Perhaps you are familiar with an annuity. The basic premise is that you convert a lump sum of money into a stream of income. Unlike an investment, once you commit a fixed amount of money to the insurance company, that company is contractually obligated to provide you a minimum level of income with the option to continue receiving it as long as you live. All guarantees are backed by the financial strength of the issuing insurance company.
Read More
There are different formulas for launching highly successful companies. First, create a product that solves a problem that no one knew they had — for instance, how online search engines replaced encyclopedias. Then, there are ideas that help solve problems that plague millions of people.
Back pain, for example. Not only do approximately eight in 10 adults experience low-back pain at some point in their lifetime, but it’s also the most common cause of job-related disability.
One individual who suffered severe back pain while sitting at work all day decided to invent a new kind of desk. This desk would allow him to stand while he worked, alleviating his back pain. This man was a co-founder of VARIDESK, a new type of office furniture manufacturer. But this new company didn’t just enter the office supply industry; it introduced a new sales model that was key to its rampant success: Selling online direct to consumers.
Read More
In 1985, only 10 percent of people aged 65 and older were either in the workforce or job hunting. Today, that share has doubled, for a couple of reasons. First, fewer 65-year-olds have enough money to retire. Second, the number of people in this demographic with a college degree has more than doubled (53 percent today vs. 25 percent in 1985).
Read More
Financial literacy has always been a challenge. However, now that much of the burden of retirement income has shifted to employees instead of employers, it is all the more important that we begin teaching the principles of saving and investing to people as early as possible.
Read More
When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, the hope was companies would spend their influx of money on expansion and increased jobs and wages. Instead, public companies’ most popular way to spend the excess capital has been to buy back their own stock.
Read More
March 9, 2019, marked the 10th anniversary of the current bull market, the longest-running in U.S. history. In that decade, the market more than quadrupled, and when you factor in dividends, it’s up fivefold.
The short-term spikes over the past few years coupled with corporate share buybacks have served to keep performance humming. As we move forward, a few points of note:
Read More
When Lessie Brown, a 114-year-old woman from Ohio, passed away in January, her family attributed her longevity to the fact that she ate a sweet potato nearly every day until she was well past 100.
Read More
According to new research from Genworth, one of the nation’s leading long-term care insurance companies, Americans are both entering caregiver roles and requiring care at younger ages.
Read More
U.S. stock markets were enjoying an eighth consecutive year of a bull market until volatility toward the end of 2018 erased all of the past year’s gains.1 In times like this, as share prices continue to bounce back and forth on a day-to-day basis, investors close to or in retirement often transition to more conservative investments. One option is the municipal bond market.
Read More
Thirty years ago, developed markets were seen as much more stable than smaller, emerging countries. But as political division and uncertainty permeates the West, the differences have faded, and emerging markets (EM) have shed the high-risk perception that accompanied foreign investment.
Sound government situations, conservative monetary policy and lower levels of debt were once staples of developed markets, while EMs posed higher risks with regard to politics and central bank policies. EM countries have evolved, along with their institutions and policies, while populist politicians have gained prominence in the West by touting the benefits of isolationism and protectionism.1
Read MoreRecent Posts
Getting the Facts Straight on Social Security
You may think you know everything there is about Social Security, but even today in the Information Age there are myths and misinformation that persist. Today on Radio Evolved, Jon and Karyn go over several long-held ideas concerning Social Security and explain the facts as well as dispel the myths so you can get the absolute most from your benefits.
The Building Blocks of a Confident Retirement
Some people still have a traditional pension waiting for them to provide retirement income, but most do not. There are many strategies and options available to build one for workers who don’t have one available. Jon and Karyn take a look at straightforward steps you can take to build that lifetime retirement income using many different sources – Social Security, home equity, real estate holdings, annuities, and more.
Four Areas of Retirement Where Professional Advice Can Be A Difference Maker
Many things can be done on your own for retirement planning, but there are areas where having a trusted financial professional can be a great benefit. Today Jon and Karyn go over four specific areas such as Social Security optimization, tax diversification, and others, where professional help can help maximize your ability to be sure the income is there for your post-working years.
Retirement Reality Check
The fantasy of what retirement will look like and the reality are sometimes very different. How much you have saved versus how long you can live a particular lifestyle can sometimes fall into the category labeled “unrealistic”. Though not for lack of trying, many retirees find that the life that they had in mind for retirement does not match up perfectly with their budget based on their retirement income sources. As a result of this disparity, many still working Baby Boomers plan to continue working past the age of 65 or don’t see themselves retiring at all. A third of boomers plan to still earn a steady income during their retirement. The fact is, a majority of boomers do not have the retirement savings to support themselves without working. A paltry 15% feel they have saved enough to retire. Additionally, one-third of those nearing or in retirement have not devised a written plan or strategy for their retirement assets and income.
Part of the challenge in funding retirement is that people live a lot longer. A person who retires at 65 can be expected to live another twenty years. Someone thinking they will just continue to work at their current job, for their current pay indefinitely is, unfortunately, being unrealistic. While age discrimination is illegal, many companies find a way to push older workers out in order to establish younger professionals in leadership positions. As a result, those who were hoping to stay in their position are laid-off or demoted.
Seven Steps to Help Prepare Your Assets for the Next Market Downturn
The stock market is remaining strong as we enter the final months of 2018 – but it eventually will start a downward trend of some kind. Today Jon and Karyn talk about the proper steps to take to be sure your investments for retirement are positioned so when this does occur, losses can be kept to a minimum and your nest egg stays safer to preserve your funds – and maybe even preserve your retirement.