Retirement Planning
Understanding the Four Phases of Your Retirement Budget Strategy
One way of thinking about retirement is that it happens in phases. The length of each phase and the strategies for each are going to differ from person to person, but this can be a helpful way to break down a very complex topic. We’re going to break down each one of the phases and…
Read More4 Birthdays Crucial to Your Pre-Retirement Plan
There are many important birthdays when it comes to retirement planning. So, as you approach your retirement, it’s crucial to have a few of these in mind as key milestones. Here are 4 important birthdays to make note of as you set up your financial future: Catch-Up Contributions Begin at Age 50 When you…
Read More2 Ways to Take Care of Debt in Retirement
The unfortunate reality is that many Americans are now headed into retirement with some amount of debt.[1] In 2016, almost 61% of Americans were moving into the retirement stage of their life with unpaid debt.[1] And while you may think that your expenses will decrease once you retire, that isn’t always the case.[1] Sometimes, your…
Read MoreUnderstanding Your Savings Goal – How Much Do You Really Need to Retire?
“How much do I need to retire?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions in the world of retirement finance. If you don’t have a lot of retirement planning experience, it can also be a tough question to answer. This article will hopefully give you some sense of where you might want to…
Read MoreDefined-Benefit vs. Defined-Contribution Plans
The following two types of retirement savings methods may sound similar, but there are a lot of important differences that might be useful for you to know if you’re looking to get a better understanding of what retirement might look like for you. Defined-Benefit Let’s start with a defined-benefit plan. These types of plans commonly…
Read MoreRetirement Tax Strategies to Consider
How you handle taxes and when you are taxed are two of the most important factors when it comes to retirement planning. If you are putting together the puzzle pieces of your retirement plan and you are curious about some strategies related to taxes and retirement, here are some possible options: Consider a Roth IRA…
Read MoreUsing Your House to Fund Your Retirement
It is possible for a person to end up in a situation where they have a lot of money in a home but don’t have a lot of money in the bank. If you have been paying off your mortgage for years, your equity in the home could amount to a lot of money. But…
Read MoreAddressing Retirement for Gen X
A recent study by Investopedia found that Generation X’s biggest worry is retirement. The survey found that although many members of Gen X feel like they understand their finances, they are still concerned about setting themselves up to transition into retirement. Nearly one in four Gen Xers are not sure when, or even if, they…
Read MoreTarget-Date Funds: The Backbone of Many Retirement Accounts
A target-date fund is an investing tool, often in the form of an ETF or mutual fund, that adjusts its investment strategy based on how much time there is until the target date. The investments are strategized for long-term growth when you are further away from the target date and strategized for wealth preservation the…
Read MoreHow Long Can I Keep My Money in My Retirement Account?
In most cases, you can’t actually keep your money in your retirement accounts forever. Even if you don’t need the money from your retirement accounts, many of them will require you to begin withdrawing from them when you are 73 years old.[1] This is called a required minimum distribution (often shortened to RMD). More specifically,…
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