Tag Archives: Financial Literacy

The very low risk of insurance company bankruptcy

When purchasing a financial product, one of the most important aspects to consider is the financial strength of the company from which you purchase the product. Insurance companies often have a leg up on this regard. Continue reading

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Index and Variable Annuities: Exploring the similarities and differences

Often times we speak of annuities as though they are all the same products, equally appropriate for all consumers. This is particularly true when discussing index and variable annuities. And it’s true that there are several benefits inherent across all annuities. Continue reading

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Getting close to retirement, but unsure if you can afford it?

Did you know that it takes 75% to 85% of your pre-retirement income in order to maintain your current lifestyle in retirement? What’s more—even though you don’t know how long you’re going to live—you should assume that you’ll need to have enough to live on for at least 25 to 30 years. Continue reading

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In Changing Retirement Landscape, Annuities Help Employers and their Employees Meet Financial Goals

Earlier this month, General Motors was at the center of some controversy when the automaker unveiled that it would be converting its pension payment plan for 118,000 salaried retirees as a means of shoring up the company’s finances. The announced plan would offer buyouts to currently retired salaried workers who agree to stop receiving a monthly pension check and opt instead for a lump sum payout or equivalent monthly annuity checks paid out by Prudential Insurance Co. So, where does this leave GM’s retirees? Some have expressed reservations that, in transitioning from pensions to annuity payouts, they stand to lose the security of their payments because annuities are not secured by a federal authority like the FDIC, and will have to forgo cost-of-living adjustments. Continue reading

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Jobs Today Affect Retirement Tomorrow

Behind this short term struggle for jobs lies an even more serious long term demon: the need to amass adequate retirement savings, especially in light of the fact that the Medicare and Social Security safety nets may not exist in 20 or 30 years (see our April 25th post on Social Security below). Continue reading

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Indexed Annuities: The Basics

To help people like you understand the different product features of indexed annuities we’ve created this helpful video that explains the ins and outs of the indexed annuity product to give you the facts (without the sales pitch) so you can feel confident and assured in planning for your retirement. Continue reading

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The Future of Social Security

A new government report says Social Security reserves could be exhausted by 2033. You can read more about the report in a Wall Street Journal article from Monday. We’ve seen concerns about the future of Social Security for years, and this report doesn’t exactly bring reassurance. It’s unclear if Social Security will support Americans’ retirement plans for the next generations in the way it has traditionally been used. So what does it all mean for consumers? Continue reading

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Advanced Planning – In honor of tax day…

By Wade Mayo Tax season is coming to a close, making now a great time to start thinking about how you can minimize your payments next year. Additionally, if you are coming up to retirement or are already retired, you … Continue reading

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Are Small Business Owners Prepared for Retirement?

New research from The American College, the nation’s largest non-profit educational institution devoted to financial services, reveals that in addition to not having pensions or 401(k) plans, an additional one-third of small business owners have failed to estimate how much it will actually cost them to retire. Continue reading

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New Tools to Help You Plan a Strong Future

As you may have noticed we’ve changed things up a bit. To help guide you through planning for your financial future, we’ve added more resources and retirement information to our site. Continue reading

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