Our Blog

Joe Biden is now President elect. There are several ways a Biden presidency might affect your retirement, including lower tax benefits on 401(k) accounts and more generous Social Security benefits. Biden’s Plan for Older Americans gives specific details on what Biden would like to do as President to overhaul the nation’s retirement system, shore up…

Reverse mortgages are often talked about as a means to increase cash flow by tapping into home equity in retirement. But have you heard the full story? Do you know there’s more than one type of reverse mortgage? There are many types of reverse mortgages. Does one open the door to financial security for you?…

Most people approaching retirement have doubts and worries about financial security. Research suggests that taking steps to organize your finances, project your money forward and create a written plan can greatly alleviate concerns and make you feel more confident about money overall. And, working with a financial planner is one way to boost your financial…

Can you retire without consulting a financial advisor or some kind of retirement professional? Of course. The question is, do you have good resources for reliable retirement information? More importantly, can you retire AND have a secure future without talking with a retirement professional? The answer to this question might be a little more complicated.…

You may have seen the news: Interest rates in the United States are at historic lows. That sounds great. But is it really? What are the effects of low interest rates on your retirement? Read on to see the pros and cons of low interest rates on your retirement plan. And, how to make the…

Retirement tax planning is a critical part of preparing for a secure future. The good news is that with so many possible retirement income sources, you have many different opportunities to potentially reduce your tax burden. And, you may even discover that reducing taxes can enable you to retire a little earlier than you might…

Reverse mortgages actually have 4 big benefits, all helping you with retirement! How to Get the Best Reverse Mortgage Loan Amount Getting a mortgage is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. Shop around to find the best rate and lowest fees. Click here to quickly find out if you qualify and how…

Episode 48 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with JL Collins — a best-selling author and financial independence guru — and discusses the what, why, and how of Financial Independence as well as Collins’ book, “The Simple Path to Wealth”. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future episodes: subscribe on iTunes subscribe on Stitcher…

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…

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,…

Episode 47 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Steve Vernon — a writer and research scholar at the Stanford Center of Longevity — and discusses the Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy that Vernon came up with and, secondly, his new book, Don’t Go Broke in Retirement. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future…

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…

Explore reverse mortgage pros and cons for this stressful time. Can the loan improve your emotional and financial well being? Is it right for you now?

You’ve worked diligently and paid your taxes along the way. When retirement finally arrives, you deserve to collect at least some tax-free retirement income without Uncle Sam coming back for more. With a bit of strategic planning, it’s possible to enjoy much or even most of your retirement income tax-free. The following seven sources are…

The Ulysses Strategy (Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus) is a method financial planners developed to keep savers and investors from listening to the sirens’ call that could wreck their financial ship. The Story of Ulysses and the Sirens In “The Odyssey,” the great adventurer Odysseus spends ten years trying to get home safely…

They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The bad news is that the last 50 years have seen 5 major financial, market, or economic crises. The good news is that each crisis has lessons that you can apply today to help you build more wealth and feel…

A study from a team of researchers at Oregon State University shows that the longer you wait to retire, the longer you will likely live. So if you are planning to put off retirement until after 65, get your retirement plan ready — you’ll want to make sure you have planned to afford the extra…

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…

Episode 46 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Jerry Patterson — Principal Financial’s senior vice president of workplace savings and retirement solutions — and discusses how to make the most of your 401(k), workforce savings trends, financial independence and retirement income. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future episodes: subscribe on iTunes subscribe…

We have a lot of choices about where to invest our money, both before and after retirement.  Some options are clearly bad investments. Others seem like a good bet, but they probably aren’t. While we would all like to find a shortcut to massive wealth, a more steady approach is probably the best route to…

ADVERTORIAL 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…

Securing a reverse mortgage CAN be a great decision. There are also potential downsides. Find out if a reverse mortgage is right for you or a big mistake.