Blog

RETIREMENT INCOME AND THE TRADITIONAL PORTFOLIO

Taking withdrawals from a traditional portfolio exposes fixed-income investors to “sequence of returns” danger. In other words, experiencing negative returns early in retirement can deplete your portfolio more quickly than...

SPLIT ANNUITY STRATEGY

When financial markets turn volatile, some investors show their frustration by fleeing the markets in search of alternatives that are designed to offer stability. For example, in the first quarter of 2018, investors pulled $63 billion...

PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS FROM THE LOSS OF A KEY PERSON

Charles de Gaulle once remarked, “The graveyards are full of indispensable men.”¹ While we know that life goes on regardless of the loss of any “indispensable” person, for a small business, the loss of a...

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

Each month you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of...

PLANNING FOR THE EXPECTED

Perhaps Bette Davis said it best when she observed, “Old age is no place for sissies.”¹ The challenges seniors have met throughout their lives have made them wiser and stronger, preparing them for the unique challenges...

INFLATION - BACK TO THE FUTURE

Inflation sometimes seems like one of those afflictions of an era long since passed into the history books. While it’s true that double-digit inflation has been absent for the last 30 years or more, you may remember the high...

SUCCEEDING AT BUSINESS SUCCESSION

According to a recent study by U.S. Trust, 64% of millionaire business owners over 50 have no formal succession plan.¹ While the number may shock you, it is not surprising that many small business owners are consumed by the myriad...

BUILDING YOUR LEGACY

Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.¹Shannon L. Alder The desire to leave a legacy may be the height of altruism, for it is a gift to the...

A LOOK AT DIVERSIFICATION

Ancient Chinese merchants are said to have developed a unique way to manage their risk. They would divide their shipments among several different vessels. That way, if one ship were to sink or be attacked by pirates, the rest stood a...

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS - GOING MAINSTREAM

Recent years have witnessed the mainstreaming of alternative investments for certain accredited investors. In fact, one study found that alternative investments have grown to make up about 25% of state and locally run public pension...

CATCH-UP CONTRIBUTIONS

A recent survey found that 17% of people were very confident about having enough money to live comfortably through their retirement years. At the same time, 36% were not confident.¹ Congress in 2001 passed a law that can help...

DOES YOUR CREDIT SCORE AFFECT YOUR INSURANCE RATES?

One landmark study found that credit-based insurance scores are used by about 95 percent of all auto and home insurers in calculating the cost of insurance to individuals.¹ While the vast majority of insurance companies use...

ORCHESTRATING YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS

Launch Presentation »

YOUR CHANGING DEFINITION OF RISK IN RETIREMENT

During your accumulation years, you may have categorized your risk as “conservative,” “moderate,” or “aggressive” and that guided how your portfolio was built. Maybe you concerned yourself with...

RETIREMENT TRAPS TO AVOID

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

Each month you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of...

IT MAY BE TIME FOR A FINANCIAL CHECKUP

It’s never a bad time to speak with your financial advisor about changes in your situation.

WHY YOU NEED AN ESTATE STRATEGY

PLEASE LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT

Concerns over identity theft continue to grow, especially with news of data breaches at major companies and financial institutions. Unfortunately, you have little control over the hacking of these companies, but you do have control...

KEEPING GOOD RECORDS IS GOOD BUSINESS

Maintaining good records is important to help meet your tax and legal obligations. The right record keeping system not only helps satisfy these obligations, but it may save you money and time. Here’s what to consider for your...

ASSESS LIFE INSURANCE NEEDS

Tip: Final Cost. Paying for a funeral can be a financial burden on a family. Make sure your estate management will provide your loved ones with sufficient funds to cover this important cost. If your family relies on your income,...

WHERE WILL YOUR RETIREMENT MONEY COME FROM?

Tip: Retiring Older. One survey found 22% of baby boomers have found it difficult to pay mortgages or rent and have postponed plans to retire.Source: Insured Retirement Institute, 2018 For many people, retirement income may come from a...

The Value of Insuring Against Life's Risks

Did you know that... More than six in ten American workers have no private disability income protection,¹ 30 percent of U.S. households have no life insurance,² and About one in eight drivers is uninsured?³ If you ask a...

Stop Wasting Money

Benjamin Franklin once said, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”¹ The modern upgrade to that observation might be that $100 not spent is more like $143.² One way to find the money to meet your spending or saving...

Is a Variable Annuity Right for Me?

For the casual observer, it sometimes seems that variable annuities are either “terrible” or “wonderful.”Commentators in the financial media seem to occupy a polarity of opinions we might see in politics. What...

Immediate vs. Deferred Annuities

Tip: No Doubling. Investing in an annuity through a tax-advantaged retirement plan such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA will not provide additional tax advantages. Source: CNN Money, 2017 Despite not being as well known as some other...

Keeping Good Records is Good Business

Maintaining good records is important to help meet your tax and legal obligations. The right record keeping system not only helps satisfy these obligations, but it may save you money and time. Here’s what to consider for your...

Password Protection Strategies

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn—they’ve all fallen prey to hackers who exposed passwords and other personal information for hundreds of thousands of their users. If you haven’t yet had your password stolen, chances are,...

What Do Your Taxes Pay For?

Tip: Mid May. If the government had raised taxes enough to cover federal borrowing, we would have had to work until May 6 just to cover the tax bill. Source: Tax Foundation, 2018 Taxes are one of the biggest budget items for most...

Types of Stock Market Analysis

Tip: Best Seller. One of the more influential books on using fundamental analysis is Benjamin Graham’s Security Analysis. First published in 1934, it’s now in its sixth edition and has sold more than one million copies....

Variable Universal Life Insurance

Variable universal life insurance is permanent life insurance—it remains in force for the policyholder's whole life. And, as with universal life insurance, it provides a flexible premium and an adjustable benefit—meaning...

The ABCs of Zero Coupon Bonds

At first blush, the idea of a bond that doesn’t pay interest seems oxymoronic. After all, isn’t a bond a debt instrument that pays periodic interest and repays the principal at maturity?¹ Zero coupon bonds are indeed...

Put It in a Letter

Tip: Contact Information. A letter of instruction might include contact information for individuals who could be helpful in the distribution of your assets, such as your lawyer or financial professional. Actor Lee Marvin once said,...

Keep Your Umbrella Handy

Tip: Before the Umbrella. Before becoming eligible for umbrella insurance, you may have to maximize coverage on your homeowner’s and car insurance policies, as these become deductibles to an umbrella policy. In 2017, the U.S. had...

Investment Challenges of the Affluent Investor

High-net-worth investors face investment challenges that some would consider unique to their financial status. The fundamental tenets of investing apply equally to them as with any other investor, but the affluent investor needs to be...

Insurance Needs Assessment: When You're Newly Married

Marriage changes everything, including insurance needs. Newly married couples should consider a comprehensive review of their current individual insurance coverage to determine if any changes are in order, as well as consider new...

Four Really Good Reasons to Invest

Forty-six percent of Americans do not own any stocks or stock-related investments, such as mutual funds, according to a recent Gallup poll.¹ Individuals may cite different reasons for not investing, but with important long-term...

Important Birthdays Over 50

Tip: Average Benefit. In March 2018, the average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker was about $1,410. Source: Social Security Administration, 2018 Most children stop being “and-a-half” somewhere around age...

The Cost of Procrastination

Tip: Don’t Put it Off. Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible. -George Claude Lorimer Some of us share a common experience. You’re driving along when a police cruiser pulls up...

The Business Cycle

The Business Cycle Tip: Not Smooth. During both recessions and expansions, the economy can go through brief reversals in economic activity. A recession may include a short period of expansion followed by further decline; an expansion...

Budget Check Up: Tax Time Is the Right Time

Every year, about 140 million households file their federal tax returns.¹ For many, the process involves digging through shoe boxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account...

How Insurance Deductibles Work

An insurance deductible is the amount you, the insured, pay before any claim is paid by your insurance carrier. Depending upon the type of insurance, a policy may set the amount of deductible, or offer you the ability to select a...

Changing Unhealthy Behaviors

Most Americans know the fundamentals of good health: exercise, proper diet, sufficient sleep, regular check-ups, and no smoking or excessive alcohol. Yet, despite this knowledge, changing existing behaviors can be difficult. Look no...

Rebalancing Your Portfolio

Everyone loves a winner. If an investment is successful, most people naturally want to stick with it. But is that the best approach? It may sound counter intuitive, but it may be possible to have too much of a good thing. Over time,...

Do You Owe The AMT?

American educational reformer Horace Mann called education “the great equalizer.”¹ In football, it’s been said that turnovers are the great equalizer. And anyone who’s ever watched CBS’s “The...

Planning for the Expected

Perhaps Bette Davis said it best when she observed, “Old age is no place for sissies.”¹ The challenges seniors have met throughout their lives have made them wiser and stronger, preparing them for the unique challenges...

Estate Management Checklist

Do you have a will? A will enables you to specify who you want to inherit your property and other assets. A will also enables you to name a guardian for your minor children. Do you have healthcare documents in place? Healthcare...

Money that Buys Good Health is Never Ill Spent

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average person covered by Medicare has out-of-pocket medical expenses in excess of $5,500 a year. Premium costs accounted for 28% of the total, while long-term facility costs, medical...

And the Executor Is....

In her will, American businesswoman Leona Helmsley left $12 million in a trust fund to her dog Trouble. Her four executors were responsible for seeing that her wishes were carried out. In the years after her death, they dealt with...

A Bucket Plan to Go with Your Bucket List

The baby boomers have re-defined everything they’ve touched, from music to marriage to parenting and, more lately, to what “old” means—60 is the new 50! Longer, healthier living, however, can put greater stress...

Death is No Excuse

The federal government is an equal-opportunity tax assessor. Even the dead can’t escape taxes. The final accounting required of the deceased is not limited to an estate tax filing, but a federal income tax return must also be...

Social Security: The $64,000 Question

One of the most common questions people ask about Social Security is when they should start taking benefits. This is the $64,000 question. Making the right decision for you can have a meaningful impact on your financial income in...

9 FACTS ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY

Tip: How Much? Check your Social Security earnings and see an estimate of your benefits on the Web site, www.ssa.gov. Social Security’s been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know...