How Much Money Do You Need to Retire Comfortably?
Close your eyes and picture your retirement. You may envision yourself strolling on a tropical beach, working on hobbies around the house, volunteering for a beloved cause, or playing with a grandchild. You probably don’t picture yourself hunched over bills and bank statements, trying to make ends meet. However, without careful planning, your retirement income […]
How Advisor Philosophy Affects Returns
The right financial advisor can help you achieve your financial goals faster and manage your money more efficiently. However, financial advisors are not one-size-fits-all. The best financial advisor for you may be very different than the best financial advisor for your coworker, neighbor, or even family member. There are financial advisors who specialize in different […]
The Top 7 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer About Your Finances
For many Americans, money is a taboo subject – right up there with sex, politics, or religion as topics to be avoided in polite company. The discomfort surrounding money leads to financial ignorance where grown adults don’t know the basics of their own finances and are afraid to ask. Unfortunately, when it comes to money and your finances, what you don’t know can […]
Understanding Social Security and When to Take Your Benefits
When planning for retirement in the United States, Social Security is the common denominator for the vast majority of workers. After spending your working life paying into the system, being eligible to collect Social Security benefits is one of the hallmarks of American retirement. Social Security is a federally-run insurance program that provides retirement benefits, […]
How to Get Back into the Stock Market If You Sold Out Earlier This Year
The United States officially entered a recession in February 2020, ending the longest economic expansion in American history. The contraction in March 2020 was so severe that the National Bureau of Economic Research declared a recession in June, without waiting for a second complete quarter of negative growth.
How the Presidential Election Could Affect Investors and the Stock Market
In a few short weeks, voters in the United States will choose between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump at the ballot box. A deluge of campaign ads from both Democrats and Republicans offer dire predictions for America if the opposing party wins the next four years of the presidency.
How Solomon’s Paradox Explains Why We Need Good Coaches and Advisors
High performers in every field share some common attributes. One of these is that they almost always seek out experienced coaches and advisors who help them achieve high performance in the first place.
Why Evolution Makes Us Bad at Investing (and what you can do about it)
In my work as an experienced investment and financial advisor, I am often hired to act as both an expert and a coach to my many clients. Part of my job involves teaching and guiding clients to optimize complex decisions and sometimes even to fight against their own instincts, especially when markets are volatile and scary.
How to Earn Steady Returns in Private Lending Secured by Real Estate
In the long-term, investing in stocks generates good returns. Over the last 70 to 100 years, long-term investors in the stock market with a 10+ year horizon have been able to generate 8 to 10% average returns but this is by sticking to investing for the long-term.
How to Leverage Health Savings Accounts to Fund Expenses in Retirement
As we age, health concerns arise increasingly frequently. Especially in retirement, covering rising medical costs can be a big concern. Fortunately, if you prepare ahead of time, there are powerful tools to incorporate into your overall financial plan that can help you to cover rising medical costs.
Lump Sum Distribution Versus Annuities from Employee Pensions (Ridgewood Retirement Income Planning Guide)
Choosing Between A Lump Sum Distribution Versus An Annuity from Your Employee Pension (Ridgewood Retirement Income Planning Guide)
Do you work in a position that has covered you with a traditional defined benefit plan? If so consider yourself fortunate. Defined benefit plans were once far more common than they are today.
How Great Advisors Are Positioning Clients to Survive and Thrive Through this Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has affected the United States and the world economy severely. Due to social distancing measures undertaken voluntarily, the US economy is seeing massive impacts including high and rising unemployment.