With only a few days left this year, it seems like there are a million things to do with little time to do it. Thankfully, my wife takes on the majority of the planning, prepping, and executing of our holiday celebrating, but I am still exhausted come January 1st. Why do I start off many new years feeling overextended? Why do some people start the new year over budget or stressed from the holidays? According to experts, Americans report:
In 2005, my wife, Cassie, and I relocated to Philadelphia for my career with a global investment firm. At only 26 and 25 years old, we were wide-eyed with excitement for the opportunity to take our professional careers to the next level. In a relatively short amount of time and with lots of long hours, we were making nearly four times more than the median household income in the United States. That is a substantial amount of money in a short amount of time.
This is a word we hear often, but what does it actually mean? According to dictionary.com, “’Values’ is a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.”
In today’s low-interest-rate environment, there are fewer fixed income alternatives for retirees seeking income. With rates on traditional staples such as CDs and money market accounts at or near all-time lows. Fixed-income annuities are an alternative to consider for retirees seeking income and safety. The issuing insurance companies back the claims-paying ability of all annuities. Once thought of as only a standalone retirement income solution, a fixed-income annuity is now commonly recognized as one of many components of a retirement portfolio.
I have always been interested in money, and at the age of nine, my mom remembers me saying I was going to live in a big city and work with people’s money. Other career aspirations came and went, but the one that stayed strong was financial service. As my interest in money and markets increased, so did my thirst for success and to make a lot of money. Despite being raised in a rural, blue-collar town where having lots of money is not necessarily a thing, I knew I wanted financial independence by landing a six-figure compensation plan early in my career and become a multi-millionaire before reaching retirement. At the time, I did not put much thought on my values surrounding my dream, but instead, I simply focused on the steps to attain my dream.
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours,” Henry David Thoreau quoted.
So how do we start planning to pursue our dream and become more mindful with our resources to live a life imagined? By creating a sound plan for our journey and implementing the necessary strategies, we begin connecting our financial resources as the means to live a life imagined. I’ll share some background of what often gets in our way and prevents people from planning their journey toward their dream leading to a better financial future and success.
For people that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or are in poor health, the idea of not having life insurance when needing it can be unsettling. For others who have a chemical dependency or have had one in the past, guaranteed issue life insurance (GI life) ignores the health risk of the dependence and provides the death benefit to their beneficiaries after the two-year waiting period. With other types of life insurance, the health risks the individuals face would be an automatic decline for coverage. Guaranteed issue life insurance may be the only life insurance available to these individuals.
What does Summer remind you of? Maybe it’s the feeling of jumping into a cool pool after a day in the summer heat, or maybe it’s the sound of the ice cream truck as you are bolting out the door with whatever change you could get your hands on. From lazy days in air conditioning to random road trips and more; summer is full of memories, and more importantly, financial choices.
The official start of Summer – June 21st – is right around the corner. As we cruise into part two or our Sizzlin’ Summer Series, we will make a splash with the best cities to retire in 2019. Here come the Top 4 cities to retire.
This last winter was one for the books. With record snowfall, rain, and cold temperatures, it’s safe to say that most of us are ready for warmer weather. What better way to celebrate the onset of sunshine and warm temps than with a three-part newsletter series to help you enjoy Summer! In this month’s newsletter, we will dive into the top 3 places to travel, based on the Summer months: