Don’t Forget that Medicare Open Enrollment is Here!
From October 15 to December 7, Medicare has an open enrollment period.[1] This is the time when you can change your health plan and prescription drug coverage to adapt to your needs.[1] Every year, there are changes to Medicare health plans and networks, so make sure that you know if your coverage is changing.[1] If your coverage stays the same [...]
Reexamining the Retirement Investment Portfolio
When talking about retirement financial planning, we often take investment strategy at face value. But what does an investment strategy really consist of? An investment strategy is utilized to help your wealth not only retain its value against inflation but hopefully grow as well. When it comes to retirement, there’s another aspect of income generation that is introduced. But no [...]
Why October is a Crucial Time for Retirees
Now that the temperature is getting colder and we’re heading into October, there is something very important on the horizon for retirees: the announcement of the 2023 COLA for Social Security. COLA stands for “cost of living adjustment,” and it is essentially a yearly increase to Social Security payouts.[1] Every year, Social Security is increased by a percentage that is [...]
Inflation Affects Your Finances, Even In Small Amounts
There’s been a lot of news about inflation lately. As of July, the inflation rate was around 3.2%.[1] This means that the cost of goods and services, including but not limited to items such as groceries, housing, and gas, has gone up by 3.2% since this time last year.[2] You might think 3.2% is a pretty small number, and maybe [...]
2 Ways to Take Care of Debt in Retirement
The unfortunate reality is that many Americans are now headed into retirement with some amount of debt.[1] In 2016, almost 61% of Americans were moving into the retirement stage of their life with unpaid debt.[1] And while you may think that your expenses will decrease once you retire, that isn’t always the case.[1] Sometimes, your expenses will stay the same, [...]
The Role of Charity in Your Retirement
Everyone wants to give back in one way or another. After you’ve spent your whole life working, you may find that in retirement, you want to give some money to charity. But if you are living off of income streams from sources like your retirement accounts and Social Security, you may be worried about finding a way to make charity [...]
A Strategy Guide for When to Claim Social Security
Deciding when you claim Social Security is a key part of the puzzle for your retirement plan. You can withdraw as soon as you turn 62, but you can also delay your claim until you are 70 years old. There are pros and cons to each, so how do you know which age is right for you? Withdrawing at 62 [...]
Should I Convert My 401(k) To A Roth IRA?
Let’s say you’ve just changed jobs. What are you going to do with your 401(k)? You may be able to convert your 401(k) to a Roth IRA, but is that a good option for you? In this article, we’ll talk about what happens when you make this conversion and give you some examples of different financial situations for when this [...]
