It is often said that “half of marriages end in divorce.” So how do you navigate the choppy waters of divorce? How do you make good, educated and unemotional decisions in an incredibly emotional environment? Here are 4 areas to consider when going through a divorce: Division of Assets, Division of Debts, Children, and Spousal Support (Alimony).
Before claiming social security there are some things you should know. When do you meet your full retirement age because that impacts how much you collect. Take a look at your longevity, your Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) and your spousal benefits. Lastly, keep in mind that there may be taxes and penalties that come with claiming too soon. We realize that this is a complex subject and encourage you to work with a financial planner, CFP® or ChFC® who is proficient in retirement planning.
Planning for retirement and retirement itself is both a game of numbers and psychology. Both areas serve to create the most successful planning and, ironically, a focus on each of these areas individually serve the other. The numbers are the foundation and lifeblood of any retirement plan. Most people, even the ones actively saving for retirement, do not have a clear and specific idea of what their investments will be and what they can expect from them when they retire.
What should a business owner do to protect themselves and their business’ in the event of a market downturn? Here are 3 important aspects to keep in mind -- be aware, be lean, and be balanced.
Have you ever spoken to a financial advisor, or taken a quiz relative to investing, and as a result someone called you “aggressive”? It’s a term that gets used pretty frequently in my industry but I think it is often misunderstood. A lot of people get uncomfortable at the idea that they might be an aggressive investor, but “aggressive” is not the same thing as “speculative”.
I can understand and appreciate the overwhelming list of tasks that a business owner sometimes has to accomplish. Perhaps on that list there may be the task of setting up a retirement plan for employees. There are three retirement options employers could consider implementing, depending on what they are hoping to accomplish, Payroll Deduction IRA, Simple IRA, or 401(k).
One of the biggest challenges when saving for retirement is understanding how to invest your 401k. There are very few quick and easy ways to know for sure that you are making the right decisions
"It’s that time of year again when most of us are meeting with accountants and CPAs to tally up our income from the previous year. It’s not uncommon for your financial advisor or tax preparer to talk to you about deferring some of your income through contributions to pre-tax retirement accounts like an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), etc. Though tax deferral does have its benefits, it may not always be the right decision."