Category: Financial Planning

  • When Should I …check my beneficiaries?

    Whenever you anticipate a life-changing event in your family – marriage, having a child, retirement, major illness. Ask about your beneficiaries during your annual or semi-annual investment reviews. Be aware of who’s designated as beneficiaries in each of your investment accounts – IRAs, 401(k)s, pensions, insurance and annuity contracts, bank and brokerage accounts. Be sure that…

  • Securing elder finances

    By Joel Dresang Reports call elder financial abuse “the crime of the 21st century.” Like most personal financial crimes, these can be prevented through common sense and vigilance. […]

  • When it’s time to retire

    By Joel Dresang A recent Gallup survey found retirement security to be the top financial worry among Americans – named by 64% of respondents. And yet, a lot of studies suggest Americans are unprepared to quit working. The National Institute on Retirement Security found that nearly two-thirds of workers 55 to 64 years old had…

  • Advancing age, declining capacity

    Declining financial skills may be inevitable as we age. Accordingly, we should take steps to protect our wealth from ourselves.

  • Retirement plans of a young professional

    By Jasmine Gladney This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Landaas & Company. Throughout my internship, I shadowed different investment advisors, and there was a theme of retirement. Retirement seems far away. I am 23 and just beginning my professional career. But I realize I should start planning now. The question is how?…

  • Cleaning up after identity theft

    By Joel Dresang The Amazon.com bill I got in the mail totaled $2,838 for three robotic vacuum cleaners. The problem was they weren’t mine. My identity was stolen. I didn’t order those vacuum cleaners. I don’t even have an Amazon card. Someone assuming my identity opened a card in my name. […]

  • Crash test dummies

    By Joel Dresang New research shows that individual investors vastly overestimate the probability of stock market crashes, in part because of what they see in the news. Anticipating risks is important, but letting short-term incidents muddy long-term plans can be harmful. Often, what worries us today doesn’t even matter to the future plans we disrupt.…

  • Planning retirement via Social Security

    Free estimates available from Social Security are helpful tools for planning retirement. Lisa Lewitzke explains in a MONEY TALK VIDEO. […]

  • Safe investment withdrawals for retirees

    In a MONEY TALK VIDEO, Art Rothschild discusses how much retirees can afford to spend from their investments. […]

  • How to handle a financial windfall

    Congratulations. You won the lottery or got a bonus or received an inheritance. Before you blow it all, Isabelle Wiemero advises you to put your windfall in perspective.