Estate Planning 101 Basic estate planning is something that everyone should do, regardless of your age, marital status, and if you’re a parent or not. In the US, the statistic is staggering that only 40% have a will or have an estate plan. Of those that are older Americans, 81%...
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The Role of Asset of Protection and Your Investments Protecting your assets is directly tied to protection of everything, including you, through insurance. Without proper protection your investments and assets can face premature liquidation. Insurance in its many forms serves to offset risk, whether it’s health insurance, home owners insurance, or any...
Regardless of your age, envisioning your retirement is one way to get started on a plan for what you want to do when you’re able to retire. If you’re already retired, maybe you’re ready to take on a new challenge and change what you’re currently doing. If you’re still...
The annual report from the Trustees of the US Government’s two largest entitlement programs (Social Security and Medicare) was released on July 13, 2017. Not surprising, the report relayed the same information regarding Social Security and Medicare as it did last year; without revision and additional funding, both programs will see...
Many times people compare what they have to that of their peers. This comparison is usually visual; we compare the house, the car, the ‘toys’, etc. But Net Worth is something that is not always visual. Net worth is determined by subtracting liabilities (debt owed) from assets (things that are actually ‘owned’)....
‘Earnings Season’ is a period of time in which publicly traded companies release their quarterly earnings report. Based on this information, stock prices can fluctuate either up or down depending on the ‘financial health’ of the company during that quarter. Although not all companies are on the same quarterly...
In light of the ‘financial meltdown’, the political issues, the scandals, and ‘fake news’, keeping yourself removed from media as much as possible may be good for you (and your investments). Every day the American public is exposed to multiple stories that may have an effect on them and...
Happy Graduation! Time to Repay Your College Loans Graduating from college is an exciting time for many, and can signal the start of student loan repayment. If you are a recent graduate, it’s possible you had a co-signer on your student loan. If you are a parent or family member that...
With ‘wedding season’ in full swing, chances are you will be attending a wedding that may be a second marriage. Statistically in the US, one third of weddings are a second marriage for at least one member of the couple (https://www.soundvision.com/article/wedding-statistics-in-the-united-states). Planning to combine families and finances and discuss openly...
This summer (June 2017), the Sixth Annual AEGON Retirement Readiness Survey was released. The study took a look at the correlation between good health and being financially ready to retire. Those with good health and a positive attitude were more likely to save and plan for retirement than their counterparts with...