My Comments: This is Part Three and the last one in this series. My hope is you’ve read Part One and Part Two and ready for Part Three of the series and for it to end. I’ve attempted to provide the reader with a comprehensive and somewhat detailed overview of annuities and how they can …
Category: Financial Planning
Annuities: Part Two
My Comments: Two days ago I posted Annuities: Part One. In this post my attempt is to expand on a readers understanding of annuities in general so that if anyone sees this as a viable way to set aside money for the future, they’ll have a better understanding of the variables involved and how they …
I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?
My Comments: I suspect this question posed to an online site is more common than not. Too many Americans these days have too little money saved and aging is catching up with them if it hasn’t already. The article referenced below attempts to provide an intelligent answer, and for the most part it does. However …
How to Spend Your Nest Egg ~ Probability vs. Safety First
Your Balance Sheet Your household has a balance sheet. As you may recall from accounting courses you took along the way, a balance sheet has the assets listed on the left with liabilities listed on the right. That balance sheet for someone approaching or already in retirement might look like this: Assets: Human Capital …
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Revocable trust vs. will: A guide to estate planning
My Comments: Over the years I’ve had many opportunities to help people plan how they want their money to both serve them during retirement and where it should go, or be used when or if, they become goofy and ultimately die. This is a little long, but a good read for any of you wondering …
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Millions of older workers are nearing retirement with nothing saved
My Comments: As a financial professional working with local clients over the past 45+ years, there is a sub-title which substitute for the title given. It would read “Millions of retired folks are in retirement with not enough money”. Too often, with no new money coming in, the lessons to be learned to fix the …
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Is the 4% Rule Still A Valid Rule For Retirement?
My Comments: These comments from Dr. James Dahle resonated with me as a long-time financial planner. The 4% rule essentially says that if you take more than 4% annually from your retirement accounts, there’s a strong chance you’ll run out of money before you run out of life. The article may be a longer read …
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Revocable trust vs. will: A guide to estate planning
My Comments: I've spent almost 50 years working with clients as a financial planner. For many, the revocable trust is often a critical ingredient to make life easier for the people involved. The typical problem was few had more than a limited understanding of what I was talking about. My goal was to encourage them …
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No Retirement Plan Is Complete Without Budgeting for These 3 Things
My Comments: The longer we tend to live, the harder it is to anticipate how much money we’ll need as the years roll by. I’ve had people say to hell with it and if I run out of money, I’ll find a pathetic facility that Medicaid will pay for. Maybe I will have to share …
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Reasons to Convert Traditional Retirement Accounts to a Roth IRA
My Comments: By the time they arrived on the scene, I felt there wasn’t enough time left for me to grow a meaningful amount in the few years I had left to work. So, I never opened a Roth IRA. I wish I had but it didn’t happen. I now have many clients with Roth …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 