News
Tax Filing Deadline Extended
What Strategy is Right for You? This week’s article confirms an announcement recently made by the IRS. “You now have an extra month to lower your tax bill with contributions to your individual retirement account (IRA). Just like last year, the IRS has extended the 2020 tax filing deadline to
What is an Indexed Annuity?
This week’s article provides an easy answer to the question ‘What is an Indexed Annuity?’ “An indexed annuity is a type of annuity contract that pays an interest rate based on the performance of a specified market index, such as the S&P 500. It differs from fixed annuities, which pay
Retirement Accounts
Deadlines for filing tax returns are approaching. So, we’re reminding people about another deadline as well: retirement account deposits. Each year, you have a permitted annual deposit that can be made into your retirement account. If you miss the deadline, you may miss an opportunity to increase your retirement. Have
DO BENEFICIARIES PAY TAXES ON LIFE INSURANCE?
Lately, we have been asked about taxes and life insurance. Specifically whether or not beneficiaries of a life insurance policy have to pay income taxes on that money, or whether the estate has to pay taxes on it. The simple answer is, usually, no. However, there can be nuances involved.
Saving for Retirement
This week’s article tells us “experts want you to start saving as soon as possible, no matter what amount you can afford to put away.” The first goal is to simply get into the habit of saving for the future because the future comes sooner than you think. “The second
Retirement Planning Today
This week I thought to refer you to an article that begins with the simple but universal statement “Retirement planning is a multistep process that evolves over time.” The reason I like this statement is that it relates to each of us, regardless of our age. Whether you are at
Women and Retirement
“At a time when COVID-19 is generating massive financial uncertainty for individuals, companies, and societies, an important new report from Bank of America examines the unique saving and investing challenges facing women. It marks the launch of a new research series that applies a gender lens to financial behaviors.” Call
FEDERAL QUESTION
If you are a Federal civil servant employee and contemplating putting in your retirement papers this year, you may want to verify what your lifetime benefits will be, and how they are calculated. It isn’t just a question of age, which is how most of us think about retirement, it
Financial Terms
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a conversation with a financial professional and realized you have no understanding of the meaning of the words he is using? We try to keep things simple around our office and go to great lengths to make sure that you understand
Calculators and Calculations!
This is the time year when clients begin to ask if they are on track for retirement. There are so many factors that go into answering that question, we thought to share with you several customizable calculators that will allow you to run different scenarios and discover how small adjustments
THE STANFORD LONGEVITY PROJECT LOOKS AT ANNUITIES
This week’s article references a topic we have been reflecting on over the past few months and that is the understanding that “retirees face a number of challenges to their financial security, including living longer and facing the danger of depleting their savings too soon. The pandemic has further threatened
Plan Ahead
When we speak about retirement savings, we often talk about products that can provide an income stream you can’t outlive. But, what happens to your money after your lifetime? If you plan on leaving some of your retirement savings to loved ones, we have some ideas that may help. For
Improving Your Portfolio Return Without Increasing Risk
This week’s article tells us that retirement planning needs to change in this new year and that “it may be time to revisit traditional approaches to retirement planning. The pandemic and near-zero interest rates dramatically changed the environment”. The article continues by focusing on the goals of delaying claiming social
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you! Next week were are hosting a free educational webinar for pre-retirees and retirees on January 5th. It’s called “7 Keys to Enhancing Social Security Benefits.” Register here. If you have any members, clients, friends, or family who might be interested, feel free to pass it
Start the new year off right
“Figuring out how much money you need to retire is like one of those word problems from high school that still haunts you.” This week’s article tells us that “The retirement equation isn’t unsolvable, but it’s not a precise calculation, either. You’ll need to revisit your retirement formula once or
Holidays and Financial Stress
Did you know that according to one 2019 survey roughly 48 million Americans were still paying off 2018’s holiday debt by the 2019 holiday season? Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that a more recent survey conducted this year by Goldman Sachs found that 50 percent of Americans think gift-buying is
Healthy Mind and Healthy Body
This week’s article reminds us that notwithstanding the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, one thing COVID does to benefits us, is that it demands healthy aging. There have been and will continue to be many wide-reaching implications which include not just direct health impacts; if the pandemic teaches us
Marshmallows and Social Security
I thought you would enjoy this week’s article as it explains the old “marshmallow test” in answering the question of “should US retirees delay claiming Social Security until age 70, even if they have to spend savings until then?” You may ask “What do Social Security benefits and marshmallows have
Time to reflect
With one month to go until the new year, it might be a good time to reflect on the status of your retirement savings in order to better understand what your choices and needs will be in 2021. Take a look at this week’s article for a few retirement calculators.
Insurance needs change when you retire
This week’s article reminds us that “Senior insurance needs are different. Time to drop the disability coverage and review your other plans.” The most obvious insurance retirees need to maintain is health insurance. While most seniors age 65 and older are eligible for Medicare, Medicare doesn’t cover 100% of medical
What matters is if you are concerned
This week’s article highlights a Harris Poll that showed “workers who have been laid off or had their hours reduced amid the pandemic are particularly concerned about their future.” “70% say they are worried about running out of money in retirement, 61% say they are much more afraid of life