Newsletters
Most Americans spend more time planning for vacations and
holidays than planning for their retirement.1
Will you outlive your retirement income? How much liability insurance should
you have? Should you add stocks to your portfolio? Are your financial
expectations for the coming year realistic?
Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide
variety of financial topics. Simply click on one of the newsletter topics
below to read the article in its entirety.
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August
The Election and Your Money
In this year’s election, there are issues, such as energy, free trade, and inflation, playing a role that could have a significant effect on investors and consumers over the next four years.
It’s Your Home, Not Your Retirement
Although downsizing or using a reverse mortgage to free up home equity can be appropriate for some older retirees, planning to rely on your home to fund your retirement is a corner you may not want to paint yourself into.
Protect Your Downside
When the economy takes a turn for the worse, bond mutual funds offer investors a chance to diversify their holdings and dampen risk.
Every Little Bit Helps
IRA catch-up contributions enable investors aged 50 and older to make up ground in saving for retirement, whether they had a late start or just want to sock away more money.
What’s in It for You?
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 contained favorable provisions that will benefit small business. It appears that the government wants to inspire businesses to spend freely, too.
Good Time to Keep Going
Inflation is rising. Home prices are falling. Oil and stock prices are volatile. Could this be a good time to ramp up your retirement savings? You might be surprised at the answer.
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July
Take It Year by Year
The Federal Reserve has been cutting interest rates fast and deep. Although not all consumers rates are directly affected by the cuts, they highlight turmoil in the credit markets, rising inflation, and the possibility of slower economic growth.
Get Schooled on Saving for College
One way to be prepared for the possibility that the tab for higher education may be higher than expected is to own take advantage of the tax benefits of 529 plans.
Are the Times A-Changin'?
As the election year rolls along, Americans are facing an uncertain future and an election that could be the harbinger of great change.
Surviving the Estate Tax with Survivorship Life
People who never imagined they would have enough assets to trigger estate taxes could be in for a surprise. One way to help plan for this possibility is by purchasing a survivorship life insurance policy.
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June
What Does the Dollar Do for You?
Which is preferable, a strong dollar or a weak one?
No Better Time Than Now
You may not associate this time of year with reviewing the beneficiaries on your life insurance policy — nonetheless, it can be a good time to take this important step.
For Income, Pick Up This Split
A split-annuity strategy can help you begin receiving an income stream that has the potential to last well into the future.
Heir-Tight Estate Conservation
An incentive trust can help reinforce the lessons you taught your children during your life.
Population Boomer
The nearly 80 million boomers, who have reinvented so many aspects of American life, appear poised to leave their unique mark on retirement and possibly transform the economy in the process.
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May
Define Your Own Benefits
Everyone wants to be a happy retiree someday, but there's a big problem.
Where Will You Roll?
An IRA is not really an investment in itself, but rather a special type of account that can be invested in thousands of ways.
In a Category All Its Own
Since exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were first introduced in 1993, interest in them has grown steadily.
New Lease on Life
Can your risk-protection strategy benefit from a whole-life insurance policy?
Check the Volume
6.5 billion shares of stock changing hands in a single day sounds like a lot - but is it? How would you know? Why would anyone care?
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April
Manage Your Tax Burden
If tax season has you searching for ways to lighten your tax load, here are two options to consider.
Conserve Your Estate
Are your estate strategies up-to-date and ready for whatever legislative changes lie ahead?
More Reasons to Convert
Thanks to tax law changes, converting traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA, or rolling over employer-sponsored retirement plans to a Roth, has become more attractive.
The Cost of Care
When preparing for life in retirement, you should consider the possibility that you may need long-term care at some point.
Fuel for the Economy
The world has become so dependent on oil that most economies simply could not exist in their present forms without it.
What Would Warren Do?
Investors who are uncertain how to react to bad news and troubling economic indicators could find themselves making matters worse with wrong moves that serve only to make them feel better. How does the world's top investor, Warren Buffett, react to market volatility?
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March
Should Your Portfolio Have a Conscience?
Socially responsible investing has been around at least since the 1960s, but it seems to be getting more attention lately.
Six Times More Likely
It may be uncomfortable to consider the possibility that you could become disabled; however, preparing for the possibility now could help you avoid some more serious discomfort later.
The World Is Your Oyster
If you want to expand your portfolio’s geographic boundaries, international mutual funds may be a good option.
The Consumer Price Index and You
Inflation is a long-term, sustained rise in the general level of prices, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Weather: It Matters
Weather is common fare for small talk, but it’s difficult to think of many topics that can have a bigger effect on economic activity.
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February
A Grand New Contribution
If you were waiting for the day when you could sock away some serious dough in your individual retirement account, the time has arrived.
Mutual Fund Mastery
Test how much you know about one of the most popular investment vehicles.
Living Comes with Guarantees
Several types of living benefit guarantees are available that can provide valuable protection for variable annuity owners.
The Trouble with Timing
The speculation that drives market timing can often cause investors to get in right before a downturn or to flee before realizing potential gains.
Election Year Antics
As we enter a campaign cycle that is already unlike others we’ve seen, we can expect to see out-of-the-ordinary behavior by everyone from policymakers to Wall Street traders.
Retirement, Boomer Style
As the baby boomers leave the workforce for retirement, the nation is facing a shortage of workers to take their places. This demographic shift is expected to affect not only Social Security and Medicare, but the U.S. economy, as well.
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January
The Coming Retirement Boom
In 2008, a new era will dawn that economists and policymakers have been anticipating for years with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation: baby boomers will begin turning 62, ushering in an unprecedented long-term shift in the balance between working and retired Americans.
Happy Birthdays?
The road to retirement winds through several birthdays that affect most Americans’ retirement benefits and tax circumstances.
Betting Your Life on Low Coverage
If you are close to retiring or have already retired, you may be wondering whether your life insurance policy meets your current needs.
Regain Your Individuality
When employees leave their jobs, they have a choice to make: they can withdraw the money, leave the money in their former employers’ retirement accounts, or roll the money into another retirement plan.
You’ve Sold It: What’s Next?
If you are a business owner who is considering selling your enterprise soon, you may be able to reap even greater rewards by doing a little prep work now.
Inflation Could Make a Comeback
Inflation took a big jump in November, the largest monthly increase in two years. But it’s unusual for inflation to flare during an economic slowdown, and this odd pairing puts the Federal Reserve in a tough spot.
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December
Life Insurance Goes to College
Life insurance is usually thought of in terms of tragic outcomes, but if life goes as planned, you may still be able to use it to send your kids to college.
World of Opportunity
It may be tempting to think that investing at home is enough, but that kind of thinking misses opportunities that may be available through foreign investments.
Money and the Battle of the Sexes
When both spouses are informed about the household finances, it can reduce the potential for mistakes, misunderstandings, and lost opportunities.
Giving for the Greater Good
When you utilize a structured giving strategy, your efforts can help reap greater benefits for you, your heirs, and your favorite charity.
An ILIT Might Fit
If you are concerned about estate taxes, an ILIT might be the way to go.
Oil's Above-Ground Problems
It used to be that the main concern about oil was finding enough of it in the ground to meet world demand. Despite dire predictions to the contrary, most experts believe that there is still plenty of oil in the ground. Why then has the price of oil doubled since 2004?
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November
Free to Retire
A variable annuity might provide a way to help you pursue your retirement goals if you don’t have the time required to develop a winning retirement strategy.
Lock in Today’s Tax Rates
If you expect that tax rates are going to increase, you might want to consider opening a Roth IRA.
Diversify and Conquer
If you dream of doing more in retirement than sipping lemonade in a rocking chair on the porch, you may want to consider the advantages of diversifying your portfolio.
Develop a Life Plan
An out-of-date estate conservation strategy is about as useful as none at all, but by updating your estate documents periodically, you can help protect the assets you wish to pass on to your heirs.
Poverty and the Modern Millionaire
Being a millionaire retiree has never really been the status quo – but now this amount may not be nearly enough to maintain even a modest retirement lifestyle.
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October
His and Her Uncertainty
By sharing information about each other’s plans and expectations for retirement, a couple may be able to avoid some common mistakes that could hamper their progress toward a comfortable retirement lifestyle.
The High Cost of Low Coverage
The cost of not carrying adequate life insurance could be far more expensive to surviving family members than the cost of the additional premiums.
Hand-Me-Down Dollars
Inheriting an IRA can be a great source of additional income, but the penalties for mismanaging one are severe.
Estimate the Cost of College
Determine how much needs to be saved annually so the youngsters in your family can afford college.
A Retirement Plan for One
Although most large companies are moving away from traditional defined-benefit plans, a solo defined-benefit plan may be an attractive pension option of you are a sole proprietor or if you are self-employed.
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September
Tolerating Risk
Whether you are a conservative investor or an aggressive one, it’s likely there are mutual funds that match your risk tolerance.
Score Your Credit Knowledge
Creditworthiness is an inseparable part of financial health, therefore it’s important to know how to maintain good credit.
Join the Millionaire Club
The burden of funding retirement now rests squarely on the shoulders of workers, many of whom are finding that they may need much more than $1 million to provide a comfortable retirement lifestyle.
Shelter from the Storm
Finding yourself on the wrong side of a multimillion-dollar decision would be a bad time to discover you didn’t have enough liability coverage under your homeowners and auto insurance.
IPO Trends
Though experts are expecting 2007 to be another big year for initial public offerings, or IPOs, the U.S. IPO market may not be the same as in years past.
Understanding the Credit Crunch
The financial markets went into a tailspin after a handful of subprime mortgages went into default and central banks had to jump in to help. What do these defaults have to do with global liquidity?
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