Weekly News

Preparedness Plan

Nearing retirement can be a stressful time as we shift from working to provide an income, to needing our money to work at providing that dependable income. Many people underestimate the financial stress of this major shift and seek ways to lessen it. We may have some suggestions to do

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Federal Retirement

We’ve been having many conversations about the potential impact of the pending legislation, known as H.R.1, which proposes the elimination of the FERS annuity supplement, a move that could drastically alter the retirement landscape for federal workers. The potential impact on federal retirement benefits has sparked widespread debate and anxiety

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Which are you more worried about? 

The 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement revealed that nearly two-thirds of Americans worry more about running out of money than about death. Many factors and economic pressures contribute to this fear of running out of money. Most cited either high inflation, social

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Working Longer, Retiring Later

According to a new Gallup survey, which interviewed 1,018 adults across America, the average reported retirement age has increased from age 57, where it was in 1991, to age 66. This trend of working longer and retiring later was attributed to an increased full retirement age for Social Security, a

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Core Values

As we age, we are increasingly confronted by those younger who insist on pointing out “things have changed,” and they, as part of the younger generation (which they take pride in telling us we are not), know a better way to go about planning for the future than we do.

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Distracted?

While there is no way of predicting how things will play out in the financial markets in the coming months, allowing yourself to become distracted and unsettled by volatility will likely lead to rash decisions that can disrupt your well thought out long-term plans. Instead, stay focused on what you

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Managing the Cost

The cost of long-term care is significant and is something that most retirees will face. There are a few ways those costs can be covered, and you may not be aware of them. The obvious ones include self-funding or purchasing long-term care insurance. But did you know that some Fixed

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When is the Best Time?

We all want to eventually retire, and a dream for many would be to retire rich. Choosing when is the best time to retire is one of life’s big decisions, and one that requires thought before taking the plunge. While financial markets should never be the main driver behind this

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Unsettled

After years of diligent saving, many retirees become unsettled by the volatility in the markets, along with the risk of the unknown. The free-floating anxiety that exists when questions like when should you start withdrawing funds, how much is too much, will you have enough money to cover unexpected expenses,

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Our Ideas are Resilient by Design

Uncertainty continues to be the only constant, and volatility is likely to continue as the market reacts to the changing trade landscape. While that can be nerve-racking, our position has always been one of prudence and remaining resilient when mitigating the risk of you losing your hard-earned retirement savings. We

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Co-Piloting

We all know that it is not uncommon for one spouse to be the primary decision-maker when it comes to managing a couple’s money. But this approach can have consequences. One major consequence is if the spouse with the hold on the couple’s financial situation becomes incapacitated or dies, the

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Last Week

Last week, we spoke about RMDs and we were then asked to take it a step further and talk about the issue of leaving an IRA to beneficiaries once you have begun to take your annual distributions. With an Inherited IRA, you may either need to take annual distributions no

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RMDs

For many investors entering their 70s, diligently contributing to and saving in tax-deferred retirement accounts must soon turn to making mandatory annual withdrawals. That’s because the government requires retirees to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from such accounts after a certain age. Retirees may find RMDs to be a bit

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Lifespan Variation

An interesting study performed by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College delved into the concept of lifespan variation, and why it provides valuable information about mortality beyond life expectancy. “It is precisely this uncertainty around the average lifespan that gives rise to “longevity risk” – the possibility of

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Where did I put it?

All too often when we need to find an important financial document we can’t remember where we put it. Keeping important documents up to date and accessible is essential. Even after you finalize your will and have decided what your financial plans are, there is one more important step to

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Nickel-and-Dimed

No, you’re probably not imagining it. 69% percent of Americans surveyed by Lending Tree in 2023 reported they’d paid an extra fee when using a credit card for a purchase. A smaller, more recent survey by WalletHub put that figure at 79%, with 85% of the participants saying that credit

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Pre-Retirement Syndrome

Have you heard this phrase? It is often used to refer to the anxiety and stress that people feel in the years leading up to retirement. While it is common to feel a sense of stress with any major change, many feel a higher level of anxiety as they approach

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Resolution Fatigue

At this time of year there tends to be discussion about what our New Year’s resolution will be. Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first

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IRA Conversion 

Conversions of a traditional IRA to a Roth can differ individual to individual, even where the same sum of money is involved. Let’s take, for example, two individuals, each with $100,000 in a traditional IRA, that the funds were identically invested and would double over 10 years. The tax rate

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Are You Maximized? 

As year-end approaches, it might be a good time to reflect on if you are allocating funds to be sure to maximize your contributions to tax advantaged accounts. If you can, you should consider making your contributions sooner rather than later. Even though you have until year-end to make contributions

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Lost 401k

As we approach year end we are frequently being asked about what we call “Lost 401k” accounts. Perhaps you changed jobs, or your employer went out of business or merged with another company, or maybe you’ve just put the memories of a workplace that you left years ago far, far

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