean?
We often mention in passing that life expectancy shows that women typically live longer than men. What does that mean to you? Well, you should think about the impact it could have on your retirement savings. When one individual passes before another, but both are using the same retirement savings
The Appeal of Safety
We thought to share with you our thoughts about the growing number of people who are looking to purchase a financial product that incorporates a guarantee on some or all of their retirement income. In the current climate, against a backdrop of rising inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, the benefits
Common Confusion
There still seems to be confusion among retirees about the changes in the law affecting required minimum distributions, or RMDs. Beginning a few weeks ago, on January 1, 2023, the starting age for RMDs rose from 72 to 73. The new version of the Secure Act will eventually increase the
Remember to Keep Saving
This article reminds you to stick to your goals and keep saving. “If you are already saving, whether for retirement or another goal, keep going! You know that saving is a rewarding habit. If you’re not saving, it’s time to get started. Start small if you have to and try
2023
The year 2023 brought with it a number of changes to the rules governing retirement deposits and withdrawals. This includes changes, in both this and future years, for RMDs from tax-advantaged retirement accounts. New legislation also provides a tax credit for small businesses, relating to retirement plans. It’s important you
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
This week’s article may help you to think about why you are purchasing life insurance. There are several different reasons why you would purchase life insurance: Once you understand why you’re purchasing life insurance, that helps you determine how much life insurance you need. Contact us if you need assistance
Con Artists and Fraudsters
The National Council on Aging reports that financial scams targeting older adults are on the rise. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2021, there was a 74% increase in losses to older victims of fraud compared to 2020. Why is this? Con artists and fraudsters tend to go
Children and Grandchildren
Often when we ask ourselves ‘Have I saved enough for retirement?” we’re really just asking if we can afford to give financial gifts or assistance to our children or grandchildren. The difficult part in answering this question is due to the uncertainty of planning for long-term care. Not to mention,
A Foundation of Financial Literacy
We are often asked about “financial literacy.” The phrase refers to the ability to understand and use various financial skills, and is the foundation of your relationship with money. A strong foundation of financial literacy will generally make you less vulnerable to financial fraud, and can help support you in
Don’t be Caught Off-Guard
We are always reading articles reminding us that social security is often not enough to support our needs in retirement. No one should be financially caught off-guard when they retire, which is why it may be of interest to you to think about a Fixed Index Annuity as an option.
The “What Ifs” Down the Road
We’ve received some inquiries this past month about a few topics. “What if” you end up having to go into a nursing home? “What if” you’re living in an independent living facility and need to move over to assisted living? Are your financial products going to pay you in a
What to Consider
This recent article (click here to read) is about what key features to consider when choosing a fixed index annuity during a time of market unease. It helps us to understand details like how FIAs can help act as a source of guaranteed income, even when the markets are declining.
When is Enough Enough?
Even if you’re able to add up what you spend today, trying to determine what you will need when you retire is difficult because your spending is sure to change. While perhaps you won’t have a mortgage payment anymore, you may be asked to contribute to your grandchildren’s education, or
The Need Gap
“According to the 2022 Insurance Barometer Study, conducted by LIMRA and Life Happens, 106 million adults lack life insurance, or adequate coverage. The need gap, what people have versus what they said they need, is at an all-time high and more than double what it was 12 years ago. The
Insurance
As we’ve seen from the news over this past week, many were caught up in the hurricane, and many did not have insurance that suited their needs. This is the case for many people because a natural tendency when purchasing something that pays money for a future event is to
