The Government Accounting Office (GAO) recently published a report about ensuring income through retirement.  The highlights from the report are not very surprising given the issues of our national debt and social security program.  The financial experts from the GAO recommend holding at least a portion of your nest egg in an annuity and deferring [...]

I see commercials and ads all the time talking about the magic number that one needs to be able to retire.  There are differing opinions on this topic and even the so called experts can’t even seem to agree.   One report is saying you will need at least eight times your annual salary while [...]

Here are some the most common mistakes for retirement planning for people of ALL ages. 1. Start saving too late. Young people should start saving now.  Even if you wait till your mid-30s, you might not have enough to retire at 65. The younger you start saving, the more time you have to watch your [...]

Every now and then, I am asked if a certain annuity carrier will allow for their annuities to be used as collateral for a loan.  The answer is yes, quite a few of them do.  To list a few: American Equity, Fidelity and Guarantee, Lincoln, Genworth and Great American will all allow for it.   [...]

For many years, the middle class was the driving force behind America’s economy.  It represented the hard working (9-5) employees and small business owners that put in their time, worked their way up within their company’s, were able to provide for their spouses and children, and could end up retiring at a normal age without [...]

The Social Security Administration has implemented a variety of new rules and features for 2013. The two-year payroll tax cut has officially ended, and paper Social Security checks will soon cease to be printed. A growing number of Social Security services will also be online this year. Here’s a look at some of the recent [...]

Annuity Think Tank just released an exclusive white paper to their subscribers titled, “Retirement Secrets of the Richest, Most Conservative, and Happiest Investors in America”.  The 5 page report reveals some shocking truths about some of the richest and happiest investors in America, including where they have their money right now and why.  The report [...]