Can I Find a Better Option for My CD Money? |
March 20, 2013 |
Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Alan D. Marx, CLU, ChFC | Retirement Planning Specialist Many of today’s retirees have done an excellent job of saving, and they are enjoying a comfortable life style pursing those things they want to do rather than those that they have to do. They are living off of a combination of income streams. They have pensions, social security, and in some cases, some withdrawals from IRAs and annuities. They also have liquid saving s in an amount necessary for any unexpected emergencies. Finally,...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 19, 2013 |
Carl Ostenson, Income For Life, Income Riders, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Is it possible to upgrade your older annuity into a new one that has more benefits? The short answer is, YES. But the real answer is that it depends, and you need to do a little homework to be sure you are making your situation better, not worse. First let’s go through some common reasons why people might want to switch from one annuity to another. 1) Fees: This would apply mainly to Variable Annuities. The total fees can range from 2% to over 5%...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 18, 2013 |
Alan Schuh, Income For Life, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Alan Schuh | Heritage Retirement Income Planners There is a great article today on MarketWatch.com by Larry Stein (click here for the full article). “In September 2012, Apple traded above $700 per share. Analysts were jumping over each other to predict that Apple would soon trade at $1,000 per share. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) was THE company, an unstoppable juggernaut with innovation that no company could touch. Just six months later, Apple traded at $420 per share, down 40% from its previous high. If you...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 18, 2013 |
Income For Life, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Mark MacDonald | Sage Financial Partners When you were a kid, what was the best part about a box of Crackerjacks? The prize inside, right? Sometimes my friends and I would dump out the candy just to acquire the prize. Many Fixed Index Annuities have a prize inside. It’s called the Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB). It’s an optional rider – you have to proactively request it – but for the right person, it can be one of the best retirement prizes you’ll...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 18, 2013 |
Income For Life, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written by Leonard Ohanian L.U.T.C.F All you baby-boomers or soon-to-be retirees depending upon a supplemental income to their Social Security retirement benefits are searching for financial ways to enhance their long and rewarding life. Many consider annuities as an option for this purpose. A terrific idea….but, did you know that the annuity you buy as a way to supplement your retirement income may be losing money due to inflation? As you know, annuities are insurance agreements issued by a company who promises a fixed dollar...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 13, 2013 |
Member Posts, Retirement Planning, Your Retirement
Written By: Marvin Hurwitz | Retirement Benefits Specialist in Baltimore, MD If you are retired or planning for retirement, you should consider some basic benefit plans to make sure you enjoy your retirement years and fulfill your retirement dreams. While building a nice nest egg during your working years is vital, it’s also important that you prepare for the both the certainties and the “what ifs” in your life when your employment income ceases. You may be able to count on your Social Security payments,...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 12, 2013 |
Income For Life, Member Posts, Retirement Planning, Robert Zimmerman
Written By: Robert Zimmerman | H&R Advisory Service, LLC Regularly, we receive an offer of $100 or $150 in the mail by a bank as an incentive for us to open a ‘high yield’ savings account. The high yield could amount to an interest rate of around 1%. The offer does not mention that they will also send along a 1099 form every year at tax time. This informs the IRS of how much interest you received, so that they can participate. More and more,...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 12, 2013 |
Income For Life, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Mark MacDonald | Sage Financial Partners Listen carefully. Do you hear it? The doleful sound in the distance is a bugler playing taps. He’s mourning the demise of the 4% Rule. May it rest in peace. For decades, the 4% Rule was the benchmark adopted by financial planners to determine how to take retirement fund distributions in a way that would: a) Maximize your retirement income b) Protect you from running out of money for at least 30 years The 4% Rule was...
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Carl Ostenson |
March 12, 2013 |
Member Posts, Retirement Planning, Your Retirement
By Joseph Carter Gray, CLU® | Pacific Insurance Group, Inc It’s been said the only certainties in life are death and taxes, to which Will Rogers famously quipped that, “death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” Life is full of surprises but your retirement should not be one of them. Do you think that taxes will be higher or lower in the future? Tax diversification can help counter the ever-changing tax environment and provide flexibility in retirement. Tax diversification refers to placing your money...
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