Comprehensive Financial Planning

There are a number of financial strategies out there that help you make the most of your hard-earned money when it comes to retirement. One of those strategies is a bond ladder. A bond ladder is simply a portfolio of bonds with different maturity dates. It’s an investment strategy that has two main objectives: First, it helps you mitigate interest rate risk. And second, it allows you to create regular cash flow. Let’s start with looking at how it helps reduce your exposure to interest rate fluctuations: Rather than buying bonds that all mature at the same time, you Read More

Has your life ever experienced a plot twist? Things not going according to plan is a normal part of our existence — and this applies to retirement, as well. But with proper planning, you can have the income you need during your post-work years. While every individual’s retirement is different, they all require one thing in common: income to provide for expenses. Retirement income planning refers to the process of strategizing to ensure you have the necessary income stream to cover every possible expense. What expenses may come up in retirement? Picture three “buckets” of expenses: Essential, day-to-day expenses Read More

When it comes to women and investing, there are quite a few myths and stereotypes that have been perpetuated through the years. Here we look at what the data really say about female investors. Women have longer life expectancies, must contend with the gender income gap, and are often in and out of the workforce due to family circumstances. This means that their financial needs can be very different. And yet there are a number of stereotypes that surround females when it comes to the subject of investing. What we’ve found is that many old beliefs about how women Read More

It used to be that retirement was a hard stop to decades spent in the workforce, with the promise of much travel, catching up on long-lost hobbies, and time spent with grandkids. But these days, retirement is less of a destination and more about change, as increasing numbers of people are sunsetting one career and embarking on a new work journey. The “why'' behind this trend has to do with a number of motivations, from losing that sense of purpose felt when going into work every day, to needing to shore up retirement finances. Whatever it is that’s causing Read More

You’ve most likely heard all the buzzing in the news recently about inflation. Here’s an update to let you know what we’re keeping an eye on and what we believe you can expect.Will Inflation Be Transitory or Sustained?This is the big question that the Federal Reserve has been asking: Will recent inflation pressures be transitory in nature (around 6 to 9 months) or is a higher, more sustained inflation regime about to begin? But the Fed isn’t the only one asking that question: You likely are, as well. The macro-economic implications and the impact on your portfolio that the inflation Read More

What exactly does this title or designation mean, and should you turn to an RIA for your investments? Here we break down the basics. A Registered Investment Advisor was formally defined as part of The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 as a “person or firm that, for compensation, is engaged in the act of providing advice, making recommendations, issuing reports, or furnishing analyses on securities, either directly or through publications.” Ok, so what does this mean for you? If you’re a high net-worth individual, you may already engage an RIA to provide you with investment advice and to manage your Read More

If you’ve dreamt about early retirement, then you may have heard of a Roth IRA conversion ladder as one way to provide income. But what does this entail and how do you know whether it’s right for you? If your retirement plans include retiring early, and you want to access some of your hard-earned savings without paying taxes on withdrawals or paying early withdrawal penalties, then you’ll want to understand the Roth IRA conversion ladder. Roth IRA: The Basics As you probably know, there are multiple types of IRAs (investment retirement accounts). A Roth IRA is one type that Read More

Will you outlive your retirement savings? That’s the big question posed by longevity risk. Here’s what you need to know about this risk and how it could affect you financially. For retirees, there is a real risk that you will live longer than expected and deplete the funds you’ve saved. Not only is it impossible to project how long you’ll live (more than half of Americans in a Society of Actuaries study underestimated this), it’s also difficult to gauge just how long your savings will last. Part of this has to do with increasing life expectancy in the United Read More

Unlike your commute or those conference calls, income taxes don’t go away once you hit retirement. In fact, income taxes can be your single largest expense in your retirement years, which means it’s important to have a sense of what’s coming, so you can plan for it. However, many retirees don’t have a good grasp on what exactly qualifies as taxable income during retirement and how large a tax bill they can expect. In addition, many find they’re not actually in a lower tax bracket than when they were working. This can feel counterintuitive, but in retirement, you may Read More

Calculating how much you can safely spend in retirement means knowing your retirement withdrawal rate. Here we address some common questions about how you can avoid running out of money in retirement. What is the withdrawal rate? This is simply the rate you withdraw each year for living or other expenses throughout retirement, and it is typically expressed as a percentage of your initial balance. It’s often called a sustainable withdrawal rate (SWR) or the 4% Rule. This rule of thumb was based on historical stock and bond returns from 1926 to 1976, and is indicative of how long Read More