Retirement Preparation Mistakes

Retirement Preparation Mistakes

Much is out there about the classic financial mistakes that plague start-ups, family businesses, corporations, and charities. Aside from these blunders, some classic financial missteps plague retirees.     Calling them “mistakes” may be a bit harsh, as not all of them represent errors in judgment. Yet whether they result from ignorance or fate, we need to […]

Managing an Inheritance

Managing an Inheritance

Inheriting wealth can be a burden and a blessing. Even if you have an inclination that a family member may remember you in their last will and testament, there are many facets to the process of inheritance that you may not have considered. Here are some things you may want to keep in mind if it […]

Your RMD (Required Minimum Distributions) Questions Answered

Your RMD (Required Minimum Distributions) Questions Answered

The year-end is approaching and you may have questions about RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). Once you reach age 72 (age 70½ if you attained age 70½ before 2020), the IRS requires you to start withdrawing from—and paying taxes on—most types of tax-advantaged retirement accounts. You may also be required to take RMDs from retirement accounts that […]

Your Year-End Financial Checklist – 2022

Your Year-End Financial Checklist – 2022

The end of the year can help remind us of last-minute things we need to address and the goals we want to pursue. Here are some aspects of your financial life to consider as this year leads into the next. Keep in mind that this article is for informational purposes and is not a replacement […]

Creating a Retirement Strategy

Creating a Retirement Strategy

Across the country, people are saving for that “someday” called retirement. Someday, their careers will end. Someday, they may live off their savings or investments, plus Social Security.  They know this, but many of them do not know when, or how, it will happen. What is missing is a strategy – and a good strategy might make a great difference.

A retirement strategy directly addresses the “when, why, and how” of retiring. It can even address the “where.” It breaks the whole process of getting ready for retirement into actionable steps.

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How Market Cycles Can Impact Retirement

How Market Cycles Can Impact Retirement

A thoughtful retirement strategy may help you pursue your many retirement goals. That strategy must consider many factors, and here are just a few: your income needs, the order of your withdrawals from taxable and tax-advantaged retirement accounts, the income tax implications of those withdrawals, and sequence of return risk

Just what is the sequence of return risk? In brief, it is the risk that market declines in the early years of retirement, combined with steady withdrawals, could reduce your portfolio’s outlook.  

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States Are Requiring Retirement Plans

States Are Requiring Retirement Plans

Too many Americans save too little for retirement. This problem has been discussed for decades in all kinds of media, and there seems to be no easy way to solve it. 

Fourteen states are giving it a try, however: they have passed or introduced laws requiring or urging companies to provide retirement savings opportunities to employees. In most of these 14 states, employers must either sponsor a retirement plan, or automatically enroll their workers in a state program.1 

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Couples Retiring on the Same Page

Couples Retiring on the Same Page

What does a good retirement look like to you? Does it resemble the retirement that your spouse or partner has in mind? It is at least roughly similar?

The Social Security Administration currently projects an average retirement of 18 years for a man and 21 years for a woman (assuming retirement at age 65). So, sharing the same vision of retirement (or at least respecting the difference in each other’s visions) seems crucial to retirement happiness.1

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