News & Updates
Seven Different Ways
We thought we’d bring to your attention an article recently published by AARP that discusses seven different ways retirement income will be different this year: “For most people, retirement finance is a delicate balance between
A Sudden Influx of Cash?
Annuities are one way to leverage a sudden influx of cash that may or may not have been expected, such as a bonus, inheritance, or sale of a small asset you had never factored into
Retirement With $5 Million
There was a recent report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute on an analysis of retirement accounts using the 2018 Survey of Consumer Finances. According to the analysis, a $5 million retirement nest egg puts
New Law For 2024
If you own a small business or family office you could be required to report ownership details to the federal government… or face stiff penalties and possible jail time. The Corporate Transparency Act went into
Estate Planning
We all know that complex estates require sophisticated estate planning. If you have a large estate or own a business, only a qualified estate-planning attorney will have the knowledge and expertise to tailor to your
Gifts That Keep Giving
The younger a child is when you contribute to their 529 plan, the longer the account has to potentially benefit from compound growth. In 2023, individuals can contribute up to $17,000 per year (and couples
Pre or Post-Retirement?
Most of us think of life insurance as a way to help the people who depend on us financially, or even just to help pay the debts we may have left for our end-of-life care,
Types of Annuities: A Rundown
We’ve been asked what a variable annuity and a fixed annuity are. What are the differences between them? Essentially: A variable annuity’s value is based on the performance of a portfolio of sub-accounts; it offers
Don’t Take the Bait
In 2022, social media-based scams cost Americans a total of $1.23 billion, a 54% increase since 2021, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Typically, these sorts of scams start with someone claiming to be a
Paying For Medicare
Friends and colleagues who are approaching 65 are beginning to ask about Medicare benefits. Not just how to sign up, but what to select from among the various choices. The good news is, 94% of
What is a Pension? Do You Have One?
The phrase “pension benefits” has come up a lot in recent weeks, especially during the negotiations between the United Auto Workers union and the “big three” automotive manufacturers, narrowly avoiding a strike. But for the
did You Hear?
Did You Hear? According to LIMRA, annuity sales are on the rise yet again this year, after also breaking records last year. Investors building their retirement strategy looking to mitigate some risk have chosen to lock-in
An Email Scam Going Around
We’ve previously discussed different types of scams you should be looking out for. This week, we wanted to bring yet another one to your attention. You might get an email claiming to be from someone
An Important Warning
Did you know that the older you are, the more susceptible you are to telephone or internet fraud? One of the most common tricks scammers use is impersonating a child or grandchild, asking you for
When to Buy an Annuity?
The average age at which one buys an annuity is their early 60s, with the majority of annuities purchased by individuals between ages 55–70. According to Oxford Economics, the U.S. population aged 65 and up
Calculating Life Expectancy
We’ve provided some online tools to help estimate life expectancy, a topic we discussed last week. We found three we thought we’d share, each with varying degrees of specificity: Go through one or all three
The Most Important Assumption
One of the most important assumptions you will make when planning for retirement is life expectancy. While we can reasonably estimate each of our retirement income sources and dollar amounts, a crucially important variable we
When is the Right Time to Retire?
When is the right time to retire? The answer to this, like every other decision you have to make in retirement, depends on your own personal needs and circumstances. The National Bureau of Economic Research