Before you make any extra mortgage payments, consider some factors. Should you pay off your home and own it free and clear before you retire? At first glance, the answer would seem to be “absolutely, if at all possible.” Retiring with less debt … isn’t that a good thing? Why not make a few extra [...]

While the idea of retirement has changed, certain financial assumptions haven’t. We’ve all heard about the “new retirement”, the mix of work and play that many of us assume we will have in our lives one day. We do not expect “retirement” to be all leisure. While this is becoming a cultural assumption among baby [...]

A little “delayed gratification” may help you retire more comfortably. Baby boomers are known for wanting more out of life – and for living life on their own terms. They also get a bad rap as a generation weaned on instant gratification – wanting it all now, wanting to have it both ways. It is [...]

Coming your way: some of the most significant changes in 30 years. The Department of Labor has promised to update the retirement plan landscape. Three major rule changes are scheduled for the near future. All retirement plan fiduciaries and administrators should be aware of them. #1: “Covered service providers” must fully describe their services & [...]

Two-thirds of us have no financial plan. 64% of Americans have no financial strategy at all. That’s right – no plan whatsoever to build wealth or keep it. That finding comes from the 2009 National Consumer Survey on Personal Finance conducted by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (The survey collected data from [...]