Financial Planning: Helping You See the Big Picture Do you picture yourself owning a new home, starting a business, or retiring comfortably? These are a few of the financial goals that may be important to you, and each comes with a price tag attached. That’s where financial planning comes in. Financial planning is a process that can help you target your goals by evaluating your whole financial picture, then outlining strategies that are tailored to your individual needs and available resources. Why is financial planning important? A comprehensive financial plan serves as a framework for organizing the pieces of your financial picture. With a financial plan in place, you’ll be better able to focus on your goals and understand what it will take to reach them. One of the main benefits of having a financial plan is that it can help you balance competing financial priorities. A financial plan will...
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Medicaid Liens and Estate Recoveries
What are Medicaid liens and estate recoveries? Federal law encourages states to seek reimbursement from Medicaid recipients for Medicaid payments made on their behalf. There are two types of cost-recovery actions against the assets of Medicaid recipients: (1) real or personal property liens, and (2) recovery from decedent’s estate. A Medicaid lien is a form of attachment against your property that signifies that someone else has certain rights or interests in your property. A lien makes it impossible for you to sell or refinance your property without the state’s knowledge and opportunity to collect. While federal law allows a lien to be placed on your home at the time you become a permanent resident of a nursing home, not all states have adopted such provisions. Along with the use of lifetime liens, your state may be able to seek reimbursement from your estate after you die. For Medicaid purposes, the...
Continue readingA Retirement Income Roadmap for Women
More women are working and taking charge of their own retirement planning than ever before. What does retirement mean to you? Do you dream of traveling? Pursuing a hobby? Volunteering your time, or starting a new career or business? Simply enjoying more time with your grandchildren? Whatever your goal, you’ll need a retirement income plan that’s designed to support the retirement lifestyle that you envision, and minimize the risk that you’ll outlive your savings. When will you retire? Establishing a target age is important, because when you retire will significantly affect how much you need to save. For example, if you retire early at age 55 as opposed to waiting until age 67, you’ll shorten the time you have to accumulate funds by 12 years, and you’ll increase the number of years that you’ll be living off of your retirement savings. Also consider: The longer you delay retirement, the...
Continue readingCollege: Is it Worth the Price of Admission?
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Continue readingDesigning a Benefit Package for Your Small Business
When your primary goals are managing costs and increasing revenue, how do you sufficiently entice new recruits and reward current staff members for continually putting their best efforts forward?...
Continue readingMyths and Facts about Social Security
Myth: Social Security will provide most of the income you need in. Fact: It’s likely that Social Security will provide a smaller portion of retirement income than you expect. There’s no doubt about it–Social Security is an important source of retirement income for most Americans According to the Social Security Administration, more than nine out of ten individuals age 65 and older receive Social Security benefits. But it may be unwise to rely too heavily on Social Security, because to keep the system solvent, some changes will have to be made to it. The younger and wealthier you are, the more likely these changes will affect you. But whether retirement is years away or just around the corner, keep in mind that Social Security was never meant to be the sole source of income for retirees. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The system is not intended as a substitute for...
Continue readingRetirement Advisor Council Plan Sponsors Series Conclusion
Plan sponsors who retain the services of a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor entirely dedicated to the business reap tremendous benefits from the partnership. Most salient is the enhanced participant retirement and readiness that stems from repeated measurements, participate reporting, plan design changes, participant guidance, and advice. Specialized Advisors apply a wealth of insight and experience to create an environment conductive to participation and contribution levels that lead to retirement success. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Plan Study Sponsors: Fidelity Investments Franklin Templeton Investments MFS Funds Mass Mutual Financial Group Principal Financial Group John Hancock Investments TransAmerica Retirement Solutions Source : Retirement Advisor Council ...
Continue readingUsing A Specialist Advisor Benefits Plan Sponsors in Many Ways
Enhanced participant retirement readiness is only one of many benefits plan sponsors gain from hiring a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor. Over 95% of plan sponsors who partner with an Advisor entirely dedicated to the retirement plans business report that partnering with a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor is either “very beneficial” or “a necessity.” Advisors who work exclusively with retirement plans surpass their counterparts in the percent of clients receiving core services* such as: Assisting with the implementation of the fiduciary process Reviewing investment options periodically Making plan design recommendations Meeting participants in groups to provide retirement plan education Supporting with service provider due diligence The majority of plan sponsors who retain a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor also rely on their Advisor to provide services such as: Meeting with employees one-on-one to provide retirement plan guidance Examining plan compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and stated polices...
Continue readingProfessional Advisors Help Boost Contribution Levels
Retirement Plan Sponsor Series: Professional Advisors Help Boost Contribution Levels Retirement Outcomes plans sponsors enjoy are attributable in part to plan design changes to their Professional Advisor recommends. Design changes draw more employees into the plan and help convince them to raise contributions closer to levels needed to achieve retirement success.* Plans that work with a specialist Advisor are more successful at increasing deferrals. Among plans that partner with a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor who works exclusively with retirement plans, 83% have experienced deferral rate increases in the last two years-and one-third of those have enjoyed a deferral rate increase of 6% or more. *Retirement Advisor Council – Enhancing Retirement Readiness: Consensus on a Course of Action recommends consistent contribution levels in the rage of 10% to 16% of pay over a 30-year or 40-year career. These compelling numbers testify to the participant outcome enhancements Professional Retirement...
Continue readingRetirement Advisor Council: The Retirement Plan Sponsor
Retirement Plan Sponsor Series: Partner with a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor and Achieve Higher Participant Retirement Readiness Scores A fundamental research study of 400 employers that sponsor a 401(k) or 403(b) plan found that sponsors who partner with a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor enjoy superior outcomes in many areas. In particular, partnering with a Professional Retirement Plan Advisor entirely dedicated to retirement plans helps plan sponsors enhance the retirement readiness of employees. Professional Advisors Enhance Participant Retirement Outcomes Enhancing the retirement preparedness of plan participants is a primary objective of many plan sponsors. Increasingly, sponsors look to their Advisor and service provider to keep participants apprised of personal progress toward achieving retirement readiness. The study provides evidence partnering with an Advisor entirely dedicated to retirement plans may confer plan sponsors an edge: The vast majority of participants in plans that partner with such an Advisor receive an indicator of their personal retirement readiness. Going one step further, most sponsors partnering with an Advisor entirely...
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