Corporations are transferring pension liabilities to third parties. Where does this leave retirees? A new phrase has made its way into the contemporary financial jargon: derisking. Anyone with assets in an old-school pension plan should know what that phrase signifies. The derisking trend began in 2012. In that year, Ford Motor Co. made a controversial…
Easing into a difficult conversation. Every eighth American aged 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease, and 43% of Americans aged 85 and older have it, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Consider those percentages in light of the Social Security Administration’s estimate that about 25% of today’s 65-year-olds will live past age 90. These shocking statistics…
What are the biggest risks to our lives? Some are overblown. What are the major risks to our lives? If we look at the statistics of what claims lives, some of our collective fears look unfounded. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s most recent tally (2014 data) America’s leading causes of death1 are: Heart…
What You And Your Loved Ones Need To Know At some point, someone you love may make the transition from living at home to residing at an assisted-living facility or nursing home. When should that transition occur, and what factors must be considered along the way? And what don’t these facilities tell you? When is…
Let them know how they will receive retirement assets and insurance benefits. Will your heirs receive a fair share of your wealth? Will your invested assets go where you want them to when you die? If you have a proper will or estate plan in place, you will likely answer “yes” to both of those…
This option is available to most married couples. With survivor benefits, there are a number of different rules than with other benefits. If you’re confused at the end, call us. How much is the benefit? Social Security uses the deceased worker’s basic benefit amount1 to calculate how much a survivor gets. However, the widow or…
You might be surprised at its potential. An IRA is a retirement savings account, right? Indeed it is. IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement. Even with that definition, however, there is no prohibition on using an IRA to save for other purposes, such as funding a college education. Why would anyone choose an IRA as…
That Development May Mean Lifestyle as Well as Financial Adjustments Your significant other may retire later than you do. Sometimes that reality reflects an age difference, other times one person wants to keep working for income or health coverage reasons. If you retire years before your spouse or partner does, you may want to consider…
Some Retirees Save a Great Deal of Money by Doing So; Others Do Not You want to retire, and you own a large home that is nearly or fully paid off. The kids are gone, but the upkeep costs haven’t fallen. Should you retire and keep your home? Or sell your home and retire? Maybe…
Don’t Overlook These Life and Financial Factors We all have a “blue sky” vision of the way retirement should be, yet it helps to plan for retirement with a little pragmatism. Fate may alter the course of our retirement in ways we do not currently anticipate. So, as we plan for the next act of…