You likely see women taking the reins more and more today. In fact, ninety five percent of women will be financial decision-making in their household at some point in their lives. Of course, this is often the case if she has always been single or the breadwinner in a couple. In other cases, such as the death of spouse or divorce, she often finds herself thrust in this role unexpectedly. However, unfortunately, women often report feeling unprepared for the primary financial decision-making role for some common, frequently cited reasons. Will she have enough and be ready when the time comes? What does she [...]

After hearing about Social Security solvency concerns for years, Strategic Social Security Planning is top of mind as it gets closer to your time to claim. You want your fair share of Social Security benefits without leaving money on the table. With Social Security making up about 40% of the average person's retirement income, it is often the first place people begin retirement income planning. Strategic Social Security Planning can be more complicated than you may realize. This can be especially true when coordinating different types of benefits (retirement, spousal, and survivor) to maximize your cumulative lifetime income. Decisions you make now can [...]

Whether you are in accumulation mode trying to build up your nest egg or decumulation mode trying to sustain it, a spending plan can be an invaluable tool. So many people report not knowing where there money goes at the end of a given year. Whether it is through leakage, impulse spending or prioritizing the wrong goals, there are many ways we can allow our most important goals to be at risk. After This Session, You Will Know How To: Understand why people put effort and time into keeping up with spending plans Identify and better understand alternative ways of budgeting Select the [...]