• The Millennial's Roadmap to Financial Wellness, Decade by Decade
  
  Approaching any starting line can be daunting, and adulthood can be full of new beginnings. Finding a job, buying a car, marriage, buying a first house, kids, buying the forever house, college, finding a new job, retirement. Then of course, life happens along the way....
• 5 Retirement Saving Mistakes That Could Derail Your Plans
  
  The younger generation of retirement savers is raising concerns about their prospects for a comfortable retirement according to a recent Forbes article, and rightfully so.After all: Social Security is behind the 8-ball, the pandemic's economic ripple effects are affecting...
• The Pandemic Cost Retirement Savers a Lot, but Taught This Valuable Lesson
  
  The economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many retirement savers to reevaluate their plans.That isn't surprising, because the global economy tanked in late February, and that's bound to have financial consequences.But those consequences have proven even more...
• 5 Ways Life Insurance Provides Unexpected Value
  
  The very first recorded life insurance policy was issued in Europe in 1583, and by 1759 the first life insurance company in the United States was founded. Today, there are over 150 million in-force life insurance policies in the U.S. providing more than $12 trillion of...
• What Should People Do With Their Post-COVID Money?
  
  The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly disruptive time for everyone in the United States and around the world. Now as people begin to emerge from their COVID-caves back into the open there is palpable, pent-up demand to shop, dine, and travel across the country. People...
• How to Offset Lower Social Security Benefits When a Spouse Dies
  
  What happens to a retired couple's Social Security benefits when a spouse dies? Often there is a substantial loss of income - a problem that has gotten surprisingly little attention.The surviving spouse will get either the survivor benefit or his or her own retirement...
• Soaring Inflation Changes Your 'Magic Number' for Retirement
  
  Retirement savers might be staring down the barrel of a rough decade (or two) ahead. That means your magic number, a goal like "saving $1 million for retirement," could get a lot more challenging, if it's possible at all.What's your magic number?If you've done basic...
• Pension Plans Heading the Way of the Dodo: What's Your Plan B?
  
  The flightless dodo bird went extinct around 1662 after 23 million years of existence. Looks like pension plans, both public and private, are heading for the same outcome.At least 185 union pension plans needed a bailout from the COVID-19 stimulus in order to stay afloat....
• 9 Micro Money Moves for Seniors That Will Pay Off Big
  
  Talking about money and actually deciding what to do with your nest egg can be overwhelming. Putting aside one hour to focus on learning something new may help those daunting tasks feel more manageable and reduce stressors associated with caring for your personal...
• Never Confront the Unknown Alone
  
  We use our investments to fund those things that we can predict: our children's college education needs, their weddings, and our retirement are examples. But we need to consider insurance for those things we can't predict: disability, illness, premature death of the wage...
• 5 Alternative Uses for Credit Card Miles in 2021 for Retirees
  
  Did you open a travel rewards credit card as you approached retirement, with hopes that the golden years would be filled with cruises and visits to your grandchildren? Given the past year, you may be sitting on a stack of points with some serious questions about when you'll...
• Estate Planning and Wealth Management 2021 - The Parabolic Shift
  
  There are several key issues in wealth management that are notable. Let's review these futurist ideas and concerns.Estate tax rules are probably going be changed this year. Many will give millions each to children and grandchildren this year to avoid estate tax and gift...
• The Difficult Retirement Road Ahead Requires Long-Term Planning
  
  The U.S. economy isn't a light switch that can be flipped on and off at will. Yet that didn't stop the majority of state governors from turning off their economies in 2020 - causing financial misery for tens of millions of people.The COVID-19 emergency finally appears to be...
• Del Villar: The Battle for Innovation the Right One to Fight
  
  It is time to fight the right battles before we face painful disappointment in the consequences. Our future depends on it.
• Poll: 15 Percent of Americans Worse Off a Year Into Pandemic
  
  About 38 million Americans say they are worse off now than before the outbreak began in the U.S., according to a new poll.
• Waiting for Fixed Annuity Rates to Rise Doesn't Pay
  
  If you're considering buying a fixed-rate annuity, which acts much like a tax-deferred version of a bank CD, should you wait until rates move higher?Probably not.First, it's impossible to know when or if annuity rates will move up. The rate you get today may be as good as...
• Why Properly Diversifying Your Savings for Retirement Is Critical
  
  When your golden years arrive, and it's time to retire, you're going to need to rely (at least partly) on your retirement savings, your "nest egg."Of course, Social Securitycan help, but it's only meant to replace about 40% of someone's retirement income. New retirees have...
• 6 Money Saving Strategies for Seniors on the Go
  
  The idiom "with age comes wisdom" is heavily attributed to the 19th-century poet Oscar Wilde but only represents half of his thoughts on the matter. The complete phrase? "With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." For most of us, the older we get, the wiser we...
• 4 Questions to Ask Before Funding Your Child's Business
  
  As the e-commerce industry grows, younger tech-savvy generations are looking to put their skills to work by launching online side hustles and full-time businesses, a trend that has accelerated due to heighted job insecurity during the pandemic. But starting a business, or...
• If Social Security Were Really a Trust Fund, There Would Be Lawsuits Everywhere
  
  If Social Security were one of your private investments, instead of an entitlement, you might actually look for other options.Here's why.Since 2000, the Social Security Trust Fund has consistently been earning a lower and lower return on investment each year. From April...
• COVID-19 Mitigation Fallout: Retirement Savers and the Challenging Road Ahead
  
  The good news is it appears that COVID-19 is transitioning from being a pandemic "emergency," and on the way to becoming "asendemic as flu."What that means is this coronavirus is going to circulate seasonally, much like the other four human coronaviruses do, and like...
• Manage Inflation With Dead Reckoning
  
  All of the talk is about inflation. Gas prices are up. Food prices are up. Interest rates are climbing, and the government is going to pass a $1.9 trillion spending bill. This will be the largest spending bill in American history. The Federal Reserve is suggesting we need...
• Del Villar: Biden Tax Tidal Wave Will Be Retirement Nest-Egg Wipeout
  
  For too long, we have been told that deficits don't matter. Soon, we will see if that's true. Massive deficits plus soaring tax rates have never equaled prosperity.
• 185 Pensions Got Their $86 Billion Piece of the COVID-19 Rescue 'Pie'
  
  Both private and public pensions have been having major funding issues and struggling to get a good ROI for a number of years.So it's no surprise that any sort of economic relief package presented to Congress would include funds for pensions. Especially since a "bailout"...
• 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Downsizing
  
  Low interest rates and pent-up demand are making for a hot housing market so far in 2021. If you are heading toward retirement and planning to sell your home anyway, you may be wondering whether or not to take advantage of the seller's market and list your home sooner than...

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