Why are retirement plans often created assuming a 4% withdrawal rate? When financial professionals try to estimate just how much money a couple or individual should take out of their savings annually, their model scenarios often assume a 4% annual withdrawal rate. Why is 4% used...
These two objectives are not mutually exclusive. It can be done. All across America, families are meeting a mighty financial challenge – the challenge of paying college costs with retirement potentially on the horizon. How do they do it? They go about it consistently; they also...
Is your investment strategy as socially and environmentally conscious as you are? It’s not uncommon … Many a well-educated, socially conscious, environmentally friendly investor winds up buying shares of companies whose beliefs and business practices are far removed from their own. Why? Most investors simply haven’t...
If you’re going to say “I do”, here are some things you might want to do. Are you marrying soon? Have you recently married? As you begin your life together, it's important for you to start planning your financial future together and putting your finances on...
Financial advisers are noticing a shift. A development few have noticed. The recession that started in 2007 quietly brought an economic shift to millions of American families - the woman of the house became the primary wage earner. In June 2010, Labor Department data showed that nearly...
It may be better to sell that big home rather than keep it. You want to retire, and you own a large home that is nearly or fully paid off. The kids are gone, but the upkeep costs haven’t fallen. Should you retire and keep your...
What should you store in one easily accessible place? You might be surprised how many people have financial documents scattered all over the house – on the kitchen table, underneath old newspapers, in the hall closet, in the basement. If this describes your financial “filing system”,...
Much is Hazy About the Dodd-Frank Bill, Even Though it has Passed. Will the goals of the reform bill really be met? On July 15, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed 60-39 in the Senate. Next week, President Obama is expected to...
The Market Has Rebounded … Is it Poised to Keep Rising? Remember when people were getting out of stocks? In the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, some people made the decision to move money into forms of investment with low or...
The Two Words Signify a Far-reaching Kind of Financial Care. There’s financial planning, and then there’s wealth management. Think of wealth management as a step up from garden-variety financial planning. One office (rather than one person) provides a range of services for a client: personal financial...