Posts by Jon Magoch
The Three Stages of Retirement
The go-go, slow-go and no-go stages of retirement each have their own lifestyle needs and financial considerations. Today Jon and Karyn talk about how to plan for each, what your money likely will go for, and how to make sure you have enough of it when and where you need it.
Read MoreThe Biggest Retirement Myths – Debunked
There are eight big retirement beliefs that actually are not true, and they cover topics like Social Security, investing strategy, and even financial professionals in general. Today Jon discusses these areas and more that you should be aware of so that you and your retirement savings are not led down a primrose path.
Read MoreThree Keys to Keeping More In Your Pocket
There are plenty of hidden costs for retirement accounts – fees, commissions, trading costs for mutual funds and other securities, and many others. Today Jon and Karyn talk about what these are, how they are buried or maybe not even listed on your statement, and how knowing what these are and how to work around them could save you a lot of money for your retirement.
Read MoreFinding Neutral Ground on the Internet Rights Debate
It can be confusing when government bureaucrats and the media offer wildly different perspectives on the intent and ramifications of a new controversial policy. This was plainly evident in December regarding the issue of net neutrality.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the new “Restoring Internet Freedom Order”1 is meant to:
- Reverse the previous “heavy-handed utility-style regulation of broadband internet access service, which imposed substantial costs on the entire internet ecosystem” in order to “protect consumers at far less cost to investment than the prior rigid and wide-ranging utility rules”
- Restore the “longstanding, bipartisan light-touch regulatory framework that has fostered rapid internet growth, openness and freedom for nearly 20 years”
- Restore “a favorable climate for network investment,” which is the “key to closing the digital divide, spurring competition and innovation that benefits consumers”2
How To Determine Your Definition of Financial Success
If we look at society and societal norms, a lot of weight is given to success when it comes to defining happiness. If we see a person who is successful, it is often assumed that they are happy. On an existential level we should consider what it all means. In reality, we actually have no idea whether or not that person is either happy or successful; for a couple of reasons: First of all, we can only measure someone else’s success or happiness by what we know about them. Secondly, and more importantly, we can only measure someone else’s success or happiness by how we define success and happiness. There is really no way of knowing whether their measures are even similar to our own.
It is on this concept that we are then able to shift our focus to identifying our own unique definition of success and happiness. Once we identify those things, then we can work on building a plan and setting the goals to achieve them.
When it comes to financial success, the same case can be made as above. Identifying what financial success is, is different for everyone. The following are considerations to make when developing your own unique financial success plan.
Read MoreThe New Tax Law and You
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 could be the most significant overhaul of U.S. tax policy in thirty plus years. How will it affect you when it fully takes effect for next year? Today Jon and Karyn discuss the winners and losers, the things which remain deductible and those which may not be any longer, and how you can plan for the new rates and how to take advantage of things this year to be sure you pay fewer taxes next year.
Read MoreIs Your Balance Sheet Healthy Enough For Retirement?
Many people pay attention to things they can do to improve their physical health – but what about your financial health? Today Jon, along with associate Karen Damschen, discuss ways to make sure your money is in good shape. They go through various steps to assess the health of your finances, then to strengthen them by increasing savings and making sure things like health care costs are taken care of, among others.
Read MoreInstead of Downsizing, Consider “Rightsizing”
The difference between downsizing and rightsizing is not just linguistics and semantics, the difference really is that downsizing is more reactive, and rightsizing indicates a proactive approach to organizing your lifestyle and finances when you retire or when your children leave home to start their adult lives.
Rightsizing is a concept and phrase that companies coined in the 1990’s when they were reducing the number of employees in their workforce through careful planning and organizing of tasks, skills, and outcomes. When it comes to planning for your empty-nest, a proactive approach to transitioning from a home you’ve lived in for years and considering what is included in the rightsizing approach can help facilitate a positive outcome for the long term, both emotionally and financially.
Read MoreCorrecting the Ship When There’s A Market Correction
The stock market went through a recent period of strong volatility, the first one in a while, reminding us that your nest egg may be vulnerable to losing some portion of its value. Jon is joined by Karyn Damschen, the insurance specialist at Retirement Evolutions, to talk about ways to get back on track and stay there when the market goes haywire.
Read MoreWill Your Family Be Okay If Something Happens to a Breadwinner?
What would happen to your family if the breadwinner passes away? Will you have enough money? If that person also oversaw the finances, how can you best determine how to manage them? Today Jon goes over a number of steps you can take to be sure any family is prepared in the event of something unforeseen.
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