My Comments: There are good annuities and there are bad annuities. Most of the bad ones have been created and aggressively sold by insurance companies whose sole objective is to generate revenue for the company and their agents. The study results described below tell us why they have been successful. It’s not easy to find …
Continue reading Annuities are key to American retirement. So why are so few Americans buying them?
My Comments: This article appeared a dozen years ago in a magazine I follow called Financial Planning. The article describes a list of options to be aware of that are very valid today. It sets the stage for a series of posts I intend to share with you in the coming weeks. It’s about an …
Continue reading The Dreaded Question: Should You Have Long-Term Care Insurance?
My Comments: The older you get, the more you accept that the end happens to all of us. I encourage you to make a serious effort to make sure whatever you leave behind flows freely downstream to the right place or people. This summary will help you avoid serious mistakes made by others that result …
Continue reading 12 Assets To Avoid Leaving to Your Heirs When You Die
My Comments: For many, getting serious about retirement doesn’t happen until someone reaches their 50’s. There’s too much other stuff going on. But sooner rather than later, you have to make sure you’ll have enough money to sustain yourself for the next 30+ years. This is critical if you don’t want to find yourself climbing …
Continue reading 8 Proven Investment Options to Safeguard and Grow Your Retirement Money
My Comments: As a financial planner for the past five decades, I’ve seen my share of success and of failure. These days, too many folks have money worries that are very uncomfortable. It’s largely because while you’re young and working, it’s hard to conceive the day will come when your income stops or dramatically slows …
Continue reading Four Unseen Icebergs That Could Sink Your Retirement Plan
My Comments: I’m well into my so called “retirement” and believe I’m in Stage 2 given my age and circumstances. Life could probably be better, but it is what it is and I’m OK with that. I’ve spent many years trying to help other reach what this author describes as Stage 2. Sometimes I’ve been …
Continue reading The Five Stages of Retirement (and How to Skip Three of Them)
My Comments: Some of this seems counter intuitive but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked with people who have retired and seem unable to enjoy their lives. The six signs described below need to be focal points for most people when reaching age 60. By that time you probably know that at …
Continue reading 6 Key Signs You Will Be Able To Enjoy a Middle-Class Retirement
My Comments: First, 35 mistakes is more than anyone is likely to make. Second, despite by having been a professional financial planner for almost 50 years, I can tell you that despite my presumed skills, I made some serious mistakes along the way. Third, there’s a lot here to absorb, but I hope you make …
Continue reading 35 Retirement Planning Mistakes You’re Wasting Money On
My Comments: I became a follower of Don Graves, the author of the following article, a number of years ago. His ideas about paying for retirement are very similar to what I’ve attempted to tell clients for almost four decades. As he says below, we pass through different psychological phases during our lives, and especially …
Continue reading Navigating the Three Economic Phases of Retirement
My Comments: This comes from a publication called The Motley Fool that I follow. This article describes averages that may or may not apply to you. But the framework is real and if retirement is in your future, there may be thoughts here that resonate with you, especially if you are 20-25 years away from …
Continue reading The Most Important Retirement Table You’ll Ever See
Helping Define Your Financial Future 