For Mark Roberts' Use: Throughout your career and while you were raising a family, you understood that life insurance was essential to protecting your loved ones. But now, with your children grown, you might be wondering whether you still need life insurance. But don't drop that policy just yet! Consider the following reasons for hanging [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: You expect to retire around age 65, perhaps even later, but sometimes things don't work out as we had planned. In fact, 7 of 10 current retirees stopped working before they reached their 65th birthday. Sometimes an early retirement is intentional, but often the decision is forced upon us by illness, [...]
For Mark Roberts Use: Most people enjoy giving to charity, and they also appreciate the possibility of a tax deduction. For years, rules allowing for a qualified charitable distribution (straight from your IRA to the charity of your choice) have been hung up in the political machine. Some years you could claim the deduction, and [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: As the old saying goes, nothing is certain except death and taxes. And while no one loves discussing either of those topics, they both require some advance planning. In particular, once you pass away, your estate could be subject to the estate tax. And because you would probably prefer to leave [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: As you plan for retirement, it's normal and expected to focus on a particular savings goal. Or, perhaps you've already met that goal, and you just want to finish paying down your debts first. These are both worthwhile goals, and you should indeed set a goal based upon the income you [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Each fall, Social Security releases an expected cost of living adjustment (COLA), which takes effect on January 1 of the following year. And each fall, seniors who live on a fixed income anxiously await this news, so they can prepare their budgets and make any necessary adjustments. With the cost of [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Even though it’s a common purchase, life insurance is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make. Just as you wouldn’t purchase a home or invest money without conducting some thorough research, you also shouldn’t select a life insurance policy without arming yourself with complete information. Avoid these common [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Many people set a retirement savings goal early in their careers, and diligently save a specific amount of money each year. But even if you’re on track to meet your original goal, you should still re-evaluate your plan on a regular basis. Many of us watched our parents and grandparents retire, and [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: If you were surprised by the Brexit outcome on June 23, you weren’t alone. Going against polls that predicted Britain would remain with the European Union, voters actually decided to exit. And of course, markets responded negatively to the surprise. Stock prices dropped, rising bond prices caused interest rates to fall, [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: As you plan for retirement, you might view Social Security as the foundation of your long-term stability. Over the years, you have made contributions to this system through paycheck deductions, and you expect your benefits to be there when you need them. But, as you have probably heard, the Social Security [...]