Retirement

We all remember our school days of worrying about the grades we would receive. What does it mean when an insurance company gets graded? Insurance companies are rated with a letter grade to indicate their ability to meet their continuing obligations. An A+ rating means that they are considered superior. You will usually also see […]

Someone asked us this past week if we would explain what the “Four Percent” rule is and how it came about. The Four Percent rule is based on a study by a financial advisor named William Bengen. His study suggested that one could safely withdraw 4% of their starting portfolio value for 30 years without

There was an interesting article the other day in the Wall Street Journal. The article discussed a recent survey of workers in their 60’s who were asked about their retirement preferences. The author found that the assumptions that are usually embedded in retirement income calculators–for example, good health, not wanting to make a bequest, and

“Money can’t buy happiness” is an adage that some people live by, and others ignore. According to a recent Purdue study: “income can correlate with emotional well-being and life satisfaction.” But, as a recent GoBankingRates article tells us, the price of happiness differs (apparently) depending on the State you live in. We may have some

A fixed indexed annuity is a type of annuity contract between you and an insurance company. It generally promises to provide returns that are based on a link to the performance of a market index. You usually make one initial lump sum payment to the insurance company. That payment is then allocated to one or

We continue to read articles confirming that, while it certainly is an arduous task to work for decades and plan ahead to afford a comfortable retirement, what continues to unsettle many is the actual transition into a life post-workforce. For example, concerns about losing one’s routine, the fading away of workplace friends, and confronting the

How much would you consider to be “enough money to retire?” Yes, you want to have enough money to ensure that you don’t go broke, and can afford basic expenses like food, housing, and medical care, but is that really “enough?” What goals do you want to reach in retirement, and what kind of budget

Retirement planning seems to always be all about numbers. Your strategy centers around one question: Do your financial assets provide enough income to fund your desired retirement lifestyle? But, to quote a recent article from Kiplinger, “Ask any retiree, and they will likely tell you that it is only half the story. You’ll need enough

Curious about how you compare to others? The “How America Saves 2022” report referenced recently by CNBC might give you that information.  The report states the average retirement savings account balances by age: For those within the 55 to 64 age bracket, the average savings account balance is $256,200. For those age 65 and older,

There has been a lot of talk recently about a recession: whether or not one will come, what it would mean, and how it would affect each of us. A recession is defined by the National Bureau of Economic Research as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that