CategoriesLife Insurance, Retirement Income, Risk by

Life Insurance Is an Investment!

What’s the best way to invest in your future?

Life insurance is an investment…in more ways than one.

 

For all its benefits, only 54% of Americans have some form of life insurance, which means there’s a pretty good chance that you’re one of the millions of adults without this vital form of coverage.

Perhaps you think you can’t afford it. Or you’re overwhelmed by all the options in the marketplace. Maybe you simply don’t like thinking about your own mortality.

However, I think more people should review life insurance as part of their overall retirement and family planning. Read More

How to Stay Retired
CategoriesRetirement, Retirement Income by

How to Stay Retired

Retirement should last the rest of your life.

Here are some tips on how to stay retired.

 

If you were to ask soon-to-be-retired Americans what they plan to do during their retirement, you’d probably get a huge range of answers: see the grandkids, travel, start a new hobby.

But if you were to ask those same people how long they would like retirement to last, you would likely get the same answer over and over again: “The rest of my life, of course!”

These are the Golden Years, and you want to spend them doing the things you enjoy at your own pace. After all, no one wants to retire and travel the world for 10 years…only to have to go back to work at the ripe old age of 75.

In short, you don’t just want to be retired, you want to stay retired! Read More

CategoriesInvestor Education, Life Insurance, Retirement, Retirement Income, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA by

8 Tax Free Investments You Should Know About

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin was certainly right about a lot of things over his lifetime. And it absolutely feels like taxes are unavoidable, but are they really? Well, no! There are certain investment types that are completely tax-free.

While you probably shouldn’t be too concerned with dropping the amount of taxes you pay each year down to zero, understanding how your investments can impact your taxes and using that to your advantage is a great way to maximize your money. Read More

How Do I Maximize My Social Security Benefits?
CategoriesFinancial Planning, Financial QB TV Videos, Retirement Income, Social Security by

How Do I Maximize My Social Security Benefits?

If you’ve worked for any portion of your life, you’re probably looking forward to the day when you can retire and collect your social security benefits. But you’ve also probably spent some time worrying if social security will be enough to cover your expenses.

Luckily, there are ways to maximize those benefits. Read More

Why & How to Retire Early
CategoriesArticles/Publications, Retirement, Retirement Income by

Why and How to Retire Early

Are you faced with (or hoping for) an early retirement?

Then you’ll want to do your homework to learn how to retire early without hurting your finances.

According to a study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, nearly 50% of workers plan on retiring after the age of 65 to collect maximum social security benefits. However, only 19% end up staying that long.

Most of the time, early retirement can be attributed to unexpected events such as poor health, economic downturn, loss of employment, or family issues. However, with the right planning and budgeting, you can retire early on your own terms. Read More

Are Annuities Worth It?
CategoriesAnnuities, Articles/Publications, Retirement, Retirement Income by

Are Annuities Worth It?

Most financial advisors either love them or hate them.

Are annuities the right retirement option for you?

Are you planning for retirement?

If so, you may be thinking, “How do I convert that money I set aside during my years of work into ongoing income?” The financial industry does not suffer from a lack of choices when it comes to investments and, quite often, annuities can be an appropriate option in retirement.

Yet probably no product in existence  generates so many reactions as annuities.

Before you invest in them, however, there are many different things to consider. Keep reading to learn more about what annuities are, the types of annuities, and how to determine if it’s a good investment for your future. Read More

Traditional vs. Roth IRA
CategoriesFinancial Planning, Income Tax Planning, Retirement, Retirement Income, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA by

Traditional vs. Roth IRA: The Pros, Cons, and Everything in Between

Read on to learn the advantages and disadvantages of traditional vs. Roth IRA to make the right decision for your retirement.

 

Planning for one’s retirement is one of the best ways to make sure that you’ll have the means to support yourself and your family when you no longer have a paycheck. And the earlier you start planning, the more prepared you’re going to be.

One of the most important things to know about retirement planning is the difference between traditional vs Roth IRAs. By choosing the right kind of IRA, you could potentially end up saving yourself thousands of dollars.

If you’re interested in learning more about IRAs, then continue reading and we’ll take you through everything you’ll want to know! Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Retirement, Retirement Income, Using A 401(k) by

What Is a 403b and Is It the Right Option For You?

A 401k retirement plan has been a standard part of employee benefits packages since the late 1970s. This type of retirement plan involves withholding contributions from each worker’s paycheck and holding those monies tax-deferred in an investment account until that worker retires. 

Nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations were not able to offer 401k plans to their workers until 1996. Before that year, the only employer-sponsored option for nonprofits and their employees was known as a 403b plan.

The 403b plan is still an option for nonprofit workers and exists alongside traditional 401k offerings. But what is a 403b, exactly, and is it a good investment? Read on to find out.

Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Income Planning, Retirement, Retirement Income, Roth IRA by

What Is a Roth IRA? Everything You Need to Know

Apparently, most Americans are not prepared for retirement. While these people may not be terribly concerned about their future at this point in their lives, many are in for a rude awakening when their income suddenly drops dramatically. 

By having an individual retirement account (IRA), you can diversify your portfolio and prepare your finances for your future. You might not know this, but there are actually two different kinds of IRAs: the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. 

Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Financial QB TV Videos, Retirement Income by

Retirement Planning: Why There’s No Such Thing as a One-Size-Fits-All Retirement

If your household earns over $30,000 per year, you are going to  need more than social security to keep up your lifestyle in retirement. This is why many financial advisors recommend saving enough to replace 80% or more of your pre-retirement income.

When it comes to retirement planning, most people think a one-size investment strategy fits all. Here are three reasons why retirement planning does—and should—work differently for different people. Read More