ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOUR BENEFICIARIES ARE?
This week’s article provides some resources I thought to share with you relating to beneficiary designations on financial assets such as checking, life insurance and retirement accounts. Because “each of these accounts has a named owner and often a beneficiary to receive the proceeds if the owner were to die” it is important when change of life events occur to “ensure that your account ownership and beneficiary designations are in keeping with your wishes”. If you would like us to review your insurance products with you to ensure that they have the designations you would like, please give us a call. We are always here to help.
SUMMER TIME
This week’s article writes about topics on all of our minds right now, summer vacation! Just as you may have been busy this past year planning ahead, saving and budgeting both your time and money for a summer vacation, those same disciplines apply to getting “your retirement savings on track”. We take away three easy ideas from this week’s article: spend less and save more; make use of financial resources; and diversify your portfolio. You might want to consider going “beyond the workforce and consider other options like investing in a fixed indexed annuity. Adding a fixed indexed annuity to your portfolio can help ensure a lifetime stream of income.” Call us if you think this choice might interest you. We’re always here to help.
DO YOU HAVE A DEFINED CONTRIBUTION OR BENEFIT?
This week’s article tells us that the typical U.S. household has few retirement savings, and that most people rely on social security. One of the reasons is the reduction in employers offering any retirement plan, and another is for those that do, there seems to be a shift away from “defined-benefit (DB) toward defined-contribution (DC) plan” What does that mean to the employee trying to plan for retirement income? “In a DB plan, a beneficiary receives a lifetime retirement income based on their years of service and their final salary. By contrast, a DC plan is one in which the beneficiary makes payments into an investment account, and then receives the accumulation, plus the investment income, on retirement.” If you are in a DC plan and think that having a product that guarantees you income for life would benefit you, call us. We can tell you what your options are. We’re always here to help.
GET CONFIDENT
“Imagine trying to take an around-the-globe trip without looking into the details. In essence, that’s what millions of Americans do every day as they ponder retirement. They head out on the journey and hope for the best.” We believe that the best course of action is one that is planned out, planned well, and planned in advance. That task is always daunting when there are uncertainties ahead. Call us, we may have some ideas you haven’t thought about, and we’re always here to help.
EDUCATING
We believe in educating our clients, and appreciate the frustration that can occur when conversations about retirement planning include words that may be new, or difficult to understand. Because of this we thought to give you an extensive glossary of terms that you may hear or read about in the news, along with some easy to understand explanations. We think this will help you to better understand your choices, and to ask questions that are personal to your situation. Call us, we are always here to help.
INFLATION’S IMPACT ON YOUR INCOME
We often talk about retirement in terms of understanding what expenses will be, and then comparing that to sources of income. An additional factor in this equation for retirement that is sometimes forgotten is inflation. This week’s article tells us that “the popular measure of inflation, sometimes called headline inflation—rose by 1.9 percent in May 2017 vs. May 2016, before seasonal adjustment. Core inflation—the overall index minus the effects of price changes for food and energy—rose 1.7 percent for the 12 months ending May 2017. (Most economists prefer a year-over-year time frame and the core—not the “headline”—inflation measure.)” How will this impact on your retirement planning? Call us if you’d like to discuss this and sources of income that may help in your planning. We’re always here to help.
SAVING WHILE PAYING OFF LOANS
Whether we are dealing with personal loans like paying off a home or car, or having discussions with family members about paying student loans, the conversation often circles back to the heart of the problem; finding ways to save money while simultaneously paying off loans. I found this week’s article interesting and thought to share it with you because it provides four suggestions for accomplishing this goal. As you speak with your loved ones about how these strategies might work in your circumstance, give us a call. We are always here to help you navigate the road to better achieving your objectives.
THE SECRET
This week’s article that I thought to share with you is called “The Secret to Generating Lifetime Income.” It states that “one solution to help ensure lifetime income is adding a fixed indexed annuity (FIA) to your retirement portfolio. These products can help balance your portfolio and generate guaranteed income for life.” We certainly don’t keep these products a secret, as they are frequently used by retirees to supplement social security income. Call us, we are happy to explain how they work and to discuss if they might be a good option for you to consider. We’re always here to help.
AT LEAST ONCE
“While a whopping 94 percent of Americans currently give themselves a passing grade on retirement, a third of them have confessed to stopping retirement savings at least once”, according to a new report cited in this week’s article. Stopping savings can happen for a variety of reasons ranging from loss of a job and income to added unexpected expenses. Because these events can also happen in retirement where income that is not derived from guaranteed investments declines, or health care costs go up, it is best to plan for these bumps in the road. Call us, we may have some choices you can select from to help you have an income you can rely on, and an income that will survive a bump in the road. We are always here to help.
RIGHT OR WRONG ONE FOR YOU?
The editor of this week’s article wrote that “An annuity can be a very smart retirement investment for many people. That’s not just because an annuity can provide a secure revenue stream — a monthly check — for the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. On top of that, the longer you live, the more you get what’s called a “mortality credit” as you outlive other people who bought into the annuity. The income gain from that can be many times greater than any other secure investment you’re likely to find.” To help explain the different types of annuities, the editor called on an economist from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School to give some pointers to help understand what might be the right, or wrong one for you, including differentiating between a fixed and variable annuity. Take a look at what he said. We think you will find it of interest when you reflect on what your goals are.