Considering annuities, insurance, new investments and delaying Social Security? With all the changes 2020 brought and a new year around the corner, it may be time to revisit traditional approaches to retirement planning. The pandemic and near-zero interest rates...

It's a pivotal age for retirement planning — even if you aren't ready to retire yet Gone are the days when most people retired at 65, received a gold watch, then lived off their pension and full Social Security benefits. But 65 is still an important age financially...

Over the last year, both before and after the current pandemic, there have been multiple law changes that have impacted retirement plans and retirement benefits. There have been many articles and constant commentary on these changes, but as we reach the end of 2020,...

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended just about everything this year, including retirement planning. Enough new rules governing Individual Retirement Accounts and workplace 401(k) plans were introduced that a year-end review is in order. Congress enacted many of these...

Should US retirees delay claiming Social Security until age 70, even if they have to spend savings until then? The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College proposes that strategy as a default option in retirement plans. What do Social Security benefits and...

Fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) address many basic retirement concerns: protection of hard-earned dollars, tax-deferred growth, balance, and lifetime income. Get some peace of mind — no matter what happens in the market. Consider these five key benefits: Guaranteed...

And one other reason to keep working Being ready to retire means more than being ready to stop waking up at 6:00 a.m. to put in long hours at a job you're not thrilled about. If it were that simple, most of us would retire at 25. What it really takes to retire is a...

Durable power of attorney is one of the most important and useful documents you will ever sign. It is also one of the most dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Your will controls what happens to your money after your death. But the power of attorney can...

It’s a way to hedge against uncertainty The COVID-19 pandemic is making many Americans — whether they’re approaching retirement age or just starting out in their career — anxious about their finances, and retirement savings and plans. As a result, people are...

Millions of Americans expect their efforts to save for retirement to be derailed, perhaps permanently, by the coronavirus pandemic. That’s the main takeaway from several surveys released in October that begin to create a snapshot of the retirement landscape in the...

Don’t let the pandemic derail your plans for retirement These days, older workers and retirees are understandably concerned that their retirement plans will be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. There are concerns that pre-retirees...

Workplaces have grown steadily less friendly to older employees, and the pandemic has pushed more of these workers from the labor market. Joey Himelfarb estimates that in his 25 years in sales, hawking everything from Hewlett-Packard computers to cars and swimming...

Motivating people to save for retirement isn’t easy. Fraught decisions around when to start a nest egg, how much to set aside, and where to invest can be so overwhelming that inertia often sets in. Increasingly, economists who study this paralysis have shown that...

The world has been in a panic since the outbreak of coronavirus, causing almost unprecedented market volatility. Some have been quick to compare this to the credit crisis of 2008 that lasted five years. Depending on the duration of the health crisis, I foresee it more...

The old line about retirement goes something like: “My problem is not that I have too little money left at the end of the month, it’s that I have too much month left at the end of the money.” For many people, though, the real issue could be having too little money for...

Section 2202 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), enacted on March 27, 2020, provides for special distribution options and rollover rules for retirement plans and IRAs and expands permissible loans from certain retirement plans. Q1....

As the Coronavirus has spread in communities around the country, Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of the virus on jobs, the economy and their own financial security – but most importantly about the health and safety of their loved ones....

COVID-19 has shaken America and the world, causing widespread social and economic upheaval. The most obvious and distressing cost is the tens of thousands of lives lost to the pandemic, but attendant costs range from shuttered businesses to an unprecedented hole in...

To redesign a retirement that builds the necessary financial resilience for longer lives, the World Economic Forum and Mercer have created a ten-point checklist to redesign retirement. Safeguarding financial wellness requires an all-encompassing view of a person. This...

Using Annuities to Cover Basic Living Expenses for Life The names and numbers may vary but the situation is all too common. Approaching retirement at age 65, John and Jill Smith realized their monthly income from Social Security and pensions total $700 less than their...

Given the current economic scenario in the backdrop of the ongoing public health crises globally, investing your hard-earned money in a suitable Annuity Product may be the answer to your queries. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is driving many Indians — whether they are...

Know your full retirement age, coordinate the timing of benefit claims with your spouse, and weigh the advantages of delaying your Social Security benefits. Social Security benefits have long been a critical part of Americans’ retirement income plans. After all, the...

Even in light of an all-consuming pandemic, there are some mega-trends that continue their powerful and profound impact on global society. One such trend is global aging, which has led to a reimagining and a reframing of the relationship between age and health,...

With COVID-19 making headlines around the world, it’s normal to feel uncertain about many aspects of life right now, including your finances. Even if you don’t catch COVID-19, you could be financially impacted by the fallout. Throughout this tumultuous period, your...

KEY POINTS The economic downturn prompted by the coronavirus comes at a particularly bad time for older workers. New research takes a look at how well those individuals may fare when it comes to working from home or finding new employment. Results are so-so.  Older...

They face particular challenges brought on by Covid-19 — issues, experts say, that could lead to retirement earlier than planned. Dorian Mintzer loves her work. A 74-year-old psychologist, coach and author, she has no plan to retire, and has continued to work during...

Recovery is starting quickly as states reopen, but the journey gets bumpier from here, Kelly and fellow strategist David Lebovitz warn. There is still a long way to go before the United States has a full economic recovery and it is therefore wise for investors to be...

Now that we’ve entered a bear market for the first time since 2009, many pre-retirees are likely asking questions about the impact on their retirement savings. Will the stock market sell-off wipe out years of growth in their 401(k)s? Are there any steps that can be...

Americans without retirement savings are increasingly moving in with their millennial children. Sian-Pierre Regis, 35, is used to living with roommates. For the past 10 years, he has split the rent on his apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan with two (in...

The economic gut punch of the COVID-19 pandemic is being felt by retirees. Even those who have savings and other resources now fear that the financial stability they had envisioned for their post-working years is gone. With the U.S. economy staring at a recession and...

Right now, spending habits are changing, for better or worse. With unemployment at an all-time high and many people working from home, your budget could be totally different from usual. You may be tight on money or have a little extra cash in your pocket. Regardless...

The Washington Post spoke to six Americans who have come to the end of their work lives with no financial cushion, no nest egg. The coronavirus pandemic has scrambled many Americans’ financial futures, but some baby boomers have found surprising ways to cope with the...

KEY POINTS About half of Americans retired earlier than they expected, according to a recent survey. Less control over your retirement date could become more prevalent in a post-coronavirus economy. Based on your work prospects, you may retire either much earlier or...

As a licensed fiduciary for over 15 years and spending most of that time with retirees, I’ve heard the same desires and concerns repeatedly: They want a retirement product that will offer them safety, income, and growth. My clients fear a repeat of 2000 or 2008, are...

“Jobs Friday” is usually a nerdy day for financial types and economists only. But everyone was watching the most recent jobs report. I had a big drink and told my family to remember May 8. For labor economists, it will be a day to remember. For the first time, even...

By the time most of us reach retirement age, we feel as if we don’t have enough money to live the life we envisioned. Our feelings aren’t wrong: a 2019 analysis from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that over 40% of American households in which the...

May 4th, 2020 Chadd Mason, CEO The Cabana Group Can April's Rally Continue, or is More Economic Disruption on the Horizon? Equity markets finished off April with the biggest monthly gain since 1974. The huge rally followed an even bigger decline in March. Face-ripping...

Here's how the ongoing crisis could wreck your long-term plans -- and what you can do to prevent that from happening. COVID-19 has turned the U.S. economy on its head, battering the stock market and forcing millions of workers into unemployment. But while the crisis...

Now that we’ve entered a bear market for the first time since 2009, many pre-retirees are likely asking questions about the impact on their retirement savings. Will the stock market sell-off wipe out years of growth in their 401(k)s? Are there any steps that can be...

The COVID-19 pandemic could upend retirement planning, jeopardizing financial security for the next generation of retirees. Experience from the 2007–08 financial crisis and Great Recession that followed suggests the current crisis could wipe out existing retirement...

This lesser-known rule could potentially save you a bundle of cash. Millions of Americans have been directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, from both a health and financial perspective. With thousands of businesses shuttering to slow the spread of the virus,...

Dick has worked as a hospital administrator for 30-plus years. He was planning to retire in a few months. COVID-19 just delayed his plans for many months, or perhaps for years. Reflecting on what the market decline has done to his retirement savings, he conceals his...

Dick has worked as a hospital administrator for 30-plus years. He was planning to retire in a few months. COVID-19 just delayed his plans for many months, or perhaps for years. Reflecting on what the market decline has done to his retirement savings, he conceals his...

With all that is going on in the market with the Coronavirus, we have received many requests to give our opinion on how long it will take for a retirement savings to get back to the level it was before the virus took its toll on the market. Understanding that no one...

Everything these days seems to be about coronavirus, coronavirus, coronavirus. Especially when you have a family, these can be scary times. So, first and foremost: Chances are that you will be OK. The novel coronavirus seems to mostly spare young kids, and if you’re a...

As we progress through life, we find there are certain things we can control and others we cannot. However, even with the things we can’t control, we can exercise good judgement based on facts, due diligence, historical patterns and a risk/reward calculation. These...

Taking these steps before you begin claiming can ensure you're receiving as much money as possible. The majority of retirees will depend on their Social Security benefits for at least a significant portion of their income. In fact, half of married couples and nearly...

Going through her mail, Kendra slices open an envelope from her preferred airline. Inside she finds a hefty gray card with her name etched on it. The 36-year old reads the enclosed letter informing her of her “achievement.” She has reached Platinum status as a...

New federal legislation made sweeping changes in retirement plans. Here's what you need to know. The new year has brought a number of changes in financial rules affecting consumers. Many of them are in new federal legislation called the Secure Act, which mostly...

For many people, retirement is a key reward for decades of daily work—a time to relax, explore, and have fun unburdened by the daily grind. For others, though, retirement is a frustrating period marked by declining health and increasing limitations. For years,...

Among the various kinds of annuities, which are contracts you sign with an insurance company to pay a premium for guaranteed income later, two of the most common are fixed and fixed indexed annuities. The former offers a fixed rate of return; the latter ties your rate...