by Mark Stevens | Apr 16, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
“It’s a difficult pill to swallow when you realize you’ve made a financial mistake, particularly when it’s an avoidable one. Some of these mistakes can cripple your finances for years, so it’s crucial to be as informed as possible when making monetary decisions....
by Mark Stevens | Apr 15, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
As you head into and through your 50s, your retirement countdown begins in earnest. You are likely spending more time thinking about retirement and what it will look like. You may have a bucket list of things you want to experience, places you want to go, and projects...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
There’s a pretty good chance that your parents and grandparents retired just because they turned 65. Today’s retirement is a bit more complicated than that. While age is still an important factor, your ability to connect your financial resources to your lifestyle...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
Anyone who’s retired in the past 10 years has been very fortunate. They’ve experienced a massive bull market, and they may even have a higher net worth today than when they retired! I call that a Good Luck Sequence. But it won’t always be that way. Some people will...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
“How am I doing?” That’s a big question that most people have when it comes to their money. But don’t look to neighbors, friends, and family to see if you are on track or keeping pace. Instead, it’s important that you look at stats with the proper context. The...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
Imagine this scenario: You retire and begin receiving your retirement income. But the monthly numbers seem too small. Where did the money go? Have you been robbed? No one wants to get to retirement only to discover that their retirement income isn’t going to cover...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
Don’t Forget These Potential Sources of Retirement Income Planning your retirement income is like putting together a puzzle with many different pieces. However, your puzzle, your uncle’s puzzle, and your neighbor’s puzzle don’t all use the same pieces and may even...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
Most parents will say that they want to help their children as much as they can and give them every advantage. But what if “every advantage” comes at the expense of the parents’ retirement savings and investments? According to a survey by NerdWallet, 80% of parents...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
You’ve been diligently putting money away into a retirement savings plan for years. Congratulations! You are ahead of the majority of your peers! But, have you thought about the “how” in converting those savings to a retirement income? This is an area that is often...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance
Big red arrows, panicked cable news experts, and the echo chambers of our social media feeds can make stock market volatility seem much worse than it actually is. When this happens, do you have trouble keeping a cool head about your own investments? If so, take a...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
As part of our Life-Centered Planning process, we talk about how market volatility is a normal part of investing. We also discuss how we structure your investments to help “weather the storm” and provide a plan that seeks to help maintain a comfortable level of income...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
One of the first things we suggest when creating a retirement financial plan is to look at your income and your expenses. For many people, a foundational source of income is Social Security. But if you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you’re sure to know...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
It’s been said that volatility is a tax that investors have to pay for harnessing the wealth-building power of the financial markets. But rationalizing market fluctuations doesn’t make them any less nerve-wracking, especially if you’re nearing retirement age. Some...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in the short-term and underestimate what we can accomplish in the long-term. The frustration that results is one big reason why so many New Year’s resolutions die before spring. But if you use these key strategies that...
by Mark Stevens | Apr 8, 2020 | Finance, Retirement
A Hamster on a Wheel Have you ever watched a hamster running in a wheel? All that running, all that effort, day after day after day … But the poor little critter never really gets anywhere, does he? Many of us feel the same way about our money. More specifically, we...
