Had Enough Yet?
The S&P 500 is down 8% this year already — including another 2.2% Friday — in what’s been the worst start to a year ever. Since the market peak on May 21, 2015, the market has declined 11.7%.”
Market 2015: Is this the “Big One?”
Every day – every year, I tell audiences nationwide – on radio, television, in print, and in person, that they need to be paying much more attention to the Three Wealth Killers (Market Risk, Taxes, and Fees/Commissions); and much less attention to the latest...
Is Your Retirement Plan Fuzzy Math?
Effective planning requires evaluating options, making strategic decisions, and then acting in a way that lets you achieve your goal. For most people, a retirement plan requires careful consideration of all these elements to ensure a reasonable lifestyle when work is...
The Five Tax Gotchas
No one likes the idea of learning bad news after it’s too late to do anything about it. But that’s exactly what most Americans will discover when they reach retirement. Are you one of them? You are if you’ve fallen victim to the allure of tax-qualified plans like...
The High Cost of ‘Free’ Money
We know – by the rule of 72 – that money growing at 7.2% will double in 10 years. So $100 pre-tax dollars grows to $200 in 10 years; and $75 after-tax dollars grows to $150 in 10 years. That’s their proof.
However, when that $200 is taxed at the same 25% rate, the qualified account ends up with – surprise – $150. There is no mathematical advantage to tax deferral.
The Good, the Bad, and the Solution
If you didn’t know something as seemingly old and boring as life insurance could do all those things, perhaps it’s time to visit with your agent. Especially those of you in your 20s, 30s, and 40s should take a look into Indexed Universal Life – unless of course, you want to be sitting in an audience someday lamenting the fact that nothing good financially – happens to older people.
