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 as the Social Security Administration, Best Buy, PayPal, and the like. The emails usually look very real, even having the proper logo, and disclaimers on the bottom. They often will tell you that you overpaid for something or that you received some letter telling you how much money you would

Many people nearing retirement make the mistake of just “guessing” their retirement income needs rather than actually calculating what they’ll need to support their retirement spending. This is because many people don’t put enough thought into their financial needs when they are working, either.  However, given that you don’t have the income from a job to fall back on, this is a very serious matter. Many think that credit card limits can be treated as available money to spend the same as a paycheck is. However, during retirement, the ability to pay debt down becomes more difficult. This is why

Typically, you put a lot of thought towards paying off loans for insurance, on, for example, your house and car. However, life insurance is just as important as other types, and should be thought of in the same way.  Life insurance is often ignored, because we look at it simply as something costing us while alive, for benefits that will only matter when we’ve passed away. However, there are life insurance policies that work differently than you’d expect from them. You can use a life insurance policy to benefit yourself, while you’re still alive. Call us, so we can talk to

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 on where and how your savings are stored and used to generate an income you will not outlive. Call us for some ideas on planning ahead to get a head start on the situation. We’re always here to help.

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 Living Adjustment in Social Security payments will provide an especially strong buffer against higher prices, since the benefit increase is fixed at 8.7% through 2023. Call us if you’d like assistance in reviewing your income and expenses. We may have some ideas to help increase your income that you haven’t

“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 percent of households that say they would be financially secure if the primary wage earner suddenly passed away is 68 percent among life insurance owners, versus 47 percent among those who do not own life insurance.” Call us if you are part of a need gap. We’re here to help.

With 2022 just beginning, we thought we’d share with you some of the changes to Social Security. The Social Security Administration has issued a 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment (known as a “COLA”) for 2022, the largest COLA in nearly 40 years. How much of a difference this will make in your life really depends on your overall financial needs and situation. The increase in Social Security benefits can help offset inflation. However, it will not reduce the amount of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) you will still be required to take from your retirement accounts (for example, your IRA.) It’s possible you

A recent article tells us “People retiring in the next few decades should only count on withdrawing 3.3% of their savings a year, down from the well-established number of 4%” according to a recent report by Morningstar. Inc.  The withdrawal rate refers to how much a retiree can “safely” withdraw from their savings each year without fear of running out of money. Usually it assumes that someone will live about 30 years past retirement. Will this anticipated reduction affect you? Call us, and we can help you determine if it might be time to consider other options. Did you know