What if you could blink and suddenly be living the retirement of your dreams? What would that look like? Would you be relaxing by glittering waters on a warm, white sandy beach? Would you be on a new adventure in the great outdoors? Or maybe you’d be enjoying more time around your favorite stomping grounds. […]

Have you noticed Mom or Dad showing signs of decline? Are you worried about your elderly uncle living at home by himself? You’re not alone. Many of us will find ourselves making care decisions for our parents or other beloved elders. It’s not an easy place to be because it’s hard to see them struggle […]

Imagine there are 100 miles between you and a goal. A place you want to get to. But the land in between is chock full of canyons, crevasses, and crumbling cliffs. You have two choices of how you could get there. You could find a way on foot, sliding into ravines and trudging up switchbacks. […]

Social Security benefits are a component in the retirement planning of most Americans. However, those benefits pose questions for both younger and older employees. Younger employees are faced with the long term viability of the system (see our previous posting of “Social Security, Medicare, and You”. Older employees are faced with the question of how, […]

Each year the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds provide a report on the financial status of these programs—current and projected. The information below is from a summary of the 2016 Annual Reports www.ssa.gov, Office of the Chief Actuary, 2016 Trustees Report-Jacob J. Lew, Sec. of the Treasury and Managing Trustee, and […]

Ahhh—the good ole’ days. We’ve heard that expression applied to many things. It used to apply to retirement. Work 35 to 40 years for the same company, get a gold watch at retirement, then collect a pension check from the company for the rest of your life. But things changed. Pension plans (defined benefit plans) […]

The 2016 elections have certainly brought about some changes in the political landscape. One thing hasn’t changed however—an ageing population that is moving toward retirement. Baby boomers began turning 65 in 2011 and their number is increasing by about 10,000 per day. In 2017, the leading edge of the boom will turn 70 (complete with […]

Changes in 2017.Changes in Social Security benefits for 2017 have been announced. The cost of living adjustment is an increase of 0.3% (an increase of $5 per month for the average recipient). A small increase, but an increase none the less; there was no increase in benefits for 2016.   Social Security taxes are paid […]

The first thing every investor should know and accept is that there is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to investments.  Risk is a part of the investing process; we need some risk in order to generate profits.  There is always the possibility that your investment won’t be profitable.  Or worse, […]

An annuity is a stream of income paid to the client over a specified time period.  Generally, annuities can be either: Fixed or variable-where the amount paid is based on the nature of the underlying investments, Single premium or flexible premium-how the annuity fee is paid, Immediate payout or deferred payout- which determines when the […]