Short Reads
Gray Divorce – Getting The Right Help
Debbie meets with a CFP® at the office. Her husband informed her last week that he wants a divorce. She says that they have been married for 27 years and that he has enjoyed a successful career life. She has been the homemaker for the majority of their marriage with...
The Cost of a Long Life
The U.S. is facing a geriatric explosion as tens of thousands of baby boomers reach the age of 65. As this cohort ages, with medical advances extending longevity, there will be a shifted focus on chronic illness. Although replacement, medication and lifestyle may...
Screwing Up Retirement
When the question is posed to the average American asking "Why do you think that people who retired with assets fail in retirement?"....a survey conducted found that the most common response recorded by participants was "investment performance". Herein lies the gap...
The Robotic Advisor
The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an Investor Alert in May 2015 discussing the risks and limitations of online investment platforms and tools; including the use of Robo-Advisors. Robo-Advisors are the recent online investment platforms for...
Social Security Benefit Changes
In November 2015, Congress signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act that effectively brought an end to both legal and permissible claiming strategies inadvertently created under the 2000 Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act. These claiming strategies, falling under...
Market Distortions and Angst
Even the most thoughtful investors may be impaired by recency bias. Recency bias is a state of mind where our views are influenced by what we have experienced most recently. Being a successful investor entails remembering the purpose of our investment, keeping our...
The Messages of Money
Over my tenure, I have witnessed three primary reasons people struggle with money: culture, childhood conditioning, and psychological make-up. Some people don’t like talking about money because money has become a measure of societal worth or identity. We are bombarded...
Waking up a Widow
Dealing with the death of a spouse can be emotionally devastating and mentally taxing. “I couldn’t remember where I put the keys or my Social Security number and became paralyzed making decisions. I thought I was losing my mind.” It takes time for a new widow to work...
What does your vision of retirement look like?
A goal without a Plan is just a wish. Having a vision is needed first to define the Plan. In order to have a goal, one that can actually happen, one must have a vision first. Bloody Mary in the play South Pacific sings “”If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have...
Setting Savings Goals
For those who hope to retire at age 65 and start saving at age 35, a sure-fire retirement savings rate is 15% -19% per year. For those who wish to retire earlier, the percentage goes up. Some people can’t hit that target every year, so what do you do? Gain ground when...