Annuities are a big business. In 2019 $57.8billion in annuities were sold according to the Insured Retirement Institute. What’s the appeal? First, let’s remember that there are many kinds of annuities: Fixed, variable, immediate, and deferred are the main categories. There are about 1,000 permutations under those categories. Second, I don’t sell any…
The financial services industry has for years been collectively handwringing about how to measure clients’ real feelings about stock market volatility. The problem starts with the language we use. It continues with the overconfidence of people when markets are good. When the stock market is climbing, everyone is an investing genius and has no…
Some people really want to retire. Umbrella drinks on the beach, unlimited time to knit, tee times during non-peak hours, and never skiing on a weekend again. Sounds great, right? Not for everyone. More and more, clients tell me they don’t really want to retire. After all, retirement is what old people do, and…
Clients sometimes ask me what they are not thinking about when it comes to retirement planning. Mostly, they’ve thought about a lot, but there are a few things that can surprise you. Unreimbursed medical expenses. Yes, retirees dread health care costs, but it seems like kind of an amorphous worry, not one that gets…
Over the past 15 months, I have been in a LOT of family therapy. And the one thing I have learned is that when a person is feeling strong emotions (fear, anger, insecurity), the rational part of their brain (the pre-frontal cortex) literally is not working. It physically gets no energy and just shuts off.…
So, you’ve seen all the newsletters advising you not to panic and sell as the stock market loses 20% in a week. You may even hear investment folks encouraging you to buy stocks if you have any cash. But, as you watch your accounts drop each day, you can’t help feeling like buying more and…
An alert reader asked me to elaborate a bit on the SECURE Act in relation to the effect on inheriting IRAs. This has received a lot of press, so I guess a lot of people are worried about it. Is it possible all the press the SECURE Act has received is making people worry? Hmmmm.…
After being stuck in the Senate for over 6 months (thanks, as usual, Ted Cruz!), the Setting Every Citizen Up for Retirement Security, aka the SECURE act, was finally signed into law at the end of 2019. What does it mean for you? Here is a very quick summary with bonus snarky commentary:…
Just a quick reminder for those of you aged 70 ½ and over who are also charitably inclined: There is no better way to gift from a tax standpoint than directly out of your Traditional IRA. Why? Money that comes straight from your IRA to a 501©(3) charity never hits your income for taxes. This…
This is the last in my blog series spotlighting stuff I learned at the Investment News Women’s Advisor Summit. That’s right, I bullet point the interesting stuff so you don’t have to attend all-day conferences. You are welcome. Our first speaker of the day was Dr. Julie Gorte, Senior VP for Impact Investing at…
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