December 9, 2019

We all know the value of a good credit score. We all try to maintain one. Sometimes, though, life throws us a financial curveball and that score declines. What steps can we take to repair it?

December 2, 2019

Financial generalizations are as old as time. Some have been around for decades, while others have only recently joined their ranks. Let’s examine some of these assumptions.

November 25, 2019

Total student loan debt in America is now around $1.6 trillion. Since 2008, it has more than doubled.

November 13, 2019

How healthy a retirement do you think you will have? If you can stay active as a senior and curb or avoid certain habits, you could potentially reduce one type of retirement expense.

November 9, 2019

During your accumulation years, you may have categorized your risk as “conservative,” “moderate,” or “aggressive,” and that guided how your portfolio was built. Maybe you concerned yourself with finding the “best-performing funds,” even though you knew past performance does not guarantee future results.

November 8, 2019

Social Security has been a pillar of retirement life for several decades, but how much do you really know about it?

July 29, 2019

Pursuing your retirement dreams is challenging enough without making some common, and very avoidable, mistakes. Here are eight mistakes to steer clear of, if possible.

July 22, 2019

The American family with a child born today can expect to spend about $233,610 to raise that child to the age of 18.

July 15, 2019

Regardless of how the markets may perform, consider making the following part of your investment philosophy.

July 8, 2019

Investment inaction is played out in many ways, often silently, invisibly, and with potential consequence to an individual’s future financial security.

June 24, 2019

In a recent study, 35% of married couples described money issues as their primary source of stress.

June 14, 2019

A new law in Pennsylvania will require school districts sponsoring certain retirement plans to use at least four service providers, which advisers say runs counter to best practices and will perpetuate an environment of higher record-keeping and investment-management fees.

June 10, 2019

What will be your future? You know that a solid retirement strategy takes your time horizon, an often unpredictable factor, into consideration.

June 3, 2019

Families are one of the great joys in life, and part of the love you show to your family is making sure that their basic needs are met.

May 28, 2019

If you weren’t around, what would happen to your investments?

May 20, 2019

For many people, retirement income may come from a variety of sources. Here’s a quick review of the six main sources.

May 15, 2019

Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA) has appointed Robert Mangano to the newly created position Director – Client Relations. Rob is responsible for client engagement and improving plan participants’ retirement outcomes through consultative plan design.

May 13, 2019

Social Security may be a critical component of your financial strategy in retirement, so before you begin taking it, you should consider three important questions.

May 6, 2019

Some of us share a common experience. You’re driving along when a police cruiser pulls up behind you with its lights flashing. You pull over, the officer gets out, and your heart drops.

May 1, 2019

Some retirees succeed at realizing the life they want; others don’t. Fate aside, it isn’t merely a matter of stock market performance or investment selection that makes the difference. There are certain dos and don’ts – some less apparent than others – that tend to encourage retirement happiness and comfort.

April 22, 2019

Your financial strategy likely considers normal financial ups and downs. That said, a big “what if” on your mind might be “what if I retire in a down time that doesn’t swing back upward in a year or two?”

April 15, 2019

Decades ago, retirement was fairly predictable: Social Security and a pension provided much of your income, you moved to the Sun Belt, played tennis or golf, and you lived to age 70 or 75.

April 8, 2019

Financially speaking, retirement might differ from your expectations. Just as few weathercasters can accurately predict a month’s worth of temperatures and storms, few retirees find their financial futures playing out as precisely as they assumed. Because of this, some common financial assumptions (and anxieties) about retirement are worth examining.

April 1, 2019

While nature offers four seasons, Wall Street offers only one – four times a year. It’s called “earnings season,” and it can move the markets. So, what is earnings season and why is it important?

March 25, 2019

You learn lessons as you invest in pursuit of long-run goals. Some of these lessons are conveyed and reinforced when you begin saving for retirement, and others you glean along the way.

March 18, 2019

Are you in a hurry to retire? Not everyone is rushing to that particular finish line.

March 11, 2019

Run the numbers. There is a rule of thumb for retirees suggesting that retirement income has a target of 70-80% of the household’s end salary, though this can certainly vary.

February 25, 2019

The financial uncertainties we face in retirement may risk reducing our sense of confidence, potentially undermining our outlook during those years.

February 18, 2019

Are Americans saving enough? Only 19% of U.S. adults describe themselves as “very confident” when asked about their savings.

February 11, 2019

What exactly is the “sequence of returns?” The phrase simply describes the yearly variation in an investment portfolio’s rate of return.

February 5, 2019

Misconceptions about Medicare coverage abound. Our national health insurance program provides seniors with some great benefits. Even so, traditional Medicare does not pay for dental care, vision care, or any real degree of long-term care. How about medicines?

January 28, 2019

America is enduring a data breach epidemic. The latest annual study of the problem from Javelin Strategy & Research, a leading financial analytics research firm, says that 16.7 million people across the nation were impacted by identity theft in 2017 – an all-time high.¹

December 31, 2018

Does your vision of retirement align with the facts? Here are some noteworthy financial and lifestyle facts about life after 50 that might surprise you.

December 26, 2018

If you were born during 1965-80, you belong to “Generation X.” Ten or 20 years ago, you may have thought of retirement as an event in the lives of your parents or grandparents. But within the next 10-15 years, you will probably be thinking about how your own retirement will unfold.

December 17, 2018

According to the global analytics firm Gallup, only about 44% of Americans have created a will. This finding may not surprise you.

December 10, 2018

The federal government offers some major tax breaks for older Americans. Some of these perks deserve more publicity than they receive.

December 3, 2018

Paying off a major debt produces a sense of relief. You can celebrate a financial milestone; you can “pay yourself first” to a greater degree and direct more money toward your dreams and your financial future rather than your creditors.

November 26, 2018

How much have you saved for retirement? Are you on pace to amass a retirement fund of $1 million by age 65? More than a few retirement counselors urge pre-retirees to strive for that goal. If you have $1 million in invested assets when you retire, you can withdraw 4% a year from your retirement funds and receive $40,000 in annual income to go along with Social Security benefits (in ballpark terms, about $30,000 per year for someone retiring from a long career).

November 19, 2018

In an ideal world, it would be simple to prepare for a solo retirement. You would just save half as much as a couple saves, buy half as much insurance coverage, and expect to live on half the income. Reality dictates otherwise.

November 12, 2018

If you are in or near retirement, it is a safe bet that you would like more yield from your investments rather than less. That truth sometimes leads liars, scammers, and fraudsters to pitch any number of too-good-to-be-true “investment opportunities” to retirees.

October 29, 2018

When financial markets have a bad day, week, or month, discomforting headlines and data can swiftly communicate a message to retirees and retirement savers alike: equity investments are risky things, and Wall Street is a risky place.

October 15, 2018

National Retirement Security Week – October 21-27, 2018 – is a time to reflect on your financial future.

October 8, 2018

Retirement is undeniably a major life and financial transition. Even so, baby boomers can run the risk of growing nonchalant about some of the financial challenges that retirement poses – for not all are immediately obvious. In looking forward to their “second acts,” boomers may overlook a few matters that a thorough retirement strategy needs to address.

October 1, 2018

Being a parent means being responsible to a degree you never have been before. That elevated responsibility also impacts your financial decisions. You are now a provider and a protector, and that reality may make the following financial moves necessary.

September 17, 2018

There are a number of well-known retirement savings vehicles, used by millions. Are there other, relatively obscure retirement savings accounts worthy of attention? Are there prospective benefits for retirement savers that remain under the radar?

August 21, 2018

You may know victims of financial elder abuse. According to a new Wells Fargo Elder Needs Survey, almost half of Americans do.¹

August 13, 2018

If you are under 30, you have likely heard that now is the ideal time to save and invest. You know that the power of compound interest is on your side; you recognize the potential advantages of an early start.

August 6, 2018

Have you been saving for retirement for a decade or more? In the foreseeable future, something terrific is likely to happen with your IRA or your workplace retirement plan account. At some point, its yearly earnings should begin to exceed your yearly contributions.

July 30, 2018

RPA President Joshua F. Schwartz and Vice President – Group Retirement Plans Kenneth Mergen recently participated as delegates to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) Annual DC Fly-In Forum, an exclusive gathering of the nation’s leading retirement plan advisors.

July 30, 2018

Common wisdom says that you should start saving for retirement as soon as you can. Why do some people wait decades to begin?

July 23, 2018

The median retirement age for an American woman is 62. The Federal Reserve says so in its most recent Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (2017). The age when seniors first become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits is 62.

June 26, 2018

Institutional Investor has appointed Joshua F. Schwartz, President of Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA), as Chairperson of their inaugural Retirement Plan Advisor Summit. The event, attended by C-Suite executives from the most innovative and important retirement plan advisory firms, will take place July 17 and 18 at the Park Hyatt Chicago.

June 18, 2018

How can you cover your child’s future college costs? Saving early (and often) may be the key for most families. Here are some college savings vehicles to consider.

May 30, 2018

“Lifestyle creep” is an unusual phrase describing an all-too-common problem: the more money people earn, the more money they tend to spend.

May 23, 2018

Goals give you focus. To find and establish your investing and saving goals, first ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Do you want to build an emergency fund? Build college savings for your child? Have a large retirement fund by age 60? Once you have a defined motivation, a monetary goal can arise.

May 14, 2018

Many households think they are planning carefully for retirement. In many cases, they are not. Weak spots in their retirement planning and saving may go unnoticed.

April 23, 2018

 What is the retirement outlook for the average fifty-something working woman? As a generalization, less sunny than that of a man in her age group.

April 16, 2018

New retirees sometimes worry that they are spending too much, too soon. Should they scale back? Are they at risk of outliving their money?

April 2, 2018

It’s easy to say, “Retirement is so far away. I’ll start saving or saving more next year.”

March 19, 2018

Do you fear you are saving for retirement too late? Plan to address that anxiety with some positive financial moves. If you have little saved for retirement at age 50 or thereabouts, there is still much you can do to generate a fund for your future and to sustain your retirement prospects.

March 12, 2018

Many people save and invest vaguely for the future. They know they need to accumulate money for retirement, but when it comes to how much they will need or how they will do it they are not quite sure.

February 26, 2018

Are you in your fifties and unsure if you have enough retirement savings? Then you have two basic financial choices…

February 21, 2018

What kind of retirement do you think you’ll have? Qualitatively speaking, what if the success or failure of your retirement begins with your perception of retirement?

February 12, 2018

In the last few weeks, we have seen a significant increase in stock market volatility, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average frequently rising and falling hundreds of points in a single trading day. This can feel unsettling.

February 5, 2018

Steady income or a lump sum? Last year, financial services firm TIAA asked working Americans: if you could choose between a lump sum of $500,000 or a monthly income of $2,700 at retirement, which choice would you make?

January 29, 2018

Retirement planning is not entirely financial. Your degree of happiness in your “second act” may depend on some factors you cannot quantify. Here are a few of those factors, as well as the questions they may arise.

January 22, 2018

By choice or by chance, some people wrap up their careers before turning 60. If you sense this will prove true for you, what could you do to potentially make your retirement transition easier? As a start, you may need to withdraw your retirement funds strategically.

January 20, 2018

What kind of role can a financial professional play for an investor? The answer: a very important one. While the value of such a relationship is hard to quantify, the intangible benefits may be significant and long lasting.

January 8, 2018

You have a chance to manage your money better than previous generations have. Some crucial financial steps may help you do just that.

January 1, 2018

At a certain age, you are allowed to boost your yearly retirement account contributions. For example, you can direct an extra $1,000 per year into a Roth or traditional IRA starting in the year you turn age 50.

December 18, 2017

What financial, business, or life priorities do you need to address for 2018? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving, or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives, from building your retirement fund to lowering your taxes. You have plenty of options. This article shares some that might prove convenient.

December 11, 2017

What has changed for you in 2017? Did you start a new job or leave a job behind? Did you retire? Did you start a family?

November 20, 2017

Some of us may retire at 65 and live to 100 or 105. Advances in health care could make this a strong possibility. The corresponding question is: will we outlive our money?

November 13, 2017

Retirement accounts are not bank accounts. Nor should they be treated as such.

October 30, 2017

The key points of retirement planning are easily stated. Start saving and investing early in life. Save and invest consistently. Avoid drawing down your savings along the way. Another possible point for that list: pay off as much debt as you can before your ‘second act’ begins.

October 23, 2017

How could you retire in your fifties by choice? You will need abundant retirement savings and ways to access your retirement assets which lessen or avoid early withdrawal penalties. You may also need to have other, sometimes overlooked, components of retirement planning in place.

October 9, 2017

National Retirement Security Week, October 15-21, 2017, is a time to reflect on your financial future.

September 25, 2017

As you start a family, you start to think about certain financial matters. Before you became a mom or dad, you may not have thought about them frequently, but so much changes when you have kids.

August 28, 2017

Are you on track to save $1 million or more for retirement? If you are 50 or younger, you may need that much in savings to generate the kind of retirement income you prefer.

August 21, 2017

Whether you want to leave work at 62, 67, or 70, claiming the retirement benefits you are entitled to by federal law is no casual decision. You will want to consider a few key factors first.

August 14, 2017

A successful retirement is not measured merely in financial terms. Even those who retire with small fortunes can face boredom or depression and the fear of drawing down their savings too quickly. How can new retirees try to calm these worries?

August 8, 2017

Directly and indirectly, you might be able to save more per month than you think. Hidden paths to greater savings can be found at home and at work, and their potential might surprise you.

August 1, 2017

RPA sat down with Mike, a recently retired police officer. In this video, Mike shares his retirement story: the savings challenges and successes encountered throughout his career, and his advice for others.

July 25, 2017

How long do you think you will work? Are you a baby boomer or Gen Xer who believes you can work past age 65?

July 17, 2017

Financially, Generation Y often is criticized for being risk averse and unaware.

July 10, 2017

When you see online ads or TV commercials about retirement planning, do they ever show baby boomer couples arguing? No. After all, retirement planning is about the pursuit of a happy outcome – a fun and emotionally rewarding “second act” that spouses and partners can share.

June 19, 2017

Some young adults manage to acquire a fair amount of financial literacy.

June 13, 2017

When emotions and money intersect, the effects can be financially injurious. Emotions can cause us to overreact, or not act at all when we should.

June 5, 2017

We spend much of our adult lives working, borrowing, and buying. A good credit score is our ally along the way. It retains its importance when we retire.

May 22, 2017

You can probably envision how most of your retirement money will be spent. Much of it will be used on living expenses, health care expenses, and, perhaps, debt reduction.

May 15, 2017

Saving for retirement may seem a thankless task. But you may be thanking yourself later.

May 8, 2017

If only money came with instructions. If it did, the route toward wealth would be clear and direct. Unfortunately, many people have inadequate financial knowledge, and for them the path is more obscure.

May 1, 2017

How many of us will retire with $1 million or more in savings? More of us ought to – in fact, more of us may need to, given inflation and the rising cost of health care.

April 24, 2017

About 70% of taxpayers receive sizable refunds from the Internal Revenue Service. Just how sizable? The average refund totals about $2,800.

April 17, 2017

Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away.

April 10, 2017

Saving for retirement takes decades and demands the investment of significant amounts of your income. As this major effort unfolds, you should recognize that some subtle factors and seemingly minor decisions could end up making a sizable and positive impact on your financial future.

April 3, 2017

Women 35 and younger are often hard-pressed to save money. Student loans may be outstanding; young children may need to be clothed, fed and cared for; and rent or home loan payments may need to be made. With all of these very real concerns, are they saving for retirement?

March 27, 2017

We all would love to have a little extra cash on hand for emergencies. Saving up that cash can be a challenge – but with a little effort, that challenge can be met.

March 20, 2017

Our relationship with money is complex and emotional. When we pay a bill, go to the mall, trade in a car for a new one, hunt for a home or apartment, or see others’ apparent wealth or lack thereof, we feel things and harbor certain perceptions.

March 13, 2017

How would you guess Gen X is faring when it comes to retirement saving?

March 6, 2017

When you marry or simply share a household with someone, your financial life changes; your approach to managing your money may change as well. To succeed as a couple, you may also have to succeed financially.

February 7, 2017

Do you have a federal student loan that needs to be repaid? You may be surprised at what the government might do to collect that money someday, if it is not paid back soon enough.

February 6, 2017

You may have heard that people spend less once they are retired. Statistically, that is true. The question is whether a retiree has enough income to meet his or her expenses.

January 30, 2017

Just how many millionaires does America have? By the latest estimation of Spectrem Group, a research firm studying affluent and high-net-worth investors, it has more than ever before.

January 23, 2017

In 2017, you have another chance to max out your retirement accounts. Here is a rundown of yearly contribution limits for popular retirement savings vehicles.

January 17, 2017

How does a single parent plan for retirement? Diligently. Regularly. Rigorously. Here are some steps that may help, whether you are just beginning or well on your way.

January 14, 2017

It is agreed that the earlier you start saving for retirement, the better. The big question on the minds of many savers, however, is: “How am I doing?” This article will show you some estimated milestones to try and reach. (Keep in mind that you may need to save more or less than these amounts based on your objectives as well as lifestyle and income needs.

January 10, 2017

In life, there are times when simple decisions can have a profound impact. The same holds true when it comes to personal finance. Here are some simple choices you could make that may leave you better off financially – in the near term, the long term, or both.

January 3, 2017

Picture the women of the world growing wealthier.

It’s happening right now.

December 27, 2016

Does your spouse contribute to a 401(k)? You may be eligible for a retirement plan that can help you save and invest for retirement in the same way – a 403(b).

December 14, 2016

What financial, business, or life priorities do you need to address for 2017? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving, or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives. Some year-end financial moves may help you pursue those goals as well.

November 22, 2016

Are you worried about retiring? Many baby boomers are, and they have reason to be, given low interest rates, subpar returns on equities, increasing health care costs, and the issues facing Social Security.

November 15, 2016

Will you live to age 100? Your odds of becoming a centenarian may be improving. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control reported that the population of Americans aged 100 or older rose 44% between 2000-2014.

November 1, 2016

Some myths and misperceptions keep circulating about Social Security. These are worth dispelling, as more baby boomers are becoming eligible for their retirement benefits.

October 10, 2016

Your retirement may seem near at hand or distant, but one thing is certain: Your future will differ from your present.

October 4, 2016

October 16-22 marks National Retirement Security Week (NRSW) 2016.

October 4, 2016

Will you receive tax-free money in retirement? Some retirees do. You should know about your options for tax-free retirement distributions, some of which are less publicized than others.

September 26, 2016

$6,876. That is the average amount of credit card debt owed by an American household headed up by an individual aged 65-69.

August 3, 2016

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a respected non-profit think tank, says we are forfeiting $1.7 trillion in potential retirement savings. Why? Because of our biases.

July 12, 2016

You know you should start saving for retirement. What can you start doing today to make that effort more productive? To improve your chances of ending up with more retirement money, rather than less?

July 6, 2016

A new study has raised eyebrows about the retirement prospects of women.

June 28, 2016

The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union rattled equities markets and currency markets Friday. What should an investor do in its wake? Perhaps nothing at all.

June 8, 2016

Retirees want their money to last a lifetime. While there is no guarantee it will, in pursuit of that goal, households may consider adopting a couple of spending and investing principles.

May 29, 2016

Most people begin insuring themselves when they marry or start a family. They buy coverage in response to two potential calamities: disability during their working years, and death.

May 24, 2016

If you are younger than 35, saving for retirement may not feel like a priority. After all, retirement could be 30 years away. If your employer does not sponsor a retirement plan, there may be less incentive for you to start.

May 16, 2016

Will your heirs receive their fair share of your wealth? When you are no longer here to oversee your assets, will they be distributed to your intended beneficiaries?

May 3, 2016

You want to retire, and you own a large home that is nearly or fully paid off. The kids are gone, but the upkeep costs haven’t fallen. Should you retire and keep your home? Or sell your home and retire? Maybe it’s time to downsize.

April 26, 2016

Your significant other may retire later than you do. Sometimes that reality reflects an age difference; other times one person wants to keep working for income or health coverage reasons. If you retire years before your spouse or partner does, you may want to consider how your lifestyle and household finances might change.

April 20, 2016

Saving for retirement is a must. Saving for college is certainly a priority. How do you do both at once?

April 1, 2016

Typically the IRS, unless an exception applies, imposes a 10% early distribution tax on retirement plans.

March 8, 2016

“What is your greatest retirement fear?” If you ask retirees that question, “outliving my money” may likely be one of the top answers.

January 7, 2016

How will your money habits change in 2016? What decisions or behaviors might help your personal finances, your retirement prospects, or your net worth?

November 30, 2015

Gen X is the first generation that has had to save for retirement without traditional pension plans. In addition, most Gen Xers will probably retire after 2033 – the year in which Social Security predicts its trust funds will run dry, barring federal government intervention.

November 5, 2015

What if you are laid off or forced into retirement before 65, or even before 60? If that happens to you, what do you when the next phase of your life is starting sooner than you planned?

October 21, 2015

If you ever have the inkling to manage your investments on your own, you may want to reconsider. Do-it-yourself investment management is generally a bad idea for a myriad of investors for myriad reasons.

October 15, 2015

We all have a “blue sky” vision of the way retirement should be, yet it helps to plan for retirement with a little pragmatism.

October 14, 2015

How does retirement planning differ for single people?

September 21, 2015

RPA Vice President Kenneth Mergen, Investment Advisor Representative, John McWatters, and MassMutual Retirement Education Specialist, Jane Burns, enjoy the shade of the RPA booth at The City of Trenton Employee Appreciation Day on July 24, 2015

August 5, 2015

Between the ages of 40 and 60, many people increase their commitment to investing and retirement saving. At the same time, many fall prey to some common money blunders and harbor financial assumptions that may be inaccurate.

July 10, 2015

If life has not allowed you to build substantial retirement savings, what can you do to improve your retirement prospects?

June 17, 2015

Sixteen employees took to the streets of Montpelier for the 32nd Annual Vermont Corporate Cup Challenge and State Agency Race.

June 2, 2015

As the Great Recession faded, American household debt gradually decreased. In fact, it declined by $1 trillion between mid-2008 and mid-2014, according to the Federal Reserve.

May 25, 2015

Motivational speaker Denis Waitley once remarked, “You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions.” That statement certainly applies to retirement planning. Your effort must not waver, yet you must also examine it from time to time.¹

May 15, 2015

You can prepare for your retirement transition years before it occurs. In doing so, you can do your best to avoid the kind of financial surprises that tend to upset an unsuspecting new retiree.

April 8, 2015

Why do some households save more than others?

March 11, 2015

Is it okay to retire today? Many baby boomers shelved notions of retiring during the past few years. Layoffs, the decline in home values, the crushing bear market of 2007-09 – those memories were just too fresh, and their economic effects were still being felt by many households.

October 22, 2014

Saginaw Firefighter honored at annual event.

April 28, 2014

Beloit police officers Jeff Loveland and Todd Dever will be honored with the Life Saving Award on April 28th at The Beloit Police and Fire Commission meeting. Officers Loveland and Dever are receiving the awards for heroic incidents in 2013.

June 30, 2013

The Saver’s Tax Credit.