What does Summer remind you of? Maybe it’s the feeling of jumping into a cool pool after a day in the summer heat; or maybe it’s the sound of the ice cream truck as you are bolting out the door with whatever change you could get your hands on. From lazy days in air conditioning to random road trips and
The official start of Summer – June 21st – is right around the corner. As we cruise into part two or our Sizzlin’ Summer Series, we will make a splash with the best cities to retire in 2019. Get your Hawaiian shirts on, coolers filled, and beach towels ready, because here come the Top 4 Places To retire! Independence, Kentucky
This last Winter was one for the books. With record snowfall, rain, and cold temperatures, it’s safe to say that most of us are ready for warmer weather. What better way to celebrate the onset of sunshine and warm temps than with a three-part newsletter series to help you enjoy Summer! In this month’s newsletter, we will dive into the
Do you consider yourself financially literate? According to a study by S&P Global, 57% of American adults are financially literate, ranking the U.S. 14th in the world. As a way to increase financial understanding, April is considered Financially Literacy month! Whether you’re a financial guru or consider yourself a newbie, here’s 3 ways to make a difference in your finances
With the official start the Spring being March 20th, the entire country can now start shedding layers after a record-breaking winter. Along with spring comes nice temperatures, fresh crisp smells, and most importantly, spring cleaning. Typically, spring cleaning will consist of throwing out or donating unused items, organizing the house and cleaning the shed no one has touched since last
There are 12 Months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 525,949 minutes in a year. From holidays, to appointments and birthdays, a lot can happen and even more can be forgotten. To help you worry about less and focus on more; here’s 5 important dates you should remember when it comes to planning your financial journey: April 15th – This day is
The holidays are in the rearview and the New Year is just over the horizon. As everyone starts the New Year off with positive changes and new annual goals, make sure your finances are one of them! Don’t let your financial dreams fall out of reach by checking out these 4 financial changes you should promise yourself as you head
Twas a few weeks before Christmas, and all through the house, not a person was over-spending, not even on decorations for the house. Receipts and bills were paid and filed away with care, in hopes of a fresh financial start to the New Year. Retirement funds were nestled all snug in their accounts, while payments and savings would grow that
The holidays are upon us! And with the holidays comes the fun tradition of holiday shopping! Just as you should plan when shopping, you should also plan of when dealing with finances. Although Financial Literacy month isn’t until next year, we wanted to get a head start by celebrating Canada’s Financial Literacy month, November! Before meeting with your financial planner,
The weather is getting cooler, the colors are changing, and the scent of pumpkin spice fills the air signaling the beginning of fall and holiday season. But October isn’t just known for pumpkin carving and corn mazes, October is also the month for financial planning. It’s a great time to review the fiscal year thus far and begin planning for
You are nearing the average retirement age and each day it becomes closer and closer. The question is, are you ready to retire? Check out these 5 signs you’re ready to retire. Your Savings Exceeds Your Retirement Goals: At one time or another, you sat down and made an investment plan so you could retire happily. Now the time has
Although it’s not even August yet, storefronts and businesses are beginning to advertise what some kids dread, and others cherish, back to school time. In a report from Huntington Bank Backpack Index, school supplies have increased a whopping 88% since 2007. With this statistic, here are 3 tips to consider for this back to school season. Kids are good at
Are you planning to get away from the normal this summer? According to AAA, so is about 35% of Americans. With vacation season in its prime, businesses everywhere are hiking prices and fees in anticipation for a busy season. With this, here are 5 quick tips to save money on your summer travel. Strategically plan your travel – Most people
Happy Half Year! Time flies and first 6 months of 2018 are already here and gone! With the second half of the year fast approaching, it’s important to know how your finances are stacking up compared to your goals when the year began. What better way to that then to check out these quick tips for a mid-year financial check-up:
Retirement on your mind? Whether you are on the brink of retiring or already there, you want to make sure you saved and protected your assets to ensure you’ll have income to exceed your retirement dreams. 65 years of hard work should not go to waste which is why it is crucial you make sure you are planning for retirement
Are you on the verge of retirement? Then you are probably asking yourself when you should stop working and how long after that do you take Social Security benefits? While your first thought may be to take both as soon as you are able, the reality is a little more complicated. Here are the top Social Security questions answered on
Many Americans look forward to their retirement years; however, if you’re not prepared, it can also be financially stressful. When it comes to retirement, most Baby Boomers are unsure if they’ve saved enough and are concerned about running out of money. In fact, only 1 in 3 Americans are confident or extremely confident they’ll have sufficient income for retirement.1 Planning
February is here — the month that celebrates love and romance and of course, Valentine’s Day. In a recent survey, Life Happens (a nonprofit life insurance organization dedicated to consumer education) found that people would much prefer their romantic partner plan for their financial future (44%) than buy them gifts (8%).1 Does this statistic surprise you? It seems appropriate when
You may already be retired or you’re just starting to plan for it; either way, this is the time for making New Year’s resolutions toward your financial goals. Make 2018 “the year of making the right choices.” Take these five easy steps to reach your retirement goal sooner. Assess Where You Are Setting financial goals is crucial, but before you
One of the biggest stressors of the holiday season can be money or more specifically, not having enough to purchase the presents we think we should. In the U.S., we live in a country that is obsessed with stuff — both giving and receiving it. While there is nothing wrong with having nice things, there comes a point when the
Planning and saving for retirement can seem daunting, but as with any long-term project, it may help to have a plan. Surprisingly, less than half of current workers have tried to estimate how much savings they will need to live comfortably in retirement.1 And even more alarming is the fact that one-third of Americans report that they have no retirement
As you near retirement, you’re probably looking forward to the laid-back lifestyle it can offer. But there can also be some snags that could cause you to run into financial trouble later in life. Here are three retirement pitfalls you should try to avoid. 1. Underestimating your spending in retirement Many older Americans bank on their expenses going down in
Do I Really Need Life Insurance? Let’s face it. Most people put off buying life insurance for any number of reasons. Take a look at this list—do any of them sound like you? It’s too expensive. In the ever-burgeoning budget of having a family, things like day care and car payments and possibly even college tuition eat up a good
Getting ready for retirement can be pretty exciting. With such a huge lifestyle change, you should consider to start laying the groundwork now. Here are some tips to help you through that transition. Create a realistic budget Your early 60s is a great time to start crunching some hard numbers on your retirement budget. You’re probably just a few
The most important part of buying life insurance is determining how much you need. Since everyone’s financial circumstances and goals are different, there is no rule of thumb to tell you how much to buy. But do you really need $250,000, $500,000, $1 million or more? Sounds like a lot of money, but imagine if one of those amounts had
Saving money is an important part of leading a successful and financially independent lifestyle. While saving can help fund big-ticket items such as cars, homes, or vacations, it also serves as part of a balanced preparation for a stress-free retirement. It’s often difficult to begin saving money – especially when you’ve grown accustomed to spending a significant amount of your
Every day thousands of Baby Boomers enter their retirement years. They are, unfortunately, members of a generation who are largely unsure of their financial future. For the past seven years, Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) research has discovered that Baby Boomers’ confidence in their financial preparations for retirement is steadily dropping. Key findings from the IRI report1 include: Only
One of the biggest concerns of preretirees and retirees is income. This makes a lot of sense when you consider that all your savings essentially breaks down to an annual income you need to have to live comfortably during your retirement years. One of the options many seniors explore when trying to secure their retirement income is a fixed index
Life after retirement is full of changes and challenges, not the least of which is trying to understand how taxes will impact your income and deductions in retirement. Many wonder how big their tax bill will be in retirement and how long their retirement will last. The average American can expect to spend roughly 20 to 30 years in retirement.
Why do people really buy life insurance? For most it comes down to love. They love someone and want to make sure their family or loved ones wouldn’t suffer financially if something happened to them. A life insurance policy is the ultimate gift of love. It’s less expensive than many other standard gifts like jewelry, yet provides a tremendous value
It’s that time of year when we all make New Year’s resolutions, such as eating better, working out more, and getting into better shape. But what about your financial future? What kind of shape is your portfolio in? How much are you currently saving for your retirement? You may want to consider saving more money for retirement as your number-one
You’ve probably heard that you’re never too young to start saving for retirement. However, many of us have procrastinated or have had other priorities and debt come up that prevented us from putting more money aside for our future. Or maybe you tried to save but got hit with unexpected setbacks like a job loss or medical emergency. You’re not
Chances are you’ll live well into your 80s, your 90s, and possibly even longer. When you live a long life, the likelihood you’ll need long-term health care is greatly increased. That’s why over 10 million Americans have purchased long-term care insurance.1 Here are just a few things you should know: You can decide where care is received. Long-term care insurance
10 Steps for Creating a Smart End-of-Life Plan End-of-life planning sounds like something you do towards the end of your life. But the reality is, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. If the worst were to happen, you wouldn’t want your family to be burdened with financial, legal and logistical problems. These 10 steps will help you get your
According to a recent 2016 Insurance Barometer Study by Life Happens and LIMRA, having enough money for a comfortable retirement continues to be the top financial concern among most American consumers (66 percent). Next on the list are two related, and just as troubling, retirement concerns—paying for long-term care (58 percent) and medical expenses (58 percent). It’s important to recognize
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