Free Financial Planning Resources

Financial Literacy
Aging Gracefully

Please check out our 5 Part Series on finances through the generations.

To gain knowledge on other topic matters such as Retirement, Selling a Business, Transitioning an Estate, Death of a Spouse and much more… Check out our blog and sign-up today!

We value your comments and opinions, but due to regulatory restrictions, we cannot accept comments directly onto our blog. We welcome your comments via e-mail and look forward to hearing from you.

Part One – Generation Wealth

First in a series of age-related discussions about the financial, emotional and psychological aspects of life’s major money decisions.

Key Takeaways

• You’ve told us that financial literacy is one of the most important topics we cover in our newsletter, blogs and videos.

• Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the real world and the skill sets needed to make informed decisions about all of one’s financial resources.

• April is National Financial Literacy Month and we’ll be sharing a number of educational resources with you about that important topic.

Read More

Sat, April 5, 2014
Part Two – It Starts at Home

It’s never too early to teach kids and young adults lifelong money skills.

Key Takeaways

• Consider giving kids a weekly stipend of one dollar-times-their age—but with some responsibilities attached.

• Experts say that age 12-to-14 is a good time to start a capitation program for your kids.

• Young adults should have basic budgeting and money skills before heading off to college.

Read More

Fri, April 4, 2014
Part Three – Save First, Spend Later

Before the young adult in your life gets their first paycheck, make sure they have their money priorities in order. Once they do, the benefits will keep compounding as they go through life.

Key Takeaways

• Make sure the young adult in your life is contributing at least 10 percent of their paycheck to a 401k plan.

• Even if a young person has had part-time jobs through school, they don’t really understand what it costs to live in the real world.

• Without good saving and investing habits, many young adults find themselves with mortgages, spouses and children, but no nest-egg despite earning a good salary.

Read More

Thu, April 3, 2014
Part Four – Smart Money Decisions

Understanding three key concerns and three time horizons for your peak earning years.

Key Takeaways

• Whether you’re a child; young adult; or 50-something with a spouse, home and kids, you never want to forget the power of saving first and spending second.

• In your prime earning years, the three main concerns are wealth preservation, tax mitigation and portfolio growth.

• By saving first and spending second, you can focus simultaneously on your short-, intermediate- and long-term financial goals.

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Wed, April 2, 2014
Part Five – Financial Independence

The retirement years

Key Takeaways

• In your retirement years, you have the financial independence to do anything you want, but health concerns may rise to the forefront.

• For many people, one’s health is the only thing more private and more difficult to discuss than money.

• Losing the ability to handle your own affairs is tough to face. But you need to have a plan in place with a strong support group around you.

Read More

Tue, April 1, 2014

Please check out our 3 Part Series on Aging Gracefully.

To gain knowledge on other topic matters such as Retirement, Selling a Business, Transitioning an Estate, Death of a Spouse and much more… Check out our blog and sign-up today!

We value your comments and opinions, but due to regulatory restrictions, we cannot accept comments directly onto our blog. We welcome your comments via e-mail and look forward to hearing from you.

Family Conversations About Aging Gracefully
Key Takeaways

• Respect the fact that elders want to stay in their homes and maintain their sense of independence as long as possible.

• It’s essential for every member of the family to be clear about roles and responsibilities as you make the transition to eldercare.

• Make sure your family has a plan in place before sitting down with an elderly parent or parents.
As many of you are aware, eldercare has become a huge issue over the past decade, so we’re going to devote the next several posts in this blog to that topic. Also, we’re hosting an eldercare seminar in May that you should attend if you have (or expect to have) responsibility for an elderly parent, relative or good friend.

Read More
Sat, May 3, 2014
Home Is Where the Heart Is

Key Takeaways

• Research shows that loss of independence is the single greatest fear among the elderly.

• “Staying put” enhances the elderly’s independence and is less expensive than a nursing home or retirement community—but the whole family must be part of regular monitoring and care.

• Loneliness can hasten the likelihood of serious illness, disability or even death. Staying connected to family, friends and the community is essential for longevity.

Last week, we talked about family conversations around aging gracefully. Here we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of enabling the elderly to stay at home. According to a 2010 AARP study, nearly 90 percent of people over the age of 65 said they want to stay in their homes as long as possible.

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Fri, May 2, 2014
Housing Options for Aging Gracefully

Key Takeaways

• Most elderly folks want to remain independent and stay in their homes as long as possible.

• Continuing care retirement communities are spreading rapidly as they extend an elderly person’s sense of independence within a safe, secure environment.

• Continuing care retirement communities offer a wide variety of activities, services and care levels.

• However, such facilities won’t take new residents once a person’s mental or physical state has deteriorated past a certain point—so it’s not a decision your family can delay indefinitely.

Read More

Thu, May 1, 2014