Sunday, October 10, 2010

Complete financial coverage for seniors


A good enterprise job used to be the key to a comfortable retirement. But as many people learned how hard that is true.

Organizations need not available to get rid of an employee who could be close to retirement.

Furthermore, for corporate pension schemes are financial in stocks and bonds worth often not the paper they are written, instead of relatively secure retirement savings that characterizes pension investments in the past.

Any business task has lost the cache, it had a fois.Si a company cannot provide an employee with employment and retirement security, they have little incentive to paste.

And jobs can be extremely stressful and difficult, trop.Un seller has approximately 90 days produce spectacular results, or they are toast in the business world.

And it's a dog eat dog world where lies and insinuations are standard, more than the exception.Your boss has been pretty ethical move forward in this world and you can expect that it will be bad, too.

My work ended rather abruptly company one day when my boss ordered point me blank to lie to my clients and my employees.

Did you know that the Supreme Court ruled recently that is lying to make a sale?He says everything about how we can trust that large corporations say to us.

But for senior workers, this kind of business environment is particularly dangereux.Même if you have retired, it may be unnecessary when you need to collect if you are lucky enough to keep your job.

And it is difficult for a person of more than 40 find jobs at all, much less one that should pay the Bills.

And youth employment prospects are pretty dismal, too.

But there is a way to make you more secure self and have a pension, too, and it does not work for a company without soul.

I've built a number of companies since I left corporate life as my wife has.We have some control on our own income, we don't commute to an Office, and we have developed many new skills.

These new skills is the best we can as we head for the pension insurance .j ' reluctant to reflect on what would be past us if we had not developed these new skills.

We do not have to worry about keeping our jobs .d ' one hand, there are many jobs that can help us to feel more in sécurité.Si failure have others to fill the gaps.

Nobody can trigger we as we get close to retirement just so that they can pump their my employer stock.Et price (me) don't steal my retirement or to allow an investment company to steal it.

But above all that we can run our business in the manner that we believe is ethically correct .it's is a good thing for our security and our bank account.

Self-employed is not easy, but it is more secure to many ways that work for someone else.








Paula and Ron Stone are the vie.Ils specialists have particular agency specializing in the final cost insurance or various entreprises.Pour funeral insurance insurance more information on their websites, final expenses insurance and funeral insurance


Saturday, October 9, 2010

Make your account retirement Last - three steps to insure retirement security


Ten to fifteen years have been financially very good for most of us. With a little effort and a lot of tail wind market, our retirement accounts have increased at an incredible pace. With annual inventory returns as high as 20% or more, most of us who have private retirement investment accounts (savings, IRA, etc) have been feeling pretty good. In most areas of real estate U.S. values spiraled upwards and upwards. The combination makes good number of us owned houses and stock/bond paper millionaire investments. Then along comes 2008. Our values holding gross investment decreased by 35-40% and our position once fat equity in property passed quickly. Your retirement account no longer look so secure.

Here are three suggestions for making your nest egg last as long as you do so.

1 Take a legacy look at your present cash flow

It is best to do this on a monthly basis, as most of the expenditure and revenue are easily calculated on this basis. A financial software package is an excellent tool to help you to structure this part.

List your monthly income cash in detail by source, i.e. social security pensions, income from rental, etc. You can already be drawing a monthly fixed amount of your retirement accounts. If you're not, here is the place to decide what happens this amount and enter it as income. A word of warning here: be sure that you understand the rules regarding the IRA withdrawals and savings type retirement accounts.You can visit the Web of IRS for a prudent review.There, you'll find information about the rate required by IRS .the minimum withdrawal is you decide the maximum you want to remove.Most experts recommend that limit you the maximum annual amount of more than 4% of the outstanding balance. This is a good starting point. Use the greater of the two numbers at the moment, you can refine it later.

Then list your monthly expenses of trésorerie.Incluez everything you purchase as well as all réguliers.Cela payments will take some thought; it is easy to forget the little things like a casual meal or film, repairs of car, etc.Include some "unforeseen" as subscription, co-pays and other medical items drug expenses. At this point, it is probably easiest to expenditure which does not occur all months on average. If you do not include insurance or taxes in your monthly mortgage costs, make sure that they are included here.

If you use a financial software package, you can enter the above data in budgeting program part, and you now have a preliminary view of your monthly cash flow.

2. Develop a realistic cash flow budget monthly

If the preliminary budget than you came with prior step given a positive cash flow, you start from a good place.Go over your budget once, spending more accurate raffinage.Être, monthly cash detailing monthly expenditure than you average in step 1. You can create in a "canceled" account to earn cash for extraordinary items as other expenditure and auto repairs large which do not occur every month. Emergencies will occur always to less practical time, provide for them in your budgeting process.

3 Act now for transactions with negative cash flow

Review your monthly budget; research spending you can reduce or eliminate.Can you reduce large cable TV Bill by switching to the basic service, or remove that membership in the local gym?Perhaps shopping discount from Macy stores, etc. in unpleasant that it can be, you'll need to eliminate or reduce certain expenditure, including invoices which are not paid immediately.You will be surprised by the lenders how flexible can be if they know you have a good faith effort to pay, so get on the phone and negotiate a payment plan that you can live with.

If you have reduced the discretionary spending of the OS and always have a negative cash flow, you need to watch of revenu.Si difference is small, perhaps a slight increase in the amount of your retirement account withdrawal is in order.Especially if you think that the problem is in the short term (less than 3-5years).Be very careful here; more than 10% throughput is very likely to deplete your account retirement in 7 to 10 years.If you are not in a position to do this, it is time that you look more painful alternatives.

Perhaps a part-time job would be to make the difference.If you have a real estate or other tangible property, perhaps now is the time to think about selling.Consider "effective" in a cheaper House, or same rental during a certain temps.Le market is now depressed, but there are still buyers there .the price of this little house or condo has undergone the same decrease value yours a.Une "reverse mortgage" would perhaps good for vous.Toutefois I would not recommend that prior to obtaining professional advice.

If you can't work, to find a good CPA, award-winning firm financière.Ils planning services can give you a well rounded view of your options.Il is probably too late for a conventional financial planner help, in particular the planners "free" heavy rely on you sell something to earn a living, and the last thing you need now is to buy something again.








At about of the author: Burt Widener writes widely on issues relating to the website retraite.Son http://www.allthingsretired.com offers a range of articles and other resources from retirees find answers to common questions about the site retraite.Le is updated frequently to keep updated the contenu.Vous can contact Burt at: webmaster@allthingsretired.com.


Friday, October 8, 2010

Financial planning does not end the retirement


Financial planning is as relevant prior to and during retirement. Some aspects of financial planning may be modulated by the context of retirement however. This continuous need planning arises from the need to plan for 30 years of retirement. I've seen people comment that they either don't want or would not live as long. Unless you know your departure time, you must plan for thirty years. The uncertainty is what makes the necessary planning and difficult. It would have been easier to plan if we knew exactly how long the period of retirement would be. Even if you cannot properly plan, there may be some damage control that you can implement in retirement.

The first step for a financially secure retirement is to ensure that you have adequate health coverage. The need for health and critical illness coverage is particularly acute during retirement. Unfortunately, many medical plans provide coverage until a specific age. This age would generally around seventy, based on the fact that above of this age, the risk of disease would be much higher. Since it is logical to have coverage when you most need, a plan that provides coverage of life would be ideal. Fortunately, some insurers offer these plans. Another thing incredible on some of these plans is that they are affordable. I know a medical plan that offers a premium level of life.With a coverage in this area in particular, would help you maximize your savings by reducing the risks of liquidité.Cela facilitate investment in the high-back savings vehicles.

Your life insurance plan should be reviewed to retirement. Although some retirees may still have financial dependencies, a majority would need less. Life in this period would be instrumental in estate planning. In some cases, life does provide nor any significant income protection.Plans universal and whole life insurance are most appropriate successorale.La planning better idea isn't necessarily to deliver your life plans, once the role of income protection became redundant. You must make sure that your beneficiaries do not face additional charges with the estate taxes and legal fees created by internship.

Economies remain very critical during your retirement. Especially if you were not sufficiently diligent before retirement, you'll find that you need to continue saving considerably during your retirement. Some retirees have yet to find a job in this period. A high percentage of retirees receive lump sum retirement. You generally not spend more than 5% of the lump sum during the first year. If you really need to make these renovations, leave the scope of the renovation that inspiration. Always distinguish between needs and desires correctly.Also, try to avoid any investment in the portfolio remains essential to life stage thus conservateur.Diversification savings plan it. This is a myth that retirees must be ultra-conservative when you invest. Savings vehicles same conservator should provide competitive interest rates.

Life is happy and known achievement.Retirement should be a period where retirees enjoy more freedom and control in your life.They should ensure that they are involved in the family and community.Retirees should have learned enough over the years continued positive.Il contribution is would tonic to make interesting step a retirement positive.La contribution is not all about finances.Toutefois, taking care of finances permanently prevent additional concern and stress.retraités deserve do step to worry about losing their life savings.








Darrell Victor is a financial services sales professional who specializes in planning for retirement and benefits group.
Contact: darrell_victor_service@hotmail.com


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Personal financial planning - planning for retirement

Error in body of message reply deserializing for operation 'Translate'. The maximum string content length quota (8192) has been exceeded while reading XML data. This quota may be increased by changing the MaxStringContentLength property on the XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas object used when creating the XML reader. Line 8, 630 position.

Advances in medical science have resulted in people living longer. This increase in life expectancy makes retirement planning even more crucial.Furthermore, with better affluence, there is also an increase in demand for a better lifestyle during retirement.

The objective of retirement planning varied depending on circumstances, and normally includes:

-Maintaining a self sufficient pre-retirement standard of living
-Coping with increasing health care cost
-Protection of property and against personal liability
-Providing for dependents
-Estate planning

The process for retirement planning:

Step 1: Overcome Obstacles
Step 2: Determine Goals
Step 3: Measurement
Step 4: Reference Point
Step 5: Overall Plan

Overcoming The Road Blocks

There is only a limited period of accumulation and a continuous period of consumption.The first step is to overcome the many obstacles hindering retirement planning.These include spending beyond means, unprepared for unexpected expenses (like repairs), inadequate insurance (like property loss, medical bills), tapping into retirement funds for other purposes (like upgrading house, holidays), etc.

(1) Aim to save at least 10% of income and gradually increase it to 20% when it is nearer to retirement.This accumulates towards retirement funds and helps to accustom to a retirement lifestyle within the financial means.

(2) Establish an emergency fund of at least 6 months of income that is separate from the retirement plan fund.The will be used for risk retention, covering for unexpected expenses without drawing on the retirement funds.

(3) Have sufficient insurance.A major crisis will be a huge drain on all of the savings, it is best to transfer this risk by being adequately covered.

(4) Saving for other specific purposes should be saved for separately.It will derail the retirement plans due to the shortfall.

Determine Retirement Goals

Depending on the circumstances, the goals will vary from individual to individual.Some common areas to consider:

(1) Lifestyle.
-Housing: Sami house, mortgage ˜getting, upgrade, downgrade, migrate.
-Leisure: Pursuit of hobbies like golf, yoga, charity or religious activities.
-Travel: Overseas holidays, car ownership.

(2) The age of retirement.
-The last day to have to work or the last day to want to work.
-Early retirement due to from corporate, health, care giving concerns, etc.

(3) Health.
-Coping with increasing health care cost.
-Health screening.
-Dental care.

(4) Estate planning.
-Passing on the wealth eventually.

(5) Caring for dependents.
-Physical gold medical care for elderly parents.
-Providing for children not yet independent gold siblings requiring aid.

Measuring The Finance Required

From the above goals, the required amount needs to be quantified.

(1) Lifestyle and dependent expenses.An estimate is about 60% of pre-retirement income.
(2) Project the retirement age.The statutory retirement age is 62 years old.
(3) Health expenses.Total up the amount of insurance premiums and health screening cost.

In addition, some assumptions need to be made:

(1) Inflation rate.The average historical inflation rate in Singapore is about 1.5%.
(2) Investment returns.Depending on the choice of investment, this varied significantly.
(3) Life expectancy.A reference will be the natural death ages of great-grandparents, grandparents or parents. The average age is 78 for males and 82 for females, and this average is increasing.

Reference Point

The current position needs to be analyzed so as to determine the strategies to achieve the goals.

(1) Current age.Number of years to accumulate funds before retirement.
(2) Current health.Deteriorating health will be more of an immediate concern.
(3) Financial position.Amount of savings, assets, liabilities, income, current expenses.
(4) Existing plans.CPF, SRS, insurance and investments already in place.

Overall Plan

Depending on which stage on the retirement plan, the approach to arrête will be different.

(1) Accumulation Period
The period when one starts to save for retirement until about 10 years prior to retirement.The focus will be on the shortfall of funds required for retirement form the current reference point.The strategy will be hand on saving to invest.Investment will be covered in a later topic.

(2) Transition Period
The period about 10 years just prior to retirement.As retirement draws nearer, the goals become clearer.It is important to review if the desired lifestyle can be achieved with the funds or if more savings is required.The earlier will also need to be repositioned into less risky investments gradually accumulated funds.

(3) Retirement Period
This continuous throughout since retirement.The funds will be used to generate current income.Some considerations during this period:
-Purchase of tenements (CPF Life)
To provide a guaranteed income for life.Recommended to purchase to cover for the minimum monthly living expenses required.
-Maximize use of property
Reverse mortgage, downgrading, renting out spare rooms can be considered for additional income.
-Work
To perhaps work on a part time basis, as a consultant or run a business.

As with all plans, it will need to be continuously reviewed when personal circumstances change (like a newborn or divorce), external market conditions affecting investments, or introduction of new policies (like Exchange of statutory retirement age or CPF rules).

Use of the Present Value and Future Value calculations covered earlier will need to be used to give a better estimate of the amount needed.A simple example:

John Doe in good health, age 40, intends to withdraw at age 60, current income is $ 60,000 annually.

Package: Projected expenses at retirement is 60% of pre-retirement income, income will increase 3% annually, is 2% inflation, investment returns is 7%, life span will be till age 80, will carry on to stay at current residence.CPF contributions mainly used for housing and repayment of loan and has not started any retirement plans.

PV = 60,000, 1/Y = 3%, N = 60 / 40 = 20; FV = 108,367.
Therefore, pre-retirement income needed per year = 60% of FV = $ 65,020

PMT = 65,020, 1/Y = 7%-2% = 5%, N = 80-60 = 20; PV = $ 810,293
Total retirement fund needed at point of retirement = $ 810,293

FV = 810,293, 1/Y = 7%, N = 60 / 40 = 20; PMT = 19,765
Amount needed to save per year is $ 19,765 Gold $ 1,647 per month.








Aaron Lau is an independent financial adviser in Singapore.He shares his awareness of good personal financial planning in areas of:
1. Financial Goals
2 Risk Management
3 Insurance
4 Retirement Planning
5 Tax Planning
6 Estate Planning
7 Investment
8 Reviewing
Visit http://anifaview.blogspot.com/2010/02/personal-financial-planning.html

He also shares insights into how to improve your physical and financial health and wealth.
Visit http://anifaview.blogspot.com/ to find out more and receive my free ebook "A Practical Guide To Financial Success" at no. loads.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Financial planning lessons

Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request

My financial planning knowledge comes from 30 years of budgeting, tax planning and investment experience starting out poor and working my way up to my current financial status. I could not have accomplished what I accomplished without the financial planning lessons that I learned through experience.

I have worked in business for over 30 years and have been active in the investment arena for over 28 years. I mainly want to tell my story of how I executed my financial plan with hopes that you can gain some insight into what it takes to build a successful financial plan.

Retirement Planning is a Critical Piece of Your Financial Plan

One of the things we are all taught is to work and put away for retirement and in this financial planning lesson I have to tell you I truly believe that is a worthy and necessary goal because none of us wants to work for the rest of our life.

Your 401K May be Your Largest Income Producer in Retirement

If you are in the workforce and your company has a 401K plan your first step is to get involved with that plan and contribute as much as you can afford to contribute. This will have a tremendous impact on your finances. Most plans have a matching component up to a certain percentage and I urge you to contribute up to that percentage if at all possible. Otherwise you are missing out on free money. There are many plans that contribute 50% on the dollar up to 6% of your annual salary. Imagine you put in $500.00 the company puts in $250.00 plus you earn interest on the money, it's hard to find that kind of return on your money anywhere else.

The 401k is a form of investing for your retirement. Usually companies set up the 401K plan and allow employees to contribute up to 15% of their salary. You can choose to have the money taken from your check before taxes or after taxes. Investing the money before taxes helps you because you get the full benefit of your money before the IRS taxes you. The company will usually match what you put in up to 6% at .50 on the dollar.

You put in $500 the company will give you $250. That's an amazing return on your money, better than most investments and better than most pension plans. Investing your money this way is great because money that you would normally be paying to the IRS is sitting in your account earning interest.

I know it can be tough when you are first starting out but if you just invest 3% to start it's better than investing nothing and as you get pay increases you can put a part of the increase into the 401K plan until you reach 15%.

If you are earning $500 a week and are in the 28% tax bracket and you don't invest in the plan you will pay $140.00 in taxes. However, if you invest 3% ($15.00) of that $500.00 in a 401K plan you would only pay $135.80. Therefore, your 3% investment is only costing you $10.80 but you are investing $15.00. In effect the IRS is paying $4.20 on your behalf and on top of that the company is going to give you $7.50. Ok so you invested in effect $10.80 and now you have $23.00 that's 108% return on your money. I don't know about you but I don't know a lot of places where you can get this kind of a return on your money. If you do this right and leave the money in the plan and let it grow you shouldn't have to pay back the tax money because when you retire you should be in a lower tax bracket. Also you will earn interest on all your money.

In effect you are only spending 2.04% to invest in yourself. The truth is you can't afford not to invest in your future. The beauty of the plan is your money earns interest tax free causing it to grow faster than most other investments. You would have to pay capital gains tax each year on most other investments thus reducing your overall return.

The return that you get in this type of investment is phenomenal because of the compounding of the interest and the fact that you don't have to pay capital gains tax on it until you retire. The rule of thumb you can use to figure out when your money will double is called the rule of 72. To figure out when your money will double you start with 72 and divide it by the interest rate that you are earning. For example if you invest $5000 and you are earning 10% interest the formula would be; 72/10=7.2 years. In 7.2 years you would have $10,000.

You need to understand that this is truly a retirement plan and as such your money is tied up until retirement with the exception of a few special circumstances such as to pay for education, your primary home, or a hardship such as a serious illness (check with your tax preparer).

If you withdraw money before you are 59 1/2 you will have to pay a 10% penalty as well as normal taxes on the withdrawal. I strongly urge you to do everything you can to avoid a withdrawal because you give back most of the benefit you gained from investing in the 401K.

Some plans will allow you to take out a loan against your funds in the plan but there are rules that have to be followed. The loan generally has to be paid back within five years and if you leave the company you could potentially have to pay the money back in as little as 60 days. Again I urge you to use this type of loan as a last resort because your earnings in the fund are much greater than the interest you will be paying yourself when you pay it back.

I personally like the 401K better than a pension plan because I think you have more input than you do in a pension plan. Some pension plans don't require you to make a contribution so on the surface they may seem better because you aren't contributing but you really need to look at the long term return. However, usually when you don't have to make a contribution to a pension plan it simply means your income is reduced by this amount so in the long run the contribution amount is about the same in both plans. Again in my opinion you have more of a choice in a 401k than you do in a pension plan.

An IRA is a Great Substitute for A 40K If You Don't Have Access to a 401K

There is also IRAs that allow you to contribute tax free dollars and the government will allow a tax deduction if you meet certain criteria (see your tax professional for details). The IRA helps you because it allows you to receive payments for the rest of your life if you choose that option.

What is an Individual Retirement Account

An IRA provides you the ability to invest either tax free or tax deferred. There are many different types of accounts but the most common are the traditional and the Roth. The type of individual retirement account you choose depends largely on your investment goals.

Traditional Individual Retirement Account

The traditional individual retirement account allows you to invest tax deferred up to $4000 per year or $5,000 if you are over 50. The amount that you invest is deducted from your taxable income ultimately reducing your tax liability. When the money is withdrawn it is subject to normal taxes and a 10% penalty if withdrawn prior to age 59 1/2. The 10% penalty is waived if the money is used to purchase a house or for approved educational expenses, but you will have to pay normal taxes. The individual retirement account is a great investment tool and provides great flexibility for important expenses. I think the individual retirement account is a great tool for someone who doesn't have access to a 401K investment account.

The Roth Individual Retirement Account

Roth individual retirement accounts were created in 1997 primarily to help the middle class. The Roth is not tax deductible but the funds can be withdrawn without tax liability or penalty except for the interest earned. After five years all contributions including interest can be withdrawn without tax or penalty. You also get the same benefit for a home purchase and education as a traditional individual retirement account.

If you are single you can invest as much as you like in a Roth account if your earnings don't exceed $95,000 for the year. There are stricter limits on the amount you can contribute once you earn a $110,000 as a single filer. The limits for married couples filing jointly starts at $150,000 and gets stricter at $160,000 (see your tax preparer for complete details).

If you qualify for a Roth individual retirement account it has some very attractive features such as the higher limits on deposits, the flexibility of withdrawals, and the fact that you don't have to pay tax on the money when you withdraw it. If you decide to roll your traditional individual retirement account into a Roth individual retirement account you need to make sure you are prepared to pay the tax on the rollover because it will be treated as if you withdrew the money from your traditional individual retirement account. This is a decision you have to make based on your personal situation, your needs and your tax status. To invest in a Roth IRA you must have earned income. You can use a Roth IRA even if you have a 401K or other retirement plan. Contributions must be made by the tax deadline each year. You have the flexibility to invest in whatever investment vehicle you choose.

If You Don't Like The 401K or The IRA An Annuity May Be For You

If you don't have access to a 401K plan and you don't like the IRA then you may want to consider an annuity. An annuity is another tax advantage vehicle that allows you to invest your money before taxes as long as you meet certain criteria (consult your tax professional for details). An annuity gives you options to receive payment at retirement either in a lump sum or life time payments. This is a decision you can make based on your tax status at retirement time.

An annuity is a very important financial planning tool. Depending on your personal financial situation you may be interested in purchasing an annuity or you may have one and need to think about how to collect the money without paying too much in taxes.

What is an annuity?

It's an agreement for one entity to pay another a stream or series of payments. Usually insurance companies write them but a charity or a trust can.

Categories:

Fixed or Variable

Deferred or Immediate

Fixed Period, Fixed Amount, or Lifetime Qualified or Nonqualified Tax status

Single Premium payment arrangement or flexible premium payment

Features:

Tax Consequences

Most investments incur capital gains tax each tax year. However, earnings, capital gains and income from annuities aren't taxable until you withdraw money. 401Ks and IRAs offer the same tax deferral but there is a limit on the amount you can contribute on an annual basis. With an annuity there is no limit on the amount you can contribute. It's a lot easier to withdraw funds from them than from 401ks and IRAs.

Asset Protection

If you are receiving payments from an insurance company the best a creditor can do is collect the payments as you receive them because technically the payments that you made to the insurance company belongs to the insurance company not you. The creditor can't take the money you paid.

Some state laws and court cases also protect some or all of the payments. Your money in tax-favored retirement plans, such as IRAs and 401ks are generally protected.

Of course one of the best ways to protect your assets from creditors is to pay your bills on time. However, anybody can run into tough times when they have problems paying their bills. You have to be careful because when this happens to you there are many companies out there that promise to help you fix your credit but in reality they are just after your money. You can improve your own credit score by monitoring the three main credit bureaus. When you find a mistake you can file a dispute claim with the credit bureau to get it cleared up usually within 30 days. You can also get protection against identity theft. By monitoring your credit on a regular basis you will know if someone tries to open an account in your name.

Investment Options

You can invest in a fixed rate plan which would earn a fixed interest rate, just like a bank Certificate of Deposit (CD). A variable rate plan would invest in stocks, bonds or other mutual funds. Some may offer a feature that guarantees your investment will never fall below its value on its most recent policy anniversary. This would be referred to as a floor.

Income Options

Because these instruments are similar to life insurance policies you can receive payments for the rest of your life. They accomplish this by taking money from your investment, your investment earnings and from the money from other's who didn't live as long as you. Like insurance companies they use actuarial tables to forecast your average life span to determine how much to pay out. When they guess right they win and when they guess wrong the annuitant wins. Over the long run they always come out ahead. Don't get an annuity confused with a whole life insurance policy because there is a big difference. With a whole life insurance policy the interest you earn is very low so you primarily pay enough during your life so when you die your beneficiary receives the face value of the policy. However, this is not a very good investment.

Benefits to Your Estate

You can purchase a guarantee period with your annuity so in the unlikely event you die immediately after your payments start your heirs can still get your money for a specified period usually 10 to 20 years. Another benefit is annuity payments that pass on to beneficiaries are not subject to probate or a part of your will.








Financial Planning Lessons help you learn in a very easy to understand way how to create you own personal financial plan.

Want your own website but think you don't have enough knowledge or experience to create one? Well think again because with Site Build It you will get step by step instructions to guide you through every phase of creating your own website. Visit my your own website page.

http://www.financial-planning-lesson.com


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Calculator financial - Fears retirement of losing my money.


Will I have enough money to last the rest of my life? The number a fear to retirees is if they are going to have enough money to retire. Ironically, this fear exists independently of the actual value. Indeed, the active report of $ 10 million people are more concerned with having enough money than people who have 500 thousand dollars of assets. In fact, it is only when people report having more than 100 million dollars do they relax on their financial future.

How could be? The easy answer is what American of all income levels spend more that they do.As your wealth increase so does your expectations of your level life minimum.Quel's interest to have 10 million dollars in the Bank, you ask, if you cannot take advantage?

To answer the question where not, you'll have enough money to last the rest of your life, you discover what is fear. Is based on an assessment of your financial situation of fear or a psychological problem?

To understand the fear of not having enough money, you should consider two things. The first is to evaluate your actual financial situation. The second is to explore the fear of psychological problems.

The best way to minimize your fear about not having enough money for the rest of your life last is to spend less than you make.If you are removed and investment income, are you able to live only interest? (Financial advisors recommend that does no more than five percent of you portfolio each année.Il is assumed that the bad and the good years will be in balance.)(This withdrawal rate, you will have enough to last in your life.) Do you need to tap into the principle, on a regular basis? ideally, you want to leave the quiet principle and grow each year.

If you go into debt to pay for the current way of life, you have some legitimate concerns. If you are not willing or cannot reduce your expenses, explore ways, you can increase your income by working or start-up of an entreprise.Vous can see the work fills time that you would otherwise have used spending money.

Compile a budget so you know how comes in every month and how much goes. The most important aspect of the budget is to explore your fixed and discretionary expenses.Fixed expenses are what you spend each month on housing loans, and while most everything else circulation.La is discretionary.

Browse your discrétionnaires.Regardez spend how much you eat purchases off and unnecessary.Many people, especially women, store when they are bored. If you are bored and purchases to occupy your time, explore other activities which would commit your time. You could volunteer for Australian store. (spending money, your step.)

Many financial concerns are based to pay for the health care and other expenses in the future. Based on your income, you can purchase additional medical and long-term insurance.It is important to find a financial professional who can advise you on your financial situation current and projected and how best to plan your future as you age.

You've done everything you can prepare your future by seeking professional advice and understand your financial situation.You have reduced spending, and increase your income and you still have concerns with money, you may want to Explorer from a psychological perspective.Psychological problems of money mean that money helps resolve emotional needs.Examine your beliefs about money and possessions.Maintain a life of certain to impress your friends or family you concerned?Do you think you need to give your kids money when they ask for it? do you you need you can buy what you want, when you want to have a sense of self-worth?Do you use money as a means of manipulating your other concerns significant?

Another challenge of adult retirees is learning to live without earning money while working.Remember when you have children and asked your parents you buy a toy.They replied, "If you want the yo-yo, you will save money to buy."A large part of the identity of Americans has just being the employees and the fournisseurs.Cela is particularly true for men. ""."If I am over a supplier, what value should I?".This is a State of mind different let your money work for you.

The transition to the malfunction is a huge changement.Comprendre Dynamics varied your relationship with money will help determine the peace of mind you have in your years later.

(This article is not intended to provide financial advice, but only offer information to help you explore your economic situation.)








Cathy Severson, is a leading authority in planning lifelong retraite.Baby boomers understand that it is not your parents.Découvrez retired how do the rest of your life the best of your life with free ingredients e-book 7 for a retirement satisfies the http://tinyurl.com/8moymb


Sunday, October 3, 2010

Financial planning for retirement life 101


After fifty years of work, the chances are that us locate the day where we can retire. We no longer have to wake up at 5 a.m., sit in peak traffic times or insist on unrealistic deadlines. These factors are very just the reason why we rely on the days of relaxation. While most people fantasize, majority of baby boomers are not aware that financial planning stops at 65. Retirement planning is critical, regardless of what stage you are.

It was always a common myth that people have step to save for their retirement until they sent their children to College have time to rest. This no longer far from the truth, as it is important to always anticipate, even if it means in your years. Unfortunately, we never will be around the corner.Due to problems of health or other questions, we have to retire earlier than we pensons.donc we must regularly save financial snacks burden is imposed on us.

The first thing you have to do is think of financial planning. Retirement planning is not easy, but it is possible, if you create a budget for your living expenses. After all, the more money you save each month, the luxury more that you can do once you stop working!You should be aware and each alternative that can be offered to you the savez.La most companies offer a certain percentage of the wage or pension packages go directly into a pension fund. This is a wonderful opportunity if you do, because it lets you create on your package of retirement planning.

If you do so on your own, you must make sure that you create realistic goals for yourself .for example, if your two children are away at College in one year, and you want to save the 50% of your pay retirement, chances are that this will not occur. You must make a list of your priorities and putting money aside for each one. Although the college education of your child may need more money for four years, you can assume that you can spend the rest of your salary on retirement after they have graduated schedule.

Another alternative is to colonies of insurance - life ends .beaucoup people eager to get rid of these policies due to a disease or a financial burden. Through the colonies of life, one can actually sell their insurance scheme to a third party. In doing so, the person acquires a large amount of money, and they are connected is more to life insurance. If you need extra money, many people feel that life insurance settlements are beneficial.

When we start to get older, we automatically receive worried for our future.With no steady income after age 65 or 70, it seems effrayant.Toutefois, as long as you make sure that you stay with your retirement planning, it should be no need to stress.There are hundreds of alternatives to earn money, including life insurance institutions and simply evenly distribute your salary.It is important to set goals and make sure you stay organized.The last thing you want to do is do not keep track of your argent.Si you do not, in 20 years from now, ensure you that will be kicking yourself.








Natalie Aranda writes about family and financière.Par regulations of life through planning, one can actually sell their insurance plan for a third partie.Ce forming, person acquires a large amount of money, and they are connected is no longer their vie.Si QA you need extra money, many people feel that life insurance settlements are beneficial.


Fitness Workout for your financial muscles

If you have purchased books from financial freedom, but your bank account has not yet enjoy? Consider this:
Your financial success can be developed as a muscle... and if you do not see the results, you can be in terms of bad "financial capacity".
You were running on a treadmill to adjust some fat. "?financial result?Your portfolio is "skinny." "You weren?t financial muscles of construction.Pourquoi not?
Much as a good muscle strengthening or program of exercises, you must expert training, inspiration and a "financial training", which is adapted to your specific objectives
Here are five more major financial challenges people typically face in their financial capacity challenge vie.Relever and see what muscles you need to start building!
(Note: Please consult a financial professional fitness before attempting any of these exercises.)
Challenge 1. "I'm afraid to take financial risks.
Solution financial fitness: expand your muscles of courage.
If you're sitting around waiting for the ?right? stock or real estate to invest in, you are dealing with the symptom, not the persons who have acquired wealth are not smarter source.considérer or only. They developed the financial muscle called courage. Courage means here, acting in spite of your fear. Get doesn?t smallest fear, your confidence grows. Measure your confidence grows... take your ability to make financial decisions that lead to increased wealth!
Challenge 2"I do just enough money to do what I want when I want."
Solution financial fitness: expand your muscles desire and belief.
There are many factors that are at the source will not be assez.Pour beginners, financial muscle to develop the desire and belief. The mere presence of your desire is proof that you have the ability to run. If you have the conviction that your desire is possible, then there is no question of "If", but rather ?how? and ?when?.How can I get what I want, and When you can see positive results begin? Plans laid best success begin with the belief that you can do and the desire to arrive!
Challenge 3. " "I am constantly concerned, emphasised and frustrated about money."
Solution financial fitness: expand your muscles of the action.
If I told you that you had a winning lottery ticket and the numbers would be called a day this year, would you be worried or happy?Most would say excited.The financial muscle exercise here is attention: where you spend yours?
Race car drivers are taught always look in the direction they want aller.Si you look at the wall, you will lead in the mur.Mettre your attention on what you want? and you?ll more of what you want to get.Stress, anxiety and frustration comes from research (now to what you want (in future) don?t) and believe that what do you want don?t actually will be.Get better control of your financial action muscles and start your finances of conduct to a State of continuous growth.
Challenge 4"I can only control my finances and expenditure.
Solution financial fitness: expand your muscles of the object.
Going on a spending ?diet? as a measure of "control" over your finances is limiting rather than behavior expansive.Le financial muscle to begin to develop here is best described as a goal.Your goal, for example, could be a plan long term for financier.Si meaning you have a broader scope than your daily financial survival, then won?t goal you must ?discipline? or ?control? on your expenses.Instead of thinking in terms of what you cannot do so, you begin to think opportunistically as to what you can do, as part of your utilisation.ainsi, you'll choose to spend according to what is more aligned with this object.
Challenge 5. ""I just can't get my finances in order."
Solution financial fitness: expand your muscles of integrity and responsibility.
Longer under-developed financial muscles associated with financial problems is the integrity and accountability. integrity and responsibility requires you to be responsible before the promises you make yourself and other .d ' loan and invoice payment are shapes that you apportées.lorsque promises you break these promises, you find in disorders or the footprint. develop muscles of integrity and responsibility financial to keep these promises and you will find an ordre.Ordre comes structure, and this is a plan of financial capacity for creating wealth in the long term, success and happiness!
You?ve you a step in a Fitness Workout for your Muscles? finances now?
This financial fitness plan is only a départ.Si point this was training for a marathon, you have just learned to the real source of your financial challenges exécuter.La 26.2 mile warm-up routine or success is your emotional relationship to money.
You have learned that certain truths on finances, and you might wonder how to develop these financial muscles and what?s, the next step in your financial training personally on the financial capacity.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Tax planning for retirement financially Secure


The only thing that is likely to be important but neglected, throughout the process of your planning for retirement, is tax planning for a financially secure retirement. It's easy to save on taxes and improve your total retirement income, simply to take informed, do a little judicious research and take appropriate action.


Consider a rollover IRA to a Roth IRA retirement funds
Defer income or accelerating deductions to qualify for the Roth IRA conversion
Consider an employer rollover, stocks and bonds to the IRA
Calculate the tax payable on the distribution of the lump sum of pension
Optimize the deferral of taxation through various methods of distribution for your IRA and annuities
Take the minimum distributions in low taxation years required for your IRA
Avoid the penalty tax on distributions from your IRAs.
Disability insurance premiums can maximize the non-taxable portion of disability benefits create IRA separate accounts for the beneficiaries in order to maximize the tax deferralHelps reduce or eliminate the federal estate tax on benefits of the beneficiary designations IRABienfaisance helps eliminate taxes on profits IRA

Various strategies for tax planning for a financially secure retirement, of which some are discussed below, are relatively simple and it can make a substantial difference to your finances in your example retraite.Par:

You can enjoy quite a solid long-term fiscal record if you transfer money from an IRA traditional to a Roth IRA. You can save taxes because you are on a lower tax bracket by the point where you would withdraw were given the funds transfer. You can also transfer assets to high-income to the Roth IRA, or pass your IRA funds to your heirs if there is a lot of remaining after the addition of die.In you, you can benefit from long-term due to differential tax rates tax savings.

Consider making transfer IRA to Roth IRA in the year especially when you have a tax loss or integrate a hook low tax, for any reason any. Although the amount transferred or any part thereof, is taxable income, it may be imposed on your tax losses. Otherwise, you will need to pay taxes on the Fund you are transferring to lower tax rates than those applicable to future distributions of IRA, providing tax savings in the long term with the differential tax rates, and pre-tax profit of the Roth IRA distribution.

Long term tax savings can also be grouped by asset income transfer high. IRAs regular usually have assets which can have a high income potential.Transfer these assets to IRAs Roth.Even if you need to borrow money to pay the tax on the transfer, the wages of the transferred assets is higher, the rate of interest on your loan, so there will be a fee for long-term substantial record.

Do not borrow from one can on line credit home equity to add to your savings, even if it qualifies for deductions on the interest you pay on the prêt.Vous can also use liquid funds low yield for the payment of tax on the transfer of the Roth IRA.

If you do not use your funds in retirement, IRA transfer to a Roth IRA, until your heirs inherit it.Advantage would be the fact that Roth IRAs do not make distributions during your lifetime, although that IRAs traditional minimum distributions when you reach the age of 70 half .Transfert to a Roth IRA avoids tax than you would pay on distributions.

Search, CPA professional help or do it and take the appropriate measures for tax planning for a financially secure retirement.








? 2008 Anna d. Banks, GCDF

Anna d. Banks, a defender impassioned of baby boomers by exploring their priorities, planning and setting goals for the next stage of their vie.Aider customers attract and build a professional and personal life compatible with their values is not only an objective of Anna, is its passion.Son work experience diverse in business, education and financial services allows you to help the population diversified of baby boomers with their lives, the needs and career coaching personnelles.Anna finance is currently auxiliary faculty in the County of Essex, College where she teaches Career Development & management.

Author's Note:
You have questions relating to career development or change of lifestyle for baby boomers, who you think than others, like you would like to know the answers? please put a post on http://www.annabanks.com or questions e-mail me at Anna@AnnaBanks.com


Friday, October 1, 2010

Wall Street exposed – you need to know your financial advisor now!

There is a simple but undeniable truth in the financial consulting and wealth planning industry that Wall Street has kept as a "dirty little secret" for years. That dirty little, and nearly always overlooked secret is THE WAY YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR IS PAID DIRECTLY AFFECTS THEIR FINANCIAL ADVICE TO YOU!
You want, and deserve (and consequently SHOULD EXPECT) unbiased financial advice in your best interests. But the fact is 99% of the general investing public has no idea how their financial advisor is compensated for the advice they provide. This is a tragic oversight, yet an all too common one. There are three basic compensation models for financial advisors - commissions based, fee-based, and fee-only.
Commission Based Financial Advisor - These advisors sell "loaded" or commission paying products like insurance, annuities, and loaded mutual funds. The commission your financial advisor is earning on your transaction may or may not be disclosed to you. I say "transaction" because that's what commission based financial advisors do - they facilitate TRANSACTIONS. Once the transaction is over, you may be lucky to hear from them again because they've already earned the bulk of whatever commission they were going to earn.
Since these advisors are paid commissions which may or may not be disclosed, and the amounts may vary based on the insurance and investment products they sell, there is an inherent conflict of interest in the financial advice given to you and the commission these financial advisors earn. If their income is dependent on transactions and selling insurance and investment products, THEY HAVE A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO SELL YOU WHATEVER PAYS THEM THE HIGHEST COMMISSION! That's not to say there aren't some honest and ethical commission based advisors, but clearly this identifies a conflict of interest.
Fee Based Financial Advisor - Here's the real "dirty little secret" Wall Street doesn't want you to know about. Wall Street (meaning the firms and organizations involved in buying, selling, or managing assets, insurance and investments) has sufficiently blurred the lines between the three ways your financial advisor may be compensated that 99% of the investing public believes that hiring a Fee-Based Financial Advisor is directly correlated with "honest, ethical and unbiased" financial advice.
The truth is FEE-BASED MEANS NOTHING! Think about it (you'll understand more when you learn the third type of compensation), all fee-BASED means is that your financial advisor can take fees AND commissions from selling insurance and investment products! So a "base" of their compensation may be tied to a percentage of the assets they manage on your behalf, then the "icing on the cake" is the commission income they can potentially earn by selling you commission driven investment and insurance products.
Neat little marketing trick right? Lead off with the word "Fee" so the general public thinks the compensation model is akin to the likes of attorney's or accountants, then add the word "based" after it to cover their tails when these advisors sell you products for commissions!
FEE ONLY Financial Advisor - By far, the most appropriate and unbiased way to get financial advice is through a FEE-ONLY financial advisor. I stress the word "ONLY", because a truly fee ONLY financial advisor CAN NOT, and WILL NOT accept commissions in any form. A Fee-ONLY financial advisor earns FEES in the form of hourly compensation, project financial planning, or a percentage of assets managed on your behalf.
All fees are in black and white, there are no hidden forms of compensation! Fee-Only financial advisors believe in FULL DISCLOSURE of any potential conflicts of interest in their compensation and the financial advice and guidance provided to you.
Understanding the conflict of interest in the financial advice given by commission based brokers enables you to clearly identify the conflict of interest for fee-based financial advisors also - they earn fees AND commissions! Hence - FEE-BASED MEANS NOTHING! There is only one true way to get the most unbiased, honest and ethical advice possible and that is through a financial advisor who believes in, and practices, full disclosure.
Commission and Fee-Based financial advisors typically don't believe in or practice full-disclosure, because the sheer magnitude of the the fees the average investor/consumer pays would surely make them think twice.
Consider for a moment you need to buy a truck specifically for towing and hauling heavy loads. You go to the local Ford dealership and talk to a salesperson - that salesperson asks what type of vehicle you're interested in and shows you their line of trucks. Of course, to that salesperson who earns a commission when you buy a truck - ONLY FORD has the right truck for you. It's the best, it's the only way to go, and if you don't buy that truck from that salesperson you're crazy!
The fact is Toyota makes great trucks, GM makes great trucks, Dodge makes great trucks. The Ford may or may not be the best truck for your needs, but the salesperson ONLY shows you the Ford, because that's ALL the salesperson can sell you and make a commission from.
This is similar to a commission based financial advisor. If they sell annuities, they'll show you annuities. If they sell mutual funds, all they'll show you is commission paying mutual funds. If they sell life insurance, they'll tell you life insurance is the solution to all of your financial problems. The fact is, when all you have is a hammer... everything looks like a nail!
Now consider for a moment you hired a car buying advisor and paid them a flat fee. That advisor is an expert and stays current on all of the new vehicles. That advisor's only incentive is to find you the most appropriate truck for you, the one that hauls the most, tows the best, and is clearly the best option available. They earn a fee for their service, so they want you to be happy and refer your friends and family to them. They even have special arrangements worked out with all of the local car dealerships to get you the best price on the truck that's right for you because they want to add value to your relationship with them.
The analogy of a "car buying advisor" is similar to a Fee-Only financial planner. Fee-Only financial advisor's use the best available investments with the lowest possible cost. A Fee-Only financial advisor's only incentive is to keep you happy, to earn your trust, to provide the best possible financial advice and guidance using the most appropriate investment tools and planning practices.
So on one hand you have a car salesperson who's going to earn a commission (coincidentally the more you pay for the truck the more they earn!) to sell you one of the trucks off their lot. On the other hand, you have a trusted car buying advisor who shops all of the vehicles to find the most appropriate one for your specific needs, and then because of his relationships with all of the car dealers can also get you the best possible price on that vehicle. Which would you prefer?
Truly unbiased financial advice and guidance comes in the form of Fee-Only financial planning. You know exactly what you're paying and what you're getting in return for the compensation your Fee-Only financial advisor earns. Everything is in black and white, and there are no hidden agenda's or conflicts of interest in the advice given to you by a true Fee-Only financial advisor!
The fact is unfortunately less than 1% of all financial advisor professionals are truly FEE-ONLY. The reason for this? There's a clear and substantial disparity in a financial advisor's income generated through commissions (or commissions and fees), and the income a financial advisor earns through the Fee-Only model:
Example #1 - You just changed employment and you're rolling over a $250,000 401k into an IRA. The commission based advisor may sell you a variable annuity in your IRA (which is a very poor planning tactic in most cases and for many reasons) and earn a 5% (or many times more) commission ($12,500) and get an ongoing, or "trailer" commission of 1% (plus or minus) equal to $2,500 per year. The Fee-Only financial advisor may charge you a fee for retirement plan, an hourly fee, or a percentage of your portfolio to manage it. Let's say in this case you pay a $500 retirement plan fee and 1.25% of assets managed (very common for a Fee-Only financial advisor in this situation). That advisor earns $500 plus $3,125 ($250,000 * 1.25%) or TOTAL COMPENSATION of $3,625 - FAR LESS THAN THE $15,000 THE COMMISSION (or Fee-Based) financial advisor earned! In fact it takes the Fee-Only financial advisor over four years to earn what the commission (or fee-based) advisor earned in one year!
Example #2 - You're retired and managing a $750,000 nest egg which needs to provide you income for the rest of your life. A fee-based financial advisor may recommend putting $400,000 into an single premium immediate annuity to get you income and the other $350,000 into a fee-based managed mutual fund platform. The annuity may pay a commission of 4% or $16,000 and the fee-based managed mutual fund portfolio may cost 1.25% for total compensation of $20,375 first year (not including the "trailer" commissions). The Fee-Only advisor would possibly shop low load annuities for you, possibly put the entire portfolio into a managed account, possibly look at municipal bonds, or any other variety of options available. It's hard to say how much the Fee-Only advisor would earn as their largest incentive is to keep you the client happy, and provide the best planning advice and guidance possible for your situation. BUT, in this case let's just assume that a managed mutual fund portfolio was implemented with an averaged cost of 1% (very common for that level of assets), so the Fee-Only financial advisor earns roughly $7,500 per year and it takes that financial advisor THREE YEARS to earn what the fee-based financial advisor earned in ONE YEAR!
The prior examples are very common in today's financial advisory industry. It's unfortunate that such a disparity in income exists between the compensation models, or there would likely be many more truly independent and unbiased Fee-Only financial advisors today!
Now consider for a moment which financial advisor will work harder for you AFTER the initial consultations an planning? Which financial advisor must consistently earn your trust and add value to your financial and investment planning? It's obvious the financial advisor with the most to lose is the Fee-Only advisor. A Fee-Only financial advisor has a direct loss of income on a regular basis from losing a client.
The commission or fee-based financial advisor however has little to lose. You can fire them after they've put you in their high commission products, and as you can see from the examples they've already made the majority of the commissions they're going to make on you as a client. They have little to gain by continuing to add value to your financial and investment planning, and little to lose by losing you as a client.
Wouldn't you prefer a financial advisory model where your financial advisor must continually earn your trust and add consistent value to your planning?
It's clearly more difficult to earn a living and run a profitable financial advisory firm through the Fee-Only financial planning and guidance model. For this reason, most financial advisors take the easy way and sell products for commissions and charge fees on assets managed - that way they can make a nice living on your investment portfolio and still have an ongoing stream of revenue every year. For this reason also, less than 1% of financial advisors are truly Fee-Only, yet it's that 1% that is truly objective and unbiased, and that 1% whose only incentive is to manage your financial plan, investments, and overall wealth to accomplish the goals you wish to achieve!
The real "dirty little secret" Wall St. has is the undeniable truth that the commission and fee-based financial advisory model has inherent conflicts of interest, and your advisor may be "selling you investment products" rather than "solving your financial problems"!

What Wall Street to know the independent broker want

The word independent can be described as autonomous, unbound by another entities force, direction or will, or perhaps and most importantly freedom. But in the context of your financial advisory relationship independence means much, much more. To understand just why the independent financial advisor model is so vital to your long term financial success, you must understand the difference in advisory models from the ground level up.
According to a survey by Cerulli Associates, an industry polling and research firm, the channels of financial services models can be broken down into roughly six major categories:
National Full Service Brokerage - These are firms such as Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. A financial advisor at one of these firms works for their employer directly, but can provide financial advisor services and sell you insurance and investment products (maximizing profits and enriching company value). There are approximately 70,000 "financial advisors" at national full service brokerage firms.
Regional Full Service Brokerage - These are smaller geographically specific brokerage firms such as Robert W. Baird, Edward Jones, and AG Edwards. Regional brokerage firms are nearly identical to their national counterparts in business model, however they're smaller in size and typically geographically anchored to service a smaller segment of investors. There are approximately 15,000 "financial advisors" at these smaller regional full service brokerage firms.
Independent Broker-Dealers - These are firms such as LPL Financial (Linsco Private Ledger), Associated Securities Corp., Ameriprise and ING. A broker-dealer acts as either a sales organization selling consumers investment and/or insurance products OR as a buyer of securities. Some broker-dealers act in both capacities. There are approximately 100,000 "financial advisors" at independent broker-dealers.
Bank Brokerages - These are banking institutions who also offer financial advisor and investment management services to their banking customers. Banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citigroup offer these services and employ roughly 15,000 "financial advisors".
Insurance Broker-Dealers - Firms such as New York Life, ING, AXA Advisors, Equitable, and Transamerica are involved in the exchange of insurance contracts and services from company to consumer. There are roughly 35,000 "financial advisors" in such firms.
Registered Investment Advisor Firms - There are roughly 25,000 Registered Investment Advisor Firms. A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is a firm registered directly with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or their state securities licensing division. My firm Red Rock Wealth Management is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor Firm. Nearly half of all Registered Investment Advisor firms are also working with or through a broker-dealer (at some level) however to facilitate investment and insurance transactions.
Removing the RIA's with broker-dealer affiliations this means roughly 5% of "financial advisors" are solely in the Registered Investment Advisor model.
The words "financial advisors" are in quotations because these firms hold their employees out to the public in a financial advisor capacity, yet they may or may not be true financial advisors depending on their employment status. In fact, they may be nothing more than facilitators of brokerage transactions for insurance and investment products.
Why is this industry knowledge important to you and your financial future? Because there are varying levels of DEPENDENCE in the first five models for financial advisors. The pure Registered Investment Advisor model with no broker-dealer affiliation is the only completely INDEPENDENT model.
To be clear, many financial advisors at independent broker-dealers like LPL consider themselves independent, and provide financial services in that manner. However there are still issues of reliance on the company that pays their commission checks. Outside of the RIA model however, the independent broker-dealer is the closest thing to a purely independent financial advisor practice.
To fully grasp why the national and regional brokerage firms, the bank brokers, the insurance brokers, and the independent brokers are not independent, simply look at who writes their paycheck. Unless you've never been employed, you understand clearly that your paycheck is contingent upon fulfilling your duties to your employer as your employer describes said duties, period - end of story.
If your employer is "calling the shots", to maintain employment and get your paycheck - you fall in line, you follow orders. You do so regardless of whether those shots the employer calls are in your clients best interests or not. To earn a living - you follow orders. This concept is clear and unwavering whether you're flipping burgers for McDonald's and must prepare food a certain way, or if your a Fortune 500 CEO and accountable to shareholders and a Board of Directors. If you work for someone else, you're dependent on fulfilling their idea of what your job description is.
If your financial advisor is beholden to their employer (and 95% of financial advisors are) they're dependent on that entity for income, benefits, and job security. If they're dependent on their employer, they must fall in line and follow company orders.
But that's not so bad is it? 95% of financial advisor representatives being dependent on the company they work for to earn a living? It is if the company they represent is in turn beholden to maximizing profits and increasing shareholder satisfaction. If the financial advice given to you is somehow influenced by corporate profits, how can you be certain it's in your best interests?
There are several reasons an INDEPENDENT financial advisor will have the upper hand when it comes to providing unbiased financial advice and guidance, but to name a few:
No Proprietary Products - Each of the first five models may create, manage, and sell their own investment and insurance products, or in many cases they have "special arrangements" with other firms to promote and sell "preferred" investment and insurance products. By "special arrangement" I mean kickbacks, a commission, compensation, additional business benefit, etc. The fact is, whether the products are truly proprietary or a special arrangement is made, if the company receives a financial benefit to sell certain investment and insurance products it's effect is proprietary in nature, as it clearly identifies a conflict of interest.
Highly Profitable Insurance and Investment Products - Perhaps the most common form of abuse with the dependency created in the first five practice models is promoting investment products with higher fees and commissions for higher corporate profits. Certain products, such as life insurance, variable annuities and limited partnerships, pay handsome commissions and fees to the financial advisor and their firm. With such a financial incentive - many advisors and their firms will "tailor" their financial planning advice and investment guidance, leading the consumer to believe these higher cost higher profit alternatives are the best solution for their financial problems. This practice lines their pockets while oftentimes picking your pockets clean!
Investment Banking Relationships - Take for example XYZ Company wanting to go public (a Wall Street machine revenue generator). Wall Street Firm A provides a channel to sell XYZ Company stock through their "financial advisors" (and other methods) to consumers. If Wall Street Firm A has an investment banking deal with XYZ Company, chances are even if XYZ Company is horribly run, unprofitable, and inefficient - they're going to take XYZ Company public with an incentive for their stock analysts to be kind in rating XYZ Company stock. Granted, there is supposed to be a "Chinese Wall" between the investment banking side of a firm and the retail outlets and stock analysts - however with the inherent conflict of interest it's naive to believe this doesn't occur at some level.
Promoting proprietary or higher cost investment and insurance options to consumers is in all likelihood nothing more than an effort to increase personal and company profits. This holds true with many investment banking deals as well. 100% of consumers can benefit from low or no-load investment and insurance alternatives. If a financial advisor's real underlying goal it to create a positive financial impact for their clients - why aren't these firms and their financial advisors implementing financial plans using the lowest cost most efficient and effective alternatives? Certainly high costs and fees cannot be a pre-requisite for good performance and financial goal achievement!
A Registered Investment Advisor Firm with no broker-dealer association is the only financial services industry model where the entire compensation comes from the client only - not from the "Wall Street machine". Those first five of six financial advisor models create an inherent dependence on behalf of their financial advisor employees directly to the company they work for. It's unfortunate that only 5% of financial advisors are practicing in the form of a Registered Investment Advisor.
Isn't it time you expected more from your financial advisor?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Power financial management achievement motivation

Don't let the rising cost of fuel and expenses steal your dream of financial success!


A SIMPLE SYSTEM FOR MEASURABLE AND SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SUCCESS


I want to take the time to share some positive information on one of the most important subjects that I can deal with when it comes to successful living, especially in these financially volatile times, and that is the subject of successful financial management. I have known people who have made a substantial amount of money in their professional life, but because they did not have a financial plan, they spent more than they made, thought that the income would last forever (and of course, often it doesn't), and they ended up owing thousands of dollars in debt and taxes to the government. I would like to help people to avoid those types of problems if at all possible, it is not only extremely simple, but extremely possible. After all, it's not how much you make that counts, but how much you keep, and how much you give to worthwhile causes!


I'm convinced that most people have all the ingredients within them, to:


1.) pay off their bills,


2.) get out of debt,


3.) make wise investments for their financial future.


***THAT'S WHY THIS COURSE IS PRICELESS!***
My task is to draw it out of you by providing a motivating challenge to you, along with a simple system for your success, that literally anyone can implement into their life in this crucial area. Most people think that the task is to complicated, and the subject to vast, making it impossible for the average person, without the training of a financial planner to succeed in their personal finances. Although we certainly advocate that a person takes the time to study the subject, and consult with professionals, we believe that a person must take ownership of their own financial success or failure, because no one is going to care about it as much as you! The bottom line is that you must take responsibility for you and yours, and with a simple system you can literally accomplish the task in about 120 seconds a day! That's right, I'm saying that you can pay off your bills, get out of debt, and make wise investments with only an average daily investment of time, of approximately, two minutes a day! I'm going to show you how in this report!


Most people think that they need to earn more money, and we are totally for that, but that is not the main problem that most people face. Most financial problems are created by poor money management, rather than a lack of money. If you do not have a system to manage your money, and if you do not consistently work that system, you will always find that even as you earn more money, your expenses will always rise to meet your income, and usually surpass it! I am going to share a simple money management system that anyone can use for financial success!


Everyone faces financial difficulties at different times in their life. This is a financial age that we live in, and it's easy to fail in this area of life, but the good news is that even your past failure can give you the wisdom to succeed, and certainly it is a great motivator to succeed next time! You must always keep in mind that your financial past does not have to equal your financial future! I have found that wisdom usually comes from experience, and experience usually comes from problems, obstacles and failure. The fact is that it is easy to beat yourself up in this area, which usually just makes matters worse but once you have a clear cut strategy, your attitude will improve, and you will feel better about things immediately! Some people become arrogant with their financial success, but its best to take care, and not be critical as things can change in a "New York Minute", as many have discovered in the past.


With the advent and invention of credit, it's very easy to spend more than you make, and most families today, live paycheck to paycheck. Most are living then, from crises to crises, and in survival mode, rather than facing their financial life courageously, paying themselves first, and working an investment plan! Most people find the money to spend on what they really want, but saving money is not a priority. Somewhere, sometime, somehow you must make saving money a priority, if you are going to have financial freedom and independence in the future, and I'll help you do that!


Most people lack a simple system for successful financial management including a simple savings vehicle. Once that system is learned, implemented, and acted upon, major and positive progress begins to take place!


FIRST: HOW BAD IS THE PROBLEM IN AMERICA?


***98% of Americans over age 65 are unable to support themselves without the help of the government or family members.


***Fewer men are worth $100 at age 65 than at age 18.


***According to the social security administration, of people over age 65: 45% are dependent on relatives, 30% live on charity, 23% are still working, and only 2% are totally self sustaining.


***85% of the over 50 crowd can't come up with $250 on their own.


***Most senior citizens live out their years feeling like they are a burden to society and their families.


*** The number one cause of stress in a marriage is caused by financial pressure. 85% of all marriage problems can be traced to financials difficulties.


***Today's young people face constant financial pressure, because of the emphasis on things in our society. When you're starting out, you cannot have things and money too, because if you want things, you must exchange money for things. You can't have both. How many young couples want in their first year of marriage, everything that it took their parents to accumulate over a thirty year period and more.
But most of these problems could be solved with a simple financial plan, worked consistently over time by both parties!


***95% of all self proclaimed financial failures say they lacked a plan for their finances.


Most people are just too busy in day to day living, just trying to survive, to take the few minutes a day necessary to insure their financial success! We're really without excuse, as there are so many great books, audios, and videos on the subject, that we could take advantage of, but we lack the motivation because we are so tired and worn out from the struggle, and stress of our fast paced lives. It's one thing to have the answers at our finger tips; it is another thing to take the action necessary to solve the problem. In this report you will have the system, a complete strategy for financial success, but you must supply the effort, and I encourage you to not procrastinate, but immediately apply this system and strategy to your life!


The first step in the process of financial success is to find out where you are now. If you want to fly to Tahiti, you must know the city you are going to be leaving from. So in your destination to financial freedom, you must ascertain where you are leaving from, or what is your financial situation right now. You must take the time to do a little personal financial analysis. Take out a sheet of paper , and list all your assets. It doesn't take a lot of effort, but it is essential if you are going to design a roadmap to follow to fulfill your financial dreams. Write down every thing you can think of, such as, do you own a home, a car, property, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, does someone owe you? List all jewelry, and collections, anything and everything of value that you can think of. The idea is to get a realistic financial picture of where you are currently in your financial journey. You are taking inventory of every asset you have that has a financial dimension to it. As you make your list, put a financial worth next to each item of a dollar amount. When you are all finished, total up the list, and that will be approximately what you are worth in assets at this particular time.


Now take another sheet of paper and make a list of all your liabilities. In other words, make a list of everything you owe. Most people do not enjoy this part because it is so revealing. Most people also do not know what they have in assets, and most people are not really aware of what they owe in liabilities. This is important in the process of charting your new course to financial freedom. Write on your liability list, every debt you can think of. What you owe on your house, your cars, you visa and charge accounts, any property, even list relatives and friends that you might owe. Be as thorough as possible so that you can get as real a financial picture as possible.


You then take the amount of your assets, and subtract the amount of your liabilities, and you have a true picture of your net worth! This is necessary to know, if you are going to increase your net worth. Now that you know where you are, you can set goals, and develop strategies, to take you from where you currently are, to where you really want to be.


Many people will find themselves in the negative balance. It was Donald Trump, who had just gone through a financial reversal, and several banks had just put him on a cash control system, was waking down the street and saw a homeless person rustling through the trash, when he thought, "well at least I'm not as bad off as that guy," and then he realized, "wait a minute, that guy is at '0', he doesn't owe anything, when I owe billions!" So if you take stock, and you hit the negative, don't feel too bad. If your not feeling to good after you have done this, let us share with you five things that cause financial failure, so that you can avoid them in the future:


1.) Failing to purpose to become financially wealthy. Remember, good things happen on purpose, and bad things happen by accident. You must make it a priority if you are going to make financial independence a reality in your life.


2.) Failing to control the resources at our disposal. Everyone has something that they can invest to make more money and secure their financial future. Winning the lottery, or striking it rich, is probably not going to happen, but if you take the resources that you already have, and put them to work for you, and let time compound your investment because you have a plan you can develop substantial wealth.


3.) Failing to set financial goals, and to develop a financial plan with strategies for financial success. Most people spend more time planning their one week vacation than they do their financial future! That's a tragedy! That's why people fail, they have no specific financial goals, they have no serious financial plan, and consequently, they cannot take effective action! It really doesn't take a lot of action, just action for a few moments consistently, every day!


4.) Failing to let the money you have, and the money you will have, to create wealth, for you. If you just get started, your efforts will compound every day because of the magic of compound interest, which works for you in investments over time, and against you in debts. Daily activity and action compounds, just like compound interest!


An illustration of the magic of compound interest is, that if you were to open a mutual fund account for a five year old child, and deposit $500 in that account, and never adding to that account again, when that child becomes 65 years of age they could have as much as $500,000 in that account because of compound interest.


Whatever resources you have right now, you need to invest and let this wonderful asset builder, work for you. If you invest properly and wisely, you're letting your money make money for you, even while your asleep!


5.) Failing to find out what you love to do, and using that to create opportunities to create wealth. So many people are trapped in life, just earning a living, instead of creating a life of abundance. People are afraid to let go of the familiar, and get out of the rut, even if they hate doing it every day. People continue to work in controlling, manipulating, miserable environments, with unhappy people, with bad attitudes, instead of using their special gifts and talents to create something of value that brings them great pleasure to work at! Find out what you love to do that charges your battery, empowers you, and then make that your life work, and find a way to make that create wealth for you!


Now that we have discussed how to fail, and have revealed the problems, let's continue on and discuss the positive solutions. The obvious solution is to make more than you spend, and invest the difference. Is that ever profound? The real trick is, how do you do that? That's exactly what I intend to show you! Basically there are three things that you must do:


*First, control your out-go;


**Secondly, increase your income;


***Thirdly, pay yourself first!


All it takes is an easy to understand plan, that is also easy to initiate, and then a lot of desire on your part, enough desire that is, to move you to action! Emotion produces motion. So when you are emotionally sick and tired of being broke, you can create the energy and motion to produce stellar results if you have a strategy to focus on and implement in your life! This is the strategy you have been missing!


Once you have initiated the plan, you will find immediate comfort because of the hope created by knowing that you are finally on a plan that will get your financial life under control. As you then begin to pay yourself first, you will feel much better, as our attitude is usually in direct relation to our bank account balance. Even if we still have unpaid bills. That's why; again, it is so important to pay yourself first!


My financial success strategy is going to be a four step strategy that is so simple that anyone can do it! A word of warning though, many great things are missed by many people, because we think complicated is better! Yet I have found the greatest things of life are found in simplicity, and some will miss the power of this system, because their frame of reference will not allow them to accept simple solutions! I challenge you to try, and test these concepts thoroughly, and see them pay dividends in you finances! I have seen many people apply these principles to their life, and in many cases, it has not only allowed them to, pay their bills, get out of debt, become financially free, and even start their own business. The sky is the limit, but the results are totally up to you. So lets get started with the incredibly effective four step strategy for successful financial management.


MY ASSETS
(Write down everything you own, your house, car, cash, savings, stocks, bonds, property, jewelry, collections personal loans owed to you, anything and everything of value that you can think of.)
____Item______________________________Est.Value
__________________________________________________ Total_________
MY LIABILITIES
(Write down EVERYTHING THAT YOU OWE. What You owe on your house, your cars, your credit card accts., bank loans, student loans, properties, even list relatives and friends that you owe money to. Be as thorough as possible so that you get a realistic financial picture.)
____Item_____________________________Amt. Owed___ Total_________
Part 2
POWER MOTIVATION FOR SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT!
(The Strategy For Success) instituteofchampions.com


The management of your finances can be broken down into four major and critical steps.


1.) You must reconstruct your expenditures daily. The average person has no idea where their money is going, because it slips away daily, in little increments. Most people come to the end of the month, and find out there is more month, than money. How often I have counseled people who make good money, yet at the end of each month their bills are unpaid, and they have no idea where all that money went. You can never control your out-go until you know exactly where it is going. This is paramount to taking control of your finances, and if attended to for just a few seconds a day, you will know exactly what's happening. Let me ask you, what exactly did you spend your money on yesterday, the day before, last week, or last month? I mean every penny! This is so easy to reconstruct if you do it daily, and impossible to do if you don't. There is no place for arrogance here. I have known many people in my seminars that confidently declared that they knew exactly where their money was going, and upon closer questioning they came to the conclusion, that they really had no idea! I'm going to share an easy way to accomplish this simple task.


2.) You must record your income. Once again, most people have no real idea as to how much money they really have coming in to work with. Many people think they make more money than they do, because they have never studied all the deductions taken from their pay-check. Other people have no idea that they have extra money coming in such as a refund from an insurance company, or interest dividends, or some other source. If you will begin to focus on this daily, and start to record it daily, your mind will even begin automatically search for new ways to increase your income, and that's powerful! If you cannot control what you already have coming in, at least by knowing exactly how much that really is, how will you even take advantage of an increase when that happens? You must prepare for increasing your income, by recording it daily as it comes in, start now!


3.)You must review your obligations daily! Most people make the fatal financial mistake of only looking at their bills on the first or the fifteenth, depending on their payday. If you remember, we have previously shared the principle, that whatever you look at on a daily basis is what you will do. If you will take the time to look at your obligations daily, keeping them in the forefront of your mind, you will find that your brain will discover all kinds of creative ways of retiring your debt. This concept is so powerful, you will not believe the mileage you will get out of this when it comes to getting debt free, and I am going to show you how to do it!


4.) You must reflect on your investments every day. Again, whatever you focus on, you become. Its not enough to go to an inspiring investment seminar, or to read a good book on the subject, daily focus and daily action, are critical for success in any endeavor, and much more so in this area that is so important to you! If you will exercise the little, small, discipline of focusing, every day on your investments, then again your mind will start looking for good investment opportunities, and your mind will also find, and free up funds to build you investment portfolio into a fantastic future for you. Again, I WILL SHOW YOU HOW!


Financial success is really the result of simple but good financial habits that are initiated over a period of time, and repeated over and over. Wealthy people have simple habits that are successful, that they have learned and that they just keep doing again and again. Success leaves clues, and once discovered they will work repeatedly if you will just simply repeat them.


Let's discuss thoroughly, point number one in my four point strategy for financial success, that is; Reconstructing daily expenses. I encourage you to purchase a three ring binder to set up your simple management plan. The first thing to do is to take some regular notebook paper, (or make copies of the form I have provided in this report) and at the end of each day, you simply write the date, and then write out everything that you spent money on that day. If you have a spouse, be sure to include them in this exercise. It will only take a few moments. Just ask yourself, "what did we spend our money on today?" Write down everything that you can remember, including every cup of coffee, every snack, lunch, dinner, drinks, newspapers, gasoline, groceries, anything and everything that you can think of. If you will do this for a few minutes at the end of every day, before you go to sleep, you will get a new appreciation for where your money is slipping away to. At the end of the month, you can then categorize your expenses, and easily see where you can cut back so that you will have more money to pay your bills and invest.


This simple process will make you accountable to your self and to your spouse; you will find that you will stop wasting money on non-essentials because you don't want to have to add it to your list at the end of the day. The principle works on the same idea as "Weight Watchers", where they have you write down every thing that you eat every day. What an eye opener that is! I guarantee, this little discipline will work wonders in your life, if you only work it. Your mind will automatically begin to control your spending, and you will feel great because you know you are making process, all because you are simply aware of what you are spending on a daily basis. Daily is the key! If you want it to work, it will only work if you take the little discipline of doing it daily! At the end of each month, (because you will want to continue this effective process), you should have an entry for every expense for every single day. You don't have to get fancy, but you do have to be consistent and thorough.


The second crucial part of my strategy is to, Record your income. If you will go to any office store, you can pick up some simple ledger sheets that will fit in your notebook, behind the notepaper. (Or use the form I have provided) Start by placing the month at the top or the sheet, and title the sheet, "Monthly Income". Each day, when you take your 120 seconds to get your life under financial control, ask yourself the question, "did we have any money come in today?" What about money from a garage sale, or someone who repays you a loan, or a gift from someone, or money from an investment, or money back from a refund. Any number of items would apply. If the answer is yes, then enter it on the ledger sheet. Many days there will be nothing, especially if you get paid twice a month, but get into the habit of asking the question, daily, anyway, as your mind will start looking for ways to earn money to put on the list, and you will be surprised at how really creative you can be in this area. It really does work! At the end of the month total up your income so that you can really know how much you had to work with, and watch that amount begin to grow every month!


Now lets discuss the third crucial part of this four part strategy, that of reviewing all your financial obligations daily. This is where it can get a little negative in the beginning, but soon this list will be a great encouragement to you. Take another sheet of the accounting ledger paper, and entitle it, "Monthly Obligations", and also include the month. Now list any and every bill that you owe! Start with the most important first which would probably be you, (because your going to start paying yourself first, and we suggest that 5-10% is a good place to start). Then list your mortgage or rent, and so on down the line. Dig out all your bills, and jog your memory, and list everything you owe, no matter how painful it seems.


We have seen people with fifty to sixty entries on their list in the beginning, and after a few months the list will shrink and shrink, until finally there will only be about fifteen entries each month that are essentials that you will always have.


A word of warning...when you have your list completed do not go on a drinking binge, or contemplate suicide. Its not worth it. We said this is the negative part, and one of the big reasons that people never go to financial seminars, or ever follow through, is that it is just to painful to face the truth and see how bad things really are. So we would rather hide our head in the sand, like everything else is not exposed! This though is a crucial step as everything revolves around this. Now you are on the road to recovery.


Once you have your list completed, take the time to not only prioritize your list, but also to identify bills that you are paying the highest interest on, and bills that will be the easiest to pay and remove permanently from your list so that next month you can apply that money to other bills. Each evening, look over your list and ask, "is there anything that I can pay today?" Your mind will automatically begin to look for ways to clear this list, and shorten it month by month. As you are tempted to make purchases that you cannot afford yet, your mind will remind you that you would rather pay your debt list down. Its almost magical how it works, but the key is again "daily". As you pay each bill, write the date paid, and make a big deal of it, maybe crossing it off with a red pencil, anything so that you can see the progress you are making. At the start of a new month, transfer the regular payments to your new list, as well as those that you have not been able to take action on yet, and watch that list shrink month after month. If you will follow this plan daily, it will shrink, and you will have a great sense of accomplishment every month instead of being overwhelmed and discouraged because your finances are out of control.


The fourth and final step in this strategy is to, reflect on your investments every day! As I stated earlier, make it a point to pay yourself first. Your creditors will wait, because they have to, the important thing is you, and you must start to pay yourself first, methodically and consistently, if you are going to secure your financial future. Take another accounting ledger sheet, and entitle it, "Investments", at the top. Begin to list how much money you are putting aside each month, and ask yourself the question everyday, "can I increase my investments today?" Savings accounts are the worst financial vehicle you can have your money in, as they pay such low rates that inflation will slowly eat up your money but take action and do something! Mutual funds are generally the best and most consistent investment if you study them. Look for funds that are "no-load", which means that they don't take a commission off the top the minute you invest, thus lowering your investment amount, and causing your fund to have to grow substantially just to break even. There are good "no load" funds that you can invest in for a minimum of $100, and you can even start an automatic deduction, monthly out of your checking account, so that you will be consistent in investing. Be sure to look at a funds growth over the last fifteen years, and find out how many years it will take to double your investment in the current market. The important thing is to pay yourself first, start investing, and if you will focus on it everyday, again your mind will begin to study investing, and cause you to focus on good opportunities that cross your path. It's an automatic when you use a simple system like this that is so powerful. As you work your system you will see what I mean, and you will become a proponent of it, to all you meet. It will totally revolutionize your financial life, if you will just discipline yourself, a little every day, for about two huge minutes, out of twenty-four hours. Do you think it's worth it?


Remember; if you always do what you've always done. You'll always get what you've always got. So, if you don't like what you're getting, you MUST CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!