What Should I Do With an Old Annuity?
That annuity you bought years ago deserves a review, not an automatic replacement. The real question is not how old it is. It is whether it still fits the job your money needs to do today.
Retirement Income
Retirement income strategies for turning savings into dependable income, managing longevity and market risk, and creating a retirement paycheck designed to last as long as you do, no matter what the market does.
Why is Medicare Charging Me More After I Retired?
You retired and your income dropped, so why did your Medicare premiums go up? The answer is IRMAA, an income-related adjustment based on your tax return from two years earlier. Here is how it works and what to do if it lands after a major life change.
Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Before I Retire?
The goal is not to retire without a mortgage. It is to retire with an income you can support and liquidity you can reach. Here is how to make the decision without letting the interest rate make it for you.
What Should I Do With My 401(k) When I Retire?
Your 401(k) was built to accumulate money. Retirement changes the job. Before you decide whether to leave it, roll it to an IRA, or use part of it for guaranteed income, start with what you need the money to do.
I Have Enough Money. Why Am I Still Afraid to Spend It?
Having enough money and feeling safe spending it are two different things. If you have the savings and still hesitate to spend, the issue may not be your balance. It may be how your retirement income is built.
Do I Need an Annuity?
An annuity should have a job. For some people that job is income they can’t outlive. For others it’s protecting part of what they’ve built from market loss. Here’s how to know if you have a job for one, and how to tell when you don’t.
Can I Afford to Retire?
The number in your 401(k) is not the answer. Whether you can afford to retire depends on what retirement will cost, how much dependable income you already have, and what your savings will be asked to do.
What Happens to Your Retirement Income When Your Spouse Dies?
A retirement plan should work for two lives and still have an answer for the life that continues after the first one ends. Here is what happens to Social Security, pensions, annuities, taxes, and Medicare when a spouse dies, and why these decisions have to be made while both spouses are still here.
Your Social Security Decision is Really an Income Decision
The most important Social Security question isn’t when to claim. It’s what job Social Security needs to do in your retirement income plan, especially for married couples planning across two lifetimes.
Who’s Putting the Pieces Together? | Retirement Income Planning
You may have many of the pieces of a retirement plan. But having the pieces isn’t the same as having a plan, and nobody may have asked whether all of them are there. A look at who notices what’s missing, and why a written income plan is the place to start.