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Retirement Planning

Connecting the Dots

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My teenage children went on their first scavenger hunt in December.  As they foraged around town collecting various trinkets, they were trying to make sense of all the cryptic messages within each new instruction before the other competing teams.   When all the trinkets were collected, they were finally able to piece together the final clue that led them to the …

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Changes to Military Retirement Benefits in the Works

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By Bridget Naso, January 28th, 2015 For the first time in a quarter century, the military is likely changing retirement benefits, and new recommendations are going to Congress. Congress tasked the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission to take a look at military benefits two years ago because they felt the government couldn’t sustain the costs. Since then, the group …

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The Top 3 Sources of Guaranteed Retirement Income

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In December 2009, the Hartford Life Insurance Company conducted a study titled, The Hartford Investments and Retirement Survey. The goal of the survey was to come up with a better understanding of the retirement needs, concerns, and perceptions of consumers in the U.S., particularly the Baby Boomer demographic. The results? “Retirement and/or financial planning is viewed as too complex or …

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Umbrella insurance: Protection for that nest egg

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By Anna Helhoski, December 27, 2014 A retirement nest egg may make you feel like you’ve locked down your financial future, but don’t get too comfortable. Getting hit with a liability lawsuit in your retirement years could turn your life upside down. While your insurance may cover some damages or legal fees, an umbrella insurance plan goes further. It protects …

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Are We Being Ostriches?

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As a child of the 1960s, I remember watching TV, and the amazing transition from black and white to our first color TV.  It sure made watching my favorite cartoons more entertaining.  I’m not sure why, but even our black and white cartoons looked better on that new color TV set. One particular scene played out in the cartoon world …

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End-of-Life Planning: The Missing Piece to the Financial Puzzle

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Most financial professionals specialize in financial, retirement, insurance, and estate planning. In doing so, they usually utilize a holistic planning process designed to review and optimize all areas of a client’s financial needs. However, studies reveal that most “successful” financial professionals choose to specialize in a particular niche.  In other words, they focus the majority of their time, energy, and …

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The Monster Lurking Under the Bed

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“I got a raise, well, sort of, maybe.”  That’s the comment of today’s Social Security recipients after the SSA recently announced beneficiaries would receive a whopping 1.7% increase in benefits in 2015.  This increase applies to those receiving retirement benefits, as well as to those who are receiving disability or SSI benefits next year. At the same time, the Part …

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What’s a QLAC? Understanding Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts

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Today’s Boomers will, on average, live 20 to 25 years in retirement, and one in four will live to at least age 90.  As stated in a previous article, longevity has become the “fountain of youth,” and many of today’s Boomers are coming to grips with the new “retirement reality” that will be the world they wake up to for …

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Sharon Epperson’s guide to 4 key groups who need life insurance

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By Sharon Epperson, November 13, 2014 Today there are more single mothers, female breadwinners and stay-at-home dads than there were even a decade ago. Many couples are buying homes later — and having to make mortgage payments into their 50s and 60s. Many parents are having children later. So moms and dads may be facing surging college tuition bills at …

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Today’s Retirement Reality: Dream or Nightmare?

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As the last of the Baby Boomers celebrate their 50th birthday this year, a recent Wells Fargo survey added to what is already a very bleak picture for many of these pre-retirees.  As they prepare for what could be up to one third of their lifetime in retirement, the picture-perfect dream of life after work is becoming a nightmare reality …

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