Is your Life Insurance up-to-date? Life insurance is like the Swiss Army knife of estate planning: there are so many ways you can use it as you plan to pursue your goals. Whether you simply need to insure yourself or need to protect your estate through sophisticated planning, September is the month to think about life insurance – and all the ways it can potentially help you financially. 30% of Americans have no life insura...

Times have changed – and so have financial advisors. Today, people don’t want financial advice from a salesman. Instead, they want a relationship with a financial professional who is candid, trustworthy and thoroughly educated, who provides personalized financial consulting for each client.That search often leads them to a fee-based or fee-only financial advisor or a Registered Investment Advisor.A pleasant alternative to W...

A down market is no time to pull your money out or cut contributions.With the way the market is behaving, you may be tempted to pull money out of your 401(k) right now or greatly reduce your contributions. If you’re considering such a move, please reconsider it.Don’t stop saving for retirement. Even if you think you’re wealthy enough to forego putting money in your 401(k), you may end up seriously shortchanging your retirem...

30 … 40 … 50 … as time goes by, make sure you accelerate your planning. When should you start saving for retirement? When do you really need to get serious about planning your retirement transition? Well, it depends on many factors. But along the timeline of life, there are certain things you might consider doing at certain ages. Your retirement planning can begin early in life, and remember that today is never too late.In...

Are you saving for the future?People often come to me asking for financial advice. Some want to know how to invest or diversify the money they’ve saved, but others admit to me they’re just not sure HOW to save. If you’ve been meaning to save more for the future, but aren’t sure how to begin, don’t panic. You’re in good company. Many Americans (even those in higher income brackets) live paycheck to paycheck with little or no...

When you change jobs, you may have an important decision to make...what to do with your money in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. Since these funds were originally intended to help provide financial security during retirement, you need to carefully evaluate which of the following options will best ensure that these assets remain available to contribute to a financially-secure retirement.Take the...

Could it be the best retirement planning tool you have?Do you have a million dollars? At the moment, maybe not. But if you invest and save diligently and let your assets compound, who knows? You may be a millionaire someday. In fact, you may need to be a millionaire someday. If you stay retired for 20 or 30 years – which could happen – it could take well over $1 million to fund that retirement.1This is the #1 reason many Am...

Options, options, options…There are many misconceptions about what must be done with a 401(k) when someone leaves a company. Some people think they have to cash out their 401(k) upon leaving a job. Others think they must “roll it over” into a new 401(k). Still others believe that they must leave the 401(k) where it is. None of these are true…and none are false. These aren’t “musts”, they are options. The big question is, wh...