Blog Posts

No matter where you are in your life, saving for retirement is likely one of your most important financial goals. But, even if you have professional guidance and a clear strategy for your desired future, you could still be missing some straightforward ways to maximize your savings.

The reality is: Most people do not save enough money for retirement. In fact, the National Institute on Retirement Security estimates that Americans have at least a $6.8 trillion gap between the amount they have saved and the amount they need. Alarmingly, they found the gap could be as high as $14 trillion.

By Marc C. Shaffer

The idea of retirement and the reality of retirement can often be drastically different. For many people, retirement is the idea that at a certain age you will leave your career and enter into a life of leisure. Be it golfing, visiting sunny locations or spending time with grandchildren, retirement has been painted as the final phase of life where you haven’t a care in the world. Every day I talk with people who are retired or planning their retirement, and let me tell you, it’s time we start thinking differently about retirement. The 17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey showed that a majority of workers dream about traveling, spending more time with family, and pursuing hobbies, and 28 percent dream of doing some form of work in retirement. What does retirement mean to you? Does waiting until normal retirement age to pursue your dreams make sense to you, or would you like to consider an “alternative” retirement? The “what you want to do” and “how much you’re going to need” may look a lot different than you’re prepared for, so considering which type of retirement is right for you and the financial considerations to get you there are key. Let’s look at 5 types of retirement styles I talk about frequently:

Should Retirees Be Worried?

Market volatility is an historic inevitability; as a long-term investor, you are likely to experience years of volatile or negative portfolio growth. If volatility coincides with your retirement, you might be worried about how it may affect your savings and income.

The answer isn’t simple.

It’s a question as old as retirement itself: Now that the children are gone, should you downsize your home?

Maybe move to your favorite vacation spot to enjoy the sunshine and natural beauty? Or should you stay put, relaxing in familiar surroundings and a community you know well? Today’s retirees enjoy more freedom than ever to choose where and how they live. Many retirees choose to downsize to reduce housing costs or move to be closer to family. As with most important personal and financial decisions, there are pros and cons to downsizing your home that you should consider.

By Michael J. Searcy

Most everyone realizes that there will come a day that they can no longer generate income for living expenses from employment. For some, it’s a welcome event. For others, it’s a curse. Now, assuming you are in the “welcome event” category and want to quit working for a living someday, here are some items to consider in your planning: