News & Updates
Pre-Retirement Syndrome
Have you heard this phrase? It is often used to refer to the anxiety and stress that people feel in the years leading up to retirement. While it is common to feel a sense of stress with any major change, many feel a higher level of anxiety as they approach
Resolution Fatigue
At this time of year there tends to be discussion about what our New Year’s resolution will be. Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first
Risk/Reward
It is important to think about your risk/reward ratio tolerance–terms like “conservative” and “risky” can mean different things to different people which is why it is necessary to think it through. This way, you can also get a feel for what level of risk is necessary to try to obtain
IRA Conversion
Conversions of a traditional IRA to a Roth can differ individual to individual, even where the same sum of money is involved. Let’s take, for example, two individuals, each with $100,000 in a traditional IRA, that the funds were identically invested and would double over 10 years. The tax rate
Are You Maximized?
As year-end approaches, it might be a good time to reflect on if you are allocating funds to be sure to maximize your contributions to tax advantaged accounts. If you can, you should consider making your contributions sooner rather than later. Even though you have until year-end to make contributions
Lost 401k
As we approach year end we are frequently being asked about what we call “Lost 401k” accounts. Perhaps you changed jobs, or your employer went out of business or merged with another company, or maybe you’ve just put the memories of a workplace that you left years ago far, far
Americans Are More Afraid of Retirement Than Death
According to a national survey for LiveCareer in June, about 61% of working Americans are more afraid of retirement than of death. Why is this? The survey suggests the reason is that many Americans are financially unprepared to retire. About 20% of Americans ages 50 and older were shown to
Trusted Contact
We have been asked to explain the reason why some financial institutions ask for the name of a person that is often referred to as a “trusted contact.” There is frequently confusion about what rights that person has, specifically if they have access to any account their name is provided
Retirement in Stages
One way to approach retirement is to think of it in stages. While retirement might seem like the final step of a journey, your goals and lifestyle will likely continue to evolve, and your income strategy should reflect that. For example, consider looking at your retirement in five-year stages; can
Why?
We were recently asked why we believe that an annuity can help with your retirement strategy. Three reasons come readily to mind. The first reason is that they can be used as asset protection. Fixed annuities, for example, are safer for your money than volatile investment options. The second reason
TOD or POD
In the context of bank accounts and who their beneficiaries are, TOD means transfer-on-death, and POD means payable-on-death. These types of designations can play an important role in your estate planning by enabling banks to transfer funds directly to your heirs without the need for probate. This has a broader
Before You Click
Some scams are run on a daily basis, and are so intricately made, they can trick even the smartest of us. The scams we’re talking about come in the form of emails where the sender shows up in your email box as purportedly coming from an entity you recognize, such
Retirement Paycheck
Retirement is different from your working years–you’re no longer putting in time and collecting a paycheck regularly. Creating a sustainable paycheck in retirement is, however, an art worth mastering. Without a full-time employer, retirees are left with the task of cobbling together a sustainable cash-flow strategy that will not only
Social Security and Working In Retirement
Have you ever wondered if working in retirement reduces your Social Security benefits? If you are younger than your full retirement age for the entire year, your benefit will reduce by $1 for every $2 you earn in excess of the [current] annual limit of $22,320. If you start working
Tying to Knot
According to the US Census Bureau, about 1 in 5 people over the age of 60 have married at least twice. However, all marriages are not created equal. The Schwab Center for Financial Research lets us know that “Unlike those just starting out in life, many older individuals have adult
Back to Basics
An annuity is a financial product designed to provide a regular, guaranteed income stream (backed by the claims-paying ability of the carrier) over a specified period or for the rest of a person’s life. Essentially, it’s a contract between you and an insurance company in which you make a lump-sum
Limits on Deductibility
We’ve spoken in the past about annual contribution limits into qualified accounts, but have not focused on the nuances of the income limits for tax deductibility of those contributions. It’s very important to speak with your tax preparer, as specific limitations will apply. For example, in the scenario where a
Pay Attention!
We’re inundated with so many changes to rules related to retirement, that we oftentimes tell ourselves we can just ignore them and “focus on them later.” However, there are some changes you might want to pay attention to now. For example, the changes made by the Secure Act: Firstly, the
