Books
Download these Booklets on important retirement topics to get a basic understanding of concepts and tools that you can integrate into your own customized retirement strategy.
Articles: Annuities
Learn more about different types of annuities, including specific features that can affect your payout, how women can use annuities to set up a more secure retirement, and how to decide where an annuity might fit into your retirement estate plan.
Indexed Annuities Offer Security with a Limited Amount of Risk ~~~ You can think of an indexed annuity as a cake, with a solid layer of security topped by a sweet icing of market exposure. [...]
How Annuities Can Lend Safety and Stability to Your Retirement Plan ~~~ An annuity can be a powerful tool for reaching goals in life that are basic to security. An Investment that you cannot outlive. [...]
What Is a Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA)? ~~~ Get a guaranteed interest rate with this tax-deferred investment strategy. Multi-year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs) are fixed annuities that promise a set rate of return for a period [...]
Annuity Lifetime Income Riders: How Rollup Rate and Payout Rate Affect Income ~~~ Lifetime income riders offer guaranteed minimum lifetime income, but these two rates significantly affect the payout you receive. An income rider is [...]
Articles: Social Security
Get an overview of how the Social Security program works and the risks of it defaulting on future payments to retirees. Weigh the pros and cons involved in claiming your benefits at different ages. See how health care costs could take a big chunk of your Social Security income later in life.
The Impact of Health Care Costs on Social Security As health care costs continue to rise at a faster annual rate than Social Security payments, and lifespans continue to lengthen, the need for retirees to [...]
What is the Social Security 2100 Act? ~~~ The Social Security program has run a deficit every year since 2010, and new projections expect that it will be unable to meet its obligations to American [...]
The Uncertain Future of Social Security ~~~ The Social Security program has had a deficit every year since 2010 and by 2033, the program is projected to become insolvent. Though Social Security’s full retirement age [...]
Articles: Life Insurance
Understand the key features of a life insurance policy. Learn about the types of life insurance and how they can help you achieve your financial goals in different phases of life.
Articles: Financing Your Retirement
When should you retire? How much savings is enough? What can you do to ensure that you’ll have an income for the rest of your life? Don’t forget to include inflation in your planning. Women can take steps now to avoid financial insecurity later in life.
The New Gradual Retirement ~~~ Working a little (or a lot) after 60 may become the norm. Do we really want to retire at 65? Not according to the latest annual retirement survey from the [...]
401k Fees and Rollover Options These fees could erode your retirement savings as much as 30% over time. Understanding the fees associated with your retirement accounts is very difficult. But, if you don’t know or [...]
Retiring in America ~~~ How Safe is Your Safe Money? Whatever your picture of retirement, the best way to get there and enjoy it once you’ve arrived is with a focused, thoughtful plan. Americans are [...]
The Good News: The Longer You Live, The Longer You Live The Bad News: Insurance Companies Are Rolling Out New Rates to Reflect the Increase In Life Expectancy The Society of Actuaries (SOA) released new [...]
Articles: Tax Efficiency in Retirement
Brush up on when and how to prepare for tax day. Learn about tax-reducing credits and investment strategies. Explore tax consequences and potential uses of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).
Tax Issues in Early Distributions from Retirement Accounts There are times when people really need money – and in those times, a retirement account may seem like a conveniently liquid resource to tap. What’s the [...]
End-of-the-Year Money Moves Here are some things you might want to do before saying hello to the New Year. What has changed for you this year? Did you start a new job – or leave [...]
Are You Taking Taxes Into Account When Saving And Investing? It isn’t always top of mind, but it should be. How many of us save and invest with an eye on tax implications? Due to [...]
Getting a Jump on Tax Season What should you bring to your preparer? You can file your federal tax return starting in late January of the previous year. IRS filing season will start right on [...]
Articles: Estate Planning
Learn how to set up your estate plan and put in place strategies for minimizing probate and also conflicts between your heirs. Do a deeper dive into living trusts and beneficiary designation.
Calculators
From estimating how much to set aside each month, how long your projected nest egg will last you, what to expect from the effects of inflation as well as predictions for your Social Security income – these calculators can help!