Insurance

January 16, 2020

Lessons we learned from the last decade…

2010-11: Aftershocks of the Great Recession The best way to see how much can change in a decade is to remember how things were at the end of the last one.  In 2010, we were coming off the worst decade for stocks since the 1930s. The Great Recession had devastated the retirement savings of millions of people. Many of the world’s most famous financial institutions had collapsed.  And the national unemployment rate was near 10%.1 It was a scary and uncertain time. Many investors had fled the markets entirely by 2010, some for good. As a result, they missed a […]
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January 9, 2020

What do I need to know about the SECURE Act?

Before we dive in, understand that the SECURE Act is over 20,000 words long.  (And in fact, the Senate had to tuck it away in a much, much larger appropriations bill to pass it.)  That means there isn’t room to cover every provision of the new law, and many won’t apply to you anyway.  So, what follows is a brief overview of the major changes that could affect your finances. Are you ready?  Then take a deep breath as we review…   Changes to the IRA “stretch” provisions1 For years, one of the most popular estate planning strategies was the […]
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August 2, 2016

Whole Life Insurance – It Just Plain Sucks

Yes, I said it. Whole Life Insurance Just Plain Sucks! My Mom always told me to never use that word.  That it’s not proper or nice to use.  And I agree, unless something really does suck.  And whole life fits the bill. From my seat as a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, many people have brought in their whole life statements over the years.  Typically they were sold their whole life policy by a college buddy that was just getting started and they wanted to help them out.  Others are successful business owners that needed some form of insurance and they were […]
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