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Retirement Income Calculator Common Mistakes

As a Sacramento Financial Advisor I get to play with a lot of Retirement Income Calculators. There are three mistakes commonly made when using these calculators. Some times the mistakes are made because the calculator does not have enough of an in-depth data input. By far the biggest mistakes made,however, are when the client does not fully grasp what a retirement income calculation entails.

There are three major mistakes commonly made in retirement income calculations. These three mistakes are 1) not estimating the impact taxes have on future income, 2) not taking into account home maintenance costs and 3) not deducting from Social Security income the cost of MedicareParts B and D coverage and the costs of Medigap coverage. (more…)

Retirement Income Planning: Doing It Yourself is Doing Yourself In

Think back about how you handled your finances during your working life.

You had a regular paycheck.

Your health care coverage probably came from your employer or, if self employed, paid from your company.

You had a fairly consistent set of monthly bills (more…)

IRA Options

I am a Fee Only Sacramento Financial Advisor.  I have 38 years experience in this business. Today I want to touch on some IRA options you have.

Option #1: You can continue to withdraw your required minimum deposit every year until you pass away. Then, if you have named beneficiary(s) of your IRA they will inherit your IRA and continue to take out required minimum distributions based on their age until the account is emptied. This is usually called a “stretch IRA” and it is a perfectly fine way to go. (more…)

Bank Fees Chump Change Compared to Mutual Fund Fees

Ripoff! Scam! Greed! Cried the public as BofA announced its intent to charge a $5 monthly fee for debit cards. Waves of protest swept the land over a $60 annual fee. Really? Actively managed mutual funds charge their shareholders annual fees that can run into the thousands, tens of thousands of dollars, and they do not disclose either the amount or the timing of the charges on their client statements! The bank fee of $5 per month is chump change compared to the mutual fund fees many companies charge. (more…)

The Tortoise Versus the Hare: Volatility Risk

When making investment comparisons, most investors look first at the average annual 1, 3, 5 and 10 year returns in deciding where to put their money. While this makes sense, most investors do not take the annual return comparison to the next level and see how the annual average returns were achieved. This next level is looking at the volatility of the investment, how much it went up and down over the return period which created the average annual return numbers. The volatility of the return sequence can make a large difference in the total return. (more…)

Occupy Wall Street: Hit Them Where It Really Hurts

When an infant wants something or does not like what is going on, it cries because it cannot articulate its wants or desires. The Occupy Wall Street movement is much like an infant. The occupiers want something and do not like what is going on, but they are unable to articulate exactly what it is they would like to see changed, so theirs is an inarticulate cry of protest, a wailing for something they know not what. (more…)

Annuities Pros and Cons Part 3

Many of the Associates of G.M. Kenney & Associates are large annuity wholesalers who, together, keep up to date on the hundreds of new annuity products designed by the insurance company manufacturers every year. I am in constant contact with these annuity wholesalers discussing the latest annuity formulas and annuity services and the latest wrinkles in annuity product design. Of course, the purpose of my constant surveillance of the annuity market is to find products that work in my client’s Retirement Money Machines. (more…)

Annuities Pros and Cons: Part 2

In my last post I introduced you to some very basic annuity concepts and cautioned you to be wary about who you do business with, as part of my ongoing annuity service.   In this post I will focus on fixed deferred annuities.

What is a Fixed Deferred Annuity?

A fixed deferred annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company. You give them a chunk of money and they give you a contract which spells out what they will do with it and for you. (more…)

Annuities Pros and Cons

With the scary gyrations of the stock market,  annuities are receiving increased attention as safe places to put retirement savings.  The good news is that annuities can be an integral part of a well designed Retirement Money Machine. The bad news is that there can be devils in the details of annuities. I have been dealing with annuities throughout my 38 years as a Sacramento financial advisor providing annuity services. In this series of  retirement blog articles I will share with you what you need to know  to stand a chance of getting the right annuity for your circumstances. (more…)

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF YOUR RETIREMENT MONEY MACHINE

To fund your long term retirement you are tasked with several decades of generating an annual income sufficient for a decent retirement. What a “decent retirement” consists of is a matter of personal choice. Whatever your version of a decent retirement may be, you must have long term investment success to not outlive your money. (more…)