This has been a year like no other. As you prepare to say a big buh-bye to 2020, use this list of year-end tax planning tips for 2020 and beyond to help launch you into a better future. In 2020, the rules were updated for everything from tax withholding to socializing. While we can’t help…
This year family gatherings may be different (more Zoom, less slobbery kisses and heart felt hugs), but it will undoubtedly feel more important than ever to celebrate togetherness. While the focus of our gatherings will still be on love and celebration, the holidays are also an opportunity for discussions related to family and money. Like…
The holidays are the time we come together to give thanks and celebrate. It can also be a stressful time full of demands to cook, decorate and spend money. Sometimes the stresses crowd out the fun, so we have to remember to take time to be thankful and practice gratitude for our blessings. And, it…
Don’t worry, be happy… about your retirement. The last few months have been an emotional rollercoaster for many people, and you may be feeling constantly stressed about your finances. You’re probably asking yourself, do I have enough money to be happy in retirement? If you are worried, you’re not alone. According to a survey conducted…
Financial planning is probably not on your top ten list for how to spend your time. However, getting your hands around your finances and planning a secure future retirement can make you feel great. And, it doesn’t have to be hard. Here is your complete retirement planning guide. This simple eight step plan will help…
We all love reading lists of the best places to retire. They interest us, peak wanderlust and they make us think about what is possible in retirement. Besides, deciding if one of the best places to retire is in your own home or somewhere far away is a really BIG and somewhat complicated decision. Browsing…
Very few people are experts at managing their finances, planning retirement, building wealth, and ensuring a secure future. Effective money management is often perceived as being: 1) too hard, 2) not immediately important, 3) something you can tackle next year or 4) too expensive (if you think you need to hire an advisor). In fact,…
How to make sense of retirement planning? Here is your guide to the 16 retirement numbers that are most important for a secure future.
Tis the season… No, it is not quite time to decide whether you’ll say Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Bah Humbug or none of the above. It does, however, involve shopping! The 2020 Medicare Open Enrollment season is upon us and will last from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Now is the time to assess your…
If you think you haven’t saved enough for a truly secure retirement, think again. The impossible could become possible with these 10 creative ways to retire. You see, saving diligently your entire life and then quitting work to play bridge is only one way to get to retirement. And, the odds are that it is…
To say that Social Security and Medicare are important to the financial well being of seniors would be an understatement. Sixty-two percent of eligible beneficiaries rely on Social Security income for more than half of their income. And almost everyone who is eligible uses Medicare to help fund their healthcare after 65. Here are the…
According to reporting from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, retirees have a wide variety of savings and investments. Here are the average cash, savings, and home equity balances in the U.S. Keep reading to see how your accounts and investment types compares to that of most retirees. Use the NewRetirement Planner to see your…
An enjoyable retirement is the goal, right? You work your whole life and hopefully create and follow a plan so that you can kick back and do what you want to do when the time comes. Well, a recent survey from Nationwide suggests that all is not going according to plan for many retirees. The…
Are you wondering how to to retire overseas? If so, you’re in good company! Retiring Overseas Has Almost Doubled in Popularity Retiring abroad has become increasingly popular. According to the Social Security Administration, the number of retirees who draw Social Security outside the U.S. jumped 40%, to more than 413,000 between 2007 to 2017. And,…
Age is just a number. In fact, even the word “old” means less and less these days as many of us stay healthy and active well past the traditional retirement age of 65. Is 80 the new 40? Or, is 100 a better benchmark age for enjoying life and achieving interesting things? Preparing for retirement…
If you are worried about paying for retirement, it is worth evaluating the pros and cons of annuities. The Big Takeaways… Annuities are a great way to provide guaranteed lifetime income in retirement while hedging against inflation and other financial woes. Though less risky, annuities generally yield lower returns than other investment products, and…
When most people think about financial and retirement planning, feelings of stress, worry, and anxiety rise in our throats. This stress — while unpleasant — exists for good reason. Stress serves a purpose. Less than 50% of people have a written retirement plan. The majority of people simply don’t have enough saved for this time…
If you are in the countdown to retirement — marking the days until you can launch into the next stage of your life – this checklist is for you. In the past, many people thought of retirement as a time of life when things slowed down. Now, retirement is more of a blast off into…
Saving for retirement is hard. However, when you are still working, creating a retirement investment plan can be relatively straightforward. The goal is to simply grow the money. But, when you retire, your investment goals become multi-faceted, layered, and downright complicated. You still want your money to grow, but you have a whole lot of…
A new documentary, The Weight of Gold, explores the many mental health challenges that retired Olympic athletes face. You might be surprised to learn that those challenges are similar to what happens at retirement to many people in far more mundane jobs. Retired Olympic athletes – and anyone who has retired from a job where…
Were you the kid in kindergarten that secretly ate paste in the corner? Or were you the one solving all the math equations from the end of the book on your first day in class? (I knew those kids. Both of them were in my class, and I’m not yet admitting to being one of…
Personal finance, investments and much more. Find fiction and many books on achieving a meaningful, happy, healthy and successful retirement.
After a nearly devastating set of personal crises – cancer, near bankruptcy and a suicide attempt by his father – Bruce Feiler spent five years talking to people about their biggest life transitions. He analyzed what patterns people experienced and what was the key to thriving after a big event. The result is a method…
The summer of 2020 hasn’t felt much like a summer since we’ve been working from home and not traveling since March. Whether you’re going on an all-American road trip in August, making s’mores in the backyard, or even if your vacation plans have been put on hold till 2021, these new and newly updated retirement…
Keeping your retirement savings on track helps you meet your retirement goals. That seems like a very simple concept, and in a way it is. But living with that plan every day isn’t quite so simple. Why You Need to Save for Retirement More than 1/3 of Americans don’t have a retirement plan to speak…