Managing Your Financial Future

How To Create Guaranteed Income In Retirement- Season 8: Episode 12
Managing Your Financial Future

How To Create Guaranteed Income In Retirement- Season 8: Episode 12

April 12, 2022

A steady income is one of the most valuable things you can have, both before and after you retire.  If that income is guaranteed by some entity — the federal government, the PBGC, or the claims-paying ability of an insurance company — then so much the better. Pensions and Social Security are two forms of guaranteed income that people receive usually after they’ve retired.  While many (if not most) people will have a Social Security benefit paid to them, pensions are less common today than they used to be. So in absence of a company pension, how might you create a form of guaranteed income? 
Want To Retire Early? Here’s What You Need to Know- Season 8: Episode 11
Managing Your Financial Future

Want To Retire Early? Here’s What You Need to Know- Season 8: Episode 11

April 5, 2022

In the financial planning world, a lot of focus is put (rightly) on those who want to retire around age 65, give or take a few years.  But what about people who are looking to hang it all up well before that age – maybe 55, 50, or even younger? It’s more common than you might think. Doing it successfully, though, is a much bigger challenge. After all, your nest egg needs to last at least as long as you do, and at that age you’re not yet eligible for Medicare or Social Security.  So how do you make it happen? There are ways to do it. 
How To Allocate – And Withdraw – Your Assets- Season 8: Episode 10
Managing Your Financial Future

How To Allocate – And Withdraw – Your Assets- Season 8: Episode 10

March 29, 2022

There are at least three important pieces to the retirement portfolio puzzle: asset allocation, asset location, and asset withdrawal. The first two are related to the accumulation (or saving) phase, and the third has to do with the decumulation (or withdrawal) phase. Which assets should go where when saving for retirement? Tax-free, tax-deferred, or personal accounts? A combination of some or all? And when you’re taking the assets out of the portfolio, which one(s) should ideally come out first?
The Hidden Risks in Your 401k- Season 8: Episode 7
Managing Your Financial Future

The Hidden Risks in Your 401k- Season 8: Episode 7

March 8, 2022

In the world of investing, time can be one of your biggest allies.  As your time span grows shorter, though, your risks tend to go up: if you need your money sooner rather than later, your stock investments could take a downturn at just the wrong time, leaving you without the funds you need. A Target Date Fund in a 401k is designed to deal with this time-related risk.  As you get closer to retirement, and thus closer to needing your funds, the investments are supposed to become more conservative overall, less volatile, with the goal of preserving your principal. But it doesn’t always work out this way. 

Tossing the “4-Percent Rule” Out the Window- Season 8: Episode 6
Managing Your Financial Future

Tossing the “4-Percent Rule” Out the Window- Season 8: Episode 6

March 1, 2022

You may have heard of the old financial planning adage that says as long as you withdraw no more than 4 percent of your portfolio’s balance each year, it has statistically a much better chance of surviving over a 30-year timespan. Some have said the withdrawal rate should be even lower than that —  maybe no more than 2 percent. But whether the amount is 4 percent, 2 percent, or some other number, the more important  issue is this: what is your withdrawal strategy? Will you potentially have to sell stocks when they’re down in value in order to meet your spending needs?  If so, you’re asking for trouble.