Bankrupt Bond Companies Seniors like bonds due to the fact they'll presumably offer a gradual financial gain, diversify a stock portfolio, and are backed by the insurer’s monetary strength; however things don’t necessarily go as planned. Firms often have money issues and must file for bankruptcy. Investors holding bonds in bankrupt firms will, at a [...]
FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS & TRUST What’s most significant to you when it comes to selecting a financial services provider? According to the results from many recent surveys, trust was named as the most significant issue for evaluating financial services providers; outranking client service, performance, and variety of product. But how do you judge trustworthiness? Some financial service firms might present their experience and assets under management to convey their commitment to building trust with potential clients. But [...]
OUTLIVING YOUR MONEY Could underestimating your longevity mean you’ll run out of retirement money? At age 65, the average life expectancy is 84 years for a man and 86.5 years for a woman. At age 75, the average life expectancy is 86.6 years for a man and 87.6 years for a woman.1 With recent advances [...]
This is a delicate subject to write about. No one wants to have to plan for a time when we’re no longer here. But as an advisor to retirees, I have a responsibility to try and help you avoid catastrophic mistakes, the results of which would be suffered by your family. The reason I bring [...]
LONGEVITY Live to 100. Sounds great. But what are the downsides? “How can there be downsides?” you may ask. After all, you’d have more time to golf, go fishing, and spend with the grandkids...do all the things that you dreamed of doing when you retired. Well, the risk may be that if you hadn’t planned [...]
Can you lower your property taxes? There's an old saying. Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. I'll begin with a thought of where you can look for money under the proverbial mattress. Your house and what you pay in taxes! As property values have increased significantly in many [...]
Mistake No. 1: Procrastination. There is no better time to invest than right NOW. According to a Google search for- ‘market timing’ - you’ll get about 22 million results. Virtually all respectable sources will tell you it can’t be done successfully over an extended period of time. The irony is the longer you wait to [...]
Even though the federal estate tax laws were recently changed (to the benefit of many individual taxpayers), estate taxes could still pose a major threat to your overall wealth. With highest estate tax rates as high as 40%. protecting your estate from the ravages of estate taxation (not only for now but for the future), [...]
Do you find yourself worrying about your finances? While you may think that your situation is unique, you may, in fact, be among the majority of seniors who worry excessively about money. A recent survey by the publishers of Senior Market Advisor1 revealed several seniors’ responses to the question “How much do you worry about [...]
When it comes time to tap your savings and investment accounts, clients often wonder which source should come first. In general, many experts advise investors to draw from their taxable accounts first, then tap qualified accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s further down the road. There is a logical reason for this--prolonging withdrawals from your [...]
