What is a Stretch IRA?
A stretch IRA is an estate planning strategy to transfer wealth to a non-spouse beneficiary. It allows your non-spouse heirs to stretch IRA distributions and benefits out over a period of time.
4 Common Retirement Planning Mistakes
Some financial planning experts believe retirement could be the longest phase of your life. Whether it is or not, all experts would agree retirement planning is important. But there are a few common retirement planning mistakes that many people make that you could easily avoid.
Target-Date Fund: What is it and When to Use It?
Target-date funds work well in certain situations. But under different circumstances, there may be better alternatives. Learn when target-date funds are a good idea.
Which is Better for Beneficiaries: Inheritance or Trust?
A common question in the financial planning world is: which is better for beneficiaries an inheritance or a trust? The best answer is that it depends on the situation. Read on to learn more. Then you can decide what will work best for you.
Tax-Deferred Annuity Explained
An annuity is a financial product used to save tax-deferred for retirement or to generate regular income payments once in retirement. There is a lot of confusion around annuities as a retirement investment. Learn what a tax-deferred annuity is and whether it is right for you.
Save for Retirement or Pay Off Debt
Deciding where to direct your money is a tricky thing when you have both debt and an investment portfolio. On the one hand, you know it’s smart to pay down high-interest debts. But you also know you also need to save for retirement. Should you do both? Can you do both? Which move is the smartest use of your money?
Financial Surprises in Retirement
Even with the most careful and forward-thinking retirement planning, there are still some financial surprises you may face. Those extra costs and financial drains can make quite a dent into your portfolio, as well as in your everyday savings and money on-hand, potentially setting you back a few steps in your smart retirement preparations.
Should You Delay Taking Social Security Benefits?
The choice of whether to delay taking Social Security benefits or start as soon as you are eligible is a hot-button topic and a question we are asked often. As with all things in financial planning, the answer to this question is it depends.