Author: Shawn D. Wall

Do you worry about running out of money during your retirement years? If so, how can you help prevent this from happening?
In the first place, if you have this type of fear, you’re far from alone. Consider this:

58% of retirement savers from all age . . . 

The movement of the financial markets can seem mysterious — and yet, if we look back over long periods, we can see definite patterns that consistently repeat themselves. As an investor, how should you respond to these market cycles?

To begin with, . . . 

You can’t predict financial emergencies — but you can prepare for them.

To do that, you can build an emergency fund to pay for unexpected expenses, some of which may be sizable. Without one, you might be forced to dip into your investments, possibly . . . 

If you’ve retired, you may have thought you closed the book on one chapter of your life. But what happens if you need to “reverse” your retirement?

Due to higher inflation and rising interest rates, many retirees are taking out more money from . . . 

By the time you reach retirement age, you may have accumulated a 401(k), IRA and other investment accounts, along with insurance policies and physical properties. You’ll use some of these assets to support your retirement, but the rest may end up . . . 

Younger workers starting their careers face important financial decisions, focusing on three key areas: paying off student loans, saving for short-term goals like weddings or home purchases, and saving for retirement through employer-sponsored plans like 401(k). Prioritizing these goals with appropriate strategies is essential, leveraging the advantage of time to build financial stability.

You might not have thought much about beneficiary designations — but they can play a big role in your estate planning.

When you purchase insurance policies and open investment accounts, such as your IRA, you’ll be asked to name a beneficiary, and, . . . 

You’ve probably heard stories about fortunate investors who “get in the ground floor” of a new, hot company and quickly make a fortune. But while these things may happen, they are exceedingly rare and often depend on hard-to-duplicate circumstances . . . 

Spring is almost here, which means it’s time for some spring cleaning. This year, in addition to tidying your home and surroundings, you might want to consider sprucing up your financial environment, as well.

Here are some suggestions for doing just . . . 

“Save for a rainy day” is an old piece of advice — and a good one. But is it possible to save too much?

To begin with, what defines a “rainy day” in terms of financial needs? It could be any number of things: a temporary loss of employment, . . . 

As we begin the new year, you may be receiving various tax statements from your financial services provider — so it’s a good time to consider how your investments are taxed. This type of knowledge is useful when you’re doing your taxes, and, . . . 

Now that we’ve reached 2024, you might be thinking about your goals and hopes for the new year. But in addition to whatever personal resolutions you might make — volunteering, going to the gym more, learning a new language, and others — why . . . 

Who knows where the time goes? We’ve reached the end of another year, so it’s appropriate to reflect on the nature of time and how it affects us. And time certainly is a key element in the pursuit of your financial goals.

As an investor, time can . . . 

Once again, it’s the season of generosity. In addition to considering gifts for your loved ones, you might want to think about charitable gifts as well. But what should you know before making gifts to charities? And what impact might these gifts . . . 

It’s been a bumpy year for the financial markets — which means that some of your investments may have underperformed or lost value. Can you use these losses to your advantage?

It’s possible. If you have some investments that have lost value, you . . . 

You may spend decades contributing to various retirement accounts. But for some accounts, such as a traditional IRA and 401(k), you must start withdrawing funds at a certain point. What should you know about this requirement?

To begin with, the rules . . . 

If you have a loved one showing signs of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, you’ll obviously experience some strong emotions, and you’ll likely ask yourself this question: What can I do to help? While there are certainly many ways you could . . . 

It’s probably not on your calendar, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And that means it’s a good time to become more aware of the benefits of having life insurance, and the dangers of not having it.

Unfortunately, confusion about . . . 

You’ll find some big differences between traditional and speculative investments — and knowing these differences can matter a great deal when you’re trying to reach your financial goals.

To begin with, let’s look at the basic types of traditional . . . 

After spending decades in the workforce, you might look forward to the day you retire. But if you decide, for one reason or another, that you’d like to redefine “retirement” to include part-time work or consulting, you could enjoy exercising . . . 

When you’re retired, you’ll likely have some financial concerns — just like all retirees. However, if you’ve invested regularly and followed a long-term financial strategy, you should be able to address most issues that come your way. But there’s . . . 

Mutual funds offer investors a chance to own shares in dozens of companies, as well as bonds, government securities and other investments. But you might be able to broaden your portfolio further by owning another type of fund — an exchange-traded . . . 

If you save and invest for decades, you’d like to know you can retire without financial worries. Nonetheless, you still have to be aware of some threats to a comfortable retirement — and how to respond to them.

These threats include:

• Inflation – Inflation has been high recently, but even a mild inflation rate can seriously erode your purchasing power. In fact, with just a 3% inflation rate, your expenses could double in about 25 years — and your retirement could easily last that long. So, if you’re going to rely on your investment portfolio for a sizable part of your retirement income, you will need to own a reasonable number of growth-oriented investments, such as stocks or stock-based funds, whose potential returns can equal or exceed the inflation rate.
• Excessive withdrawals – Once you retire, you should establish a withdrawal rate for your portfolio — an amount you can take out each year and still feel secure that you won’t run out of money. Some people make the mistake of withdrawing too much, too soon, once they’re retired. Your withdrawal rate should be based on several factors, including your age at retirement, the size of your portfolio and the amount of income you receive from other sources, such as Social Security. A financial professional can help you determine a withdrawal rate that’s appropriate for your needs.
• Market volatility – The financial markets will always fluctuate. When you’re still working, this volatility may not be such a problem, as you have years or decades to recover from short-term downturns. But when you retire, you don’t want to have to sell investments when their price is down. To help prevent this, you can tap into the cash in your portfolio, assuming you have enough to cover several months’ worth of living expenses. You could also draw on a CD “ladder” — a group of CDs that mature at different times — to provide you with resources for the next few years and allow your equity investments time to recover their value.
• Unexpected costs – You had them when you were working, and you’ll probably have them when you’re retired: the furnace that breaks down, the car that needs a major repair, and so on. But if you’ve established an emergency fund containing a year’s worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid account, you may be able to “ride out” these costs without jeopardizing your investment portfolio. Be sure to keep these reserves separate from your typical day-to-day accounts to avoid the temptation of spending your emergency money.
• Health – Retirees may face more health concerns than younger people, and those concerns often come with larger medical bills. That’s why it’s important to maximize the benefits from Medicare or your Medicare Advantage plan. Also, if you contributed to a Health Savings Account (HSA) while you were working, and you haven’t depleted it, you can use the money in retirement. As long as the HSA funds are used for qualified medical expenses, withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free, and won’t be included in your income. This could help keep your income below certain levels, lower your Medicare premiums or avoid the 3.8% surtax on net investment income that can be assessed on high-net-worth taxpayers.

Retirement can . . . 

If you have a family member with special needs, you might face emotional and physical issues, but you also may be concerned about maximizing the financial support your loved one requires. Consequently, you may want to consider establishing a special . . . 

Like everyone, you may have a lot of financial goals. But are they all of equal importance? Probably not. And do they share a similar timeline? Again, it’s unlikely. So, your first step may be to prioritize your goals — and then follow a process . . . 

Your own decisions and actions typically determine your financial strategies. But outside events can affect your choices, too. And that may be the case with the recent passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act.

This piece of legislation covers many areas. But here . . . 

During your working years, you generally know how much money you’re bringing in, so you can budget accordingly. But once you’re retired, it’s a different story. However, with some diligence, you can put together a “paycheck” that can help . . . 

It’s that time of year when we do our taxes — but it’s also the same time that tax scammers go to work. What scams should you watch for — and how can you avoid being victimized?

Sadly, the list of scams is pretty long, including demands for . . . 

Have you recently retired but are now thinking of going back to work? If so, you aren’t alone, as many people are choosing to “unretire.” But if you do reenter the workforce in some capacity, what opportunities might be available to you? And . . . 

As you know, inflation was big news throughout 2022. But will it continue in 2023? And looking even further ahead, how should you account for inflation in your long-term plans?

In regard to the first question, many experts predict that inflation will . . .