Life is short.  True, but it’s also long. Life seems short when you are having fun.  Retirement is about having fun and enjoying the golden years.  Having to do that with little or no money can be brutal.  You have to figure at age 60 (when most of us aspire to retire) , there are [...]

Oh what lessons do we learn?  The markets are great, people are feeling great about them, and why shouldn’t, you’re up.  Something tell me we’ve seen this before.  According to the numbers from The Chicago Financial planner, The S&P 500 peaked at 1,527 on May 24, 2000 and then dropped 49% until it bottomed out at [...]

Let’s try and take a look at a few variables that we need to know before we can come up with a solid retirement plan.  We start with assets.   Current assets are important to businesses because they are the assets that are used to fund day-to-day operations and pay ongoing expenses. Depending on the nature [...]

Thinking about all the mathematical possibilities and equations and variables for retirement planning can be very daunting.  The ironic part is that retirement planning SEEMS like it should be one of the most simple things we do.  You save money in a retirement plan, it grows, you stop working, you use it.  Right?   With today’s [...]

USNews has an interesting take on moving around your old 401(K).  They do a really nice job of breaking down the 4 options you have when it comes to that old 401K that we almost all have.  When you leave a job, you have four options for your 401(k) plan balance:   1. Leave it.  [...]

Certainly baby boomers have run the gauntlet when it comes to retirement planning.  We gone through one of the worst periods in modern history with the market crash in 2008 that saw many Americans retirement plans and portfolios diminish.  We seen baby boomers win in the market and lose in the market.   We’ve seen [...]

Retirement portfolios that don’t include a solution for lifetime income is like playing golf without a complete set of clubs.  There are many aspects of retirement that need to be addressed.  Growth, income, long-term care, etc. and each one is like a club in your bag.   Imagine that you are playing a round of [...]

Annuities are financial tools which have many features.  Growth is one purpose of purchasing an annuity.  There are annuities and annuity-like products in the market which provide growth while ensuring that you never lose your principal.   Not every annuity is going to solve for growth so make sure that you understand how they work.  [...]

Hold on to your pants ladies and gentlemen.  The retirement ride isn’t over just yet.  But it”s about to be capped.  Maxing out IRA’s , contributing full bore into the 401K plans, save save save as much as you can for retirement.  Right?  It’s part of the American dream.  Work hard, retire and do what [...]

I must say, the amount of people who want to retire early is staggering.  Think about your situation. Are you 50-55 or 60?  Are you ready to be done working, but you can’t because you need to save more money for retirement?  Are you committed to stop working?  You may want to look into ERE.  [...]