Medicare and Social Security go hand in hand...but they are such different knowledge sets. Although I am a National Social Security Advisor, I have always looked to my colleague Paul Davis as the Medicare expert.  Recently he agreed to create a bonus module on Medicare for our online “Maximizing Social Security” course. I’d love for you to have free access to it. Just click on the link below to enroll: https://stewardshipsolution.thinkific.com/ Once inside, scroll down to the … [Read more...]

The ultimate question for the retiree is, "How much is enough for retirement?"  There is an answer, unique to each individual and couple, and it can be discovered for maximum retirement peace of mind. That is why I am extremely excited about the new release of our online course "Ready 2 Retire"! In it, I reveal a simple and straightforward retirement planning process that will help you quantify how much is enough. You will: 1. Maximize Income 2. Optimize Assets 3. Minimize … [Read more...]

If you're doing retirement planning, you'll probably get to the step where you need to estimate your retirement expenses versus your retirement income. I complete this step all the time with prospective clients in our initial meeting and so I've learned the best way to do it without overwhelming them. It might be tempting to break out the spreadsheet, start a Quicken subscription, or build a detailed budget. But there's a simpler way to get started at the beginning. Conceptually it … [Read more...]

If you are a high income earner or are trying to make up for lost time in the retirement savings game, you may be looking for ways to increase contributions to your retirement plans beyond the IRS maximums. If you're over the age of 50, you can put a hefty amount in the company retirement plan. In 2019 the max is $25,000. What if you want to make higher annual contributions, or you don't have access to a company retirement plan? Here are some options: If you are married, you can … [Read more...]

I never realized until recently how the payment of the commission to an agent impacts the benefits and restrictions the client receives in a policy. I had always been aware that a commission payment created the surrender period on a life or annuity policy. This is due to the fact that the insurance company needs a certain number of years to recoup the amount paid to the agent. That is why most life and annuity contracts contain a surrender schedule that lasts 7 – 10 years. It creates the … [Read more...]