You’ve spent your career saving and preparing for retirement, and when the time comes, it can feel like you’ve crossed a sort of finish line. While retirement might mark the end of your typical work life, it’s also the start of a brand new way of living. In retirement, you’ll have to pick up new ways of spending, saving, budgeting and investing to support your new lifestyle. Here are some of the Continue Reading
Should You Save for Retirement or Pay Off Student Loans?
If you’ve got student loans outstanding, it’s a common predicament - should you pay off those loans as quickly as possible first, or save for retirement? The short answer is this: save for retirement, usually. You can't use a loan to pay for your retirement. But I’ll break that down and explain why that’s important, and when you might want to focus on paying off debt instead: Save for Continue Reading
Are your 401(k) Savings Enough?
A 401(k) is a retirement savings plan offered by your employer. Employees make contributions out of their paycheck, usually automatically. Their employer may match that contribution up to a certain percentage. It’s a 40-year-old system that most people consider the foundation of their retirement plan. But too many people assume it will cover all of their expenses, and don’t look into what Continue Reading
Systems to Help You Hit Your Money Goals
It’s a few weeks into 2018; have you let your resolutions slide? If you did, you’re not alone. Most people’s resolutions don’t make it to February. It’s not that your money goals are unattainable, though there are ways to set better resolutions right from the beginning. The overall goal should not be your focus. The habits you put in place every day will make or break your success. So if Continue Reading
6 Financial Planning Moves for your 40s
The financial planning moves that helped you build a foundation or support your family awhile ago may not be enough now that you’re in your forties. This decade might be the first time you really feel the pressure of a looming retirement, send your kids off to college, or debate downsizing your family home. Wherever you are in your forties, there are some universal money moves Continue Reading
Your Guide to Open Enrollment
September is here, which means open enrollment season is here again. This is your chance to review your benefits, increase your coverage or cut back on areas that may not be serving you. If you’ve muddled through your benefits in the past, then this is a new opportunity to understand your benefits and customize them to your needs. If not much has changed over the past year, it might be fine to Continue Reading
Life Stage Investment Tips to Grow Your Wealth
Your investments should reflect who you are and where you are in life. They should be compatible with your risk tolerance, future goals and current needs. That means they also need to be somewhat fluid, so that your finances can grow and change as your life does. Are you on track for your current life phase? Here are some common life stage investment markers and what they mean for your Continue Reading