Newsletters
Most Americans spend more time planning for vacations and
holidays than planning for their retirement.1
Will you outlive your retirement income? How much liability insurance should
you have? Should you add stocks to your portfolio? Are your financial
expectations for the coming year realistic?
Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide
variety of financial topics. Simply click on one of the newsletter topics
below to read the article in its entirety.
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October
HOT TOPIC: Government Intervenes in Credit Crisis
September was an unsettling month for the financial markets that Americans may not soon forget. Here's a look at what happened.
Adding Stability in Volatile Times
One strategy that can add growth potential to a portfolio, without assuming many of the risks associated with the financial markets, involves purchasing an annuity contract from an insurance company.
Why Do Lower Prices Equal Higher Yields?
The price/yield relationship is rooted in the secondary bond market, where bonds may trade at a premium or discount of the par (or face) value.
Increase Your Protection
If your net worth exceeds the amount of liability coverage provided by your homeowners and auto insurance policies (each usually tops out somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000), you might want to consider an umbrella liability insurance policy.
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September
Your Best Interest
Successfully managing credit is crucial, but there are some arcane credit-card rules that may affect your balance, your interest rate, and even your credit score.
Put Some Infrastructure in Your Portfolio
The normally placid muni bond market has been roiled by a confluence of variables related to the stock market, slow economic growth, and credit-market woes. One result has been yields high enough to get the attention of investors who normally stick to Treasurys.
Life Lessons
Research shows that most people who own life insurance may not have adequate coverage. The real problem is that many of these people may not find out that they lack the proper coverage until it's too late.
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July
Take It Year by Year
The Federal Reserve has been cutting interest rates fast and deep. Although not all consumer rates are directly affected by the cuts, they highlight turmoil in the credit markets, rising inflation, and the possibility of slower economic growth.
Estimate Your Estate
It is imperative to have an estate conservation strategy. Taking an inventory of your assets is a good place to start.
Surviving the Estate Tax with Survivorship Life
People who never imagined they would have enough assets to trigger estate taxes could be in for a surprise. One way to help plan for this possibility is by purchasing a survivorship life insurance policy.
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June
No Better Time Than Now
You may not associate this time of year with reviewing the beneficiaries on your life insurance policy — nonetheless, it can be a good time to take this important step.
Population Boomer
The nearly 80 million boomers, who have reinvented so many aspects of American life, appear poised to leave their unique mark on retirement and possibly transform the economy in the process.
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May
Define Your Own Benefits
Everyone wants to be a happy retiree someday, but there's a big problem.
Go Green, But with Care
Socially responsible investing has become a force to be reckoned with.
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April
Manage Your Tax Burden
If tax season has you searching for ways to lighten your tax load, here are two options to consider.
Conserve Your Estate
Are your estate strategies up-to-date and ready for whatever legislative changes lie ahead?
More Reasons to Convert
Thanks to tax law changes, converting traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA, or rolling over employer-sponsored retirement plans to a Roth, has become more attractive.
The Cost of Care
When preparing for life in retirement, you should consider the possibility that you may need long-term care at some point.
What Would Warren Do?
Investors who are uncertain how to react to bad news and troubling economic indicators could find themselves making matters worse with wrong moves that serve only to make them feel better. How does the world's top investor, Warren Buffett, react to market volatility?
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February
Living Comes with Guarantees
Several types of living benefit guarantees are available that can provide valuable protection for variable annuity owners.
The Trouble with Timing
The speculation that drives market timing can often cause investors to get in right before a downturn or to flee before realizing potential gains.
Retirement, Boomer Style
As the baby boomers leave the workforce for retirement, the nation is facing a shortage of workers to take their places. This demographic shift is expected to affect not only Social Security and Medicare, but the U.S. economy, as well.