Some retirement risks are clear….long term care potential, running out of money, aging and the diminished capacity to make decisions...and so on.   In today’s video blog, we tackle a risk that affects every retiree that many aren’t even aware of: … [Read more...]

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 76% of workers offered a 401(k) or similar retirement plan at work contribute to the plan. That makes it one of the most common ways that we save for retirement, especially if there are matching contributions offered by the employer. There are great benefits to these tax-deductible contributions and matches inside of company retirement plans, but there are also some frustrations that go along with them. One of the biggest drawbacks of … [Read more...]

This week's blog is via video using the link below:   https://goo.gl/qPZFrf       In it we talk about how to make retirement portfolios last longer by avoiding the sequence of return risk through the use of a standby reverse mortgage line of credit in down market years.   It's based on solid academic research and I'm particularly excited about how it can help improve retirement outcomes.   Here is the link to the Journal of Financial Planning article … [Read more...]

Step 6 of of the Retirement Planning Process is “Minimize the Tax Liability”.   I haven't met a retiree recently who is told me that they think that tax rates will be going down in the future.   With trillions of dollars of debt and unfunded liabilities in the future, it's important to control the amount of taxes that will be paid on IRA distributions, since it is very likely that future tax rates will increase.   If you're curious about the state of the current national debt and … [Read more...]

I hope that you enjoyed the series on the steps to retirement planning so far.   In this installment we will deal with Step 5:   STEP 5 – Manage or Eliminate Retirement Risk   We want to make sure the right kinds and amounts of insurance and risk management strategies are in place to  effectively deal with the most sinister of retirement risks which could derail our plan.   This includes the premature death of a spouse, unexpected long-term care costs, and a major … [Read more...]

Step 4 of the Retirement Planning Process is to set up an effective cash flow management system.   A retirement plan blueprint is built upon a projected amount of investment account withdrawals each year. If retirees withdraw more than the projected amount due to cash flow mismanagement, it puts the longevity of the investment portfolio in jeopardy. … [Read more...]

Entering into retirement isn't for the faint of heart.   David Littell from The American College has identified 18 risks that retirees face which must be mitigated for a successful retirement. He lists the following: … [Read more...]