Retirement

According to a new Gallup survey, which interviewed 1,018 adults across America, the average reported retirement age has increased from age 57, where it was in 1991, to age 66. This trend of working longer and retiring later was attributed to an increased full retirement age for Social Security, a longer average life expectancy, and […]

While there is no way of predicting how things will play out in the financial markets in the coming months, allowing yourself to become distracted and unsettled by volatility will likely lead to rash decisions that can disrupt your well thought out long-term plans. Instead, stay focused on what you can control. This means sticking

We all want to eventually retire, and a dream for many would be to retire rich. Choosing when is the best time to retire is one of life’s big decisions, and one that requires thought before taking the plunge. While financial markets should never be the main driver behind this decision, they inevitably can have

After years of diligent saving, many retirees become unsettled by the volatility in the markets, along with the risk of the unknown. The free-floating anxiety that exists when questions like when should you start withdrawing funds, how much is too much, will you have enough money to cover unexpected expenses, what if you outlive your

We all know that it is not uncommon for one spouse to be the primary decision-maker when it comes to managing a couple’s money. But this approach can have consequences. One major consequence is if the spouse with the hold on the couple’s financial situation becomes incapacitated or dies, the other spouse may find themselves

We frequently receive inquiries from family members of decedent owners of various insurance products where there is a disconnect between their impression of who the owner of the policy wanted to be a beneficiary, and who, in fact, ended up becoming the beneficiary. So, we thought to address that topic briefly in this commentary.  While

For many investors entering their 70s, diligently contributing to and saving in tax-deferred retirement accounts must soon turn to making mandatory annual withdrawals. That’s because the government requires retirees to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from such accounts after a certain age. Retirees may find RMDs to be a bit daunting, partly because of the

An interesting study performed by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College delved into the concept of lifespan variation, and why it provides valuable information about mortality beyond life expectancy. “It is precisely this uncertainty around the average lifespan that gives rise to “longevity risk” – the possibility of living an unusually long time

Are you the kind of person who likes to make lists? You might see the use in this list of “five easy steps for financial fitness.” #1 Create a budget; #2 Manage your debt; #3 Create a plan that keeps you disciplined in all kinds of markets; #4 Prepare for the unexpected; and #5 Protect

All too often when we need to find an important financial document we can’t remember where we put it. Keeping important documents up to date and accessible is essential. Even after you finalize your will and have decided what your financial plans are, there is one more important step to take: organizing those documents, having