Personal Finance Blog for Retirement and Investment Advice

Countdown to Social Security Cuts: Are You Ready?

According to the latest official projections, the Social Security trust fund is expected to be depleted by 2033—just eight years from now. Benefit checks will be slashed by 23% by 2035, less than a decade from now, unless Congress intervenes.

That’s a near-certainty based on the government’s data. If anything, the Social Security shortfall situation may actually be worse because the projections assumed people would suddenly start having more kids, and there would be much more illegal immigration.

It’s a BIG deal for most Social Security recipients: 63% rely on their benefit checks for at least half of their total income, and for 44%, it’s three-quarters of their income, according to the Pew Research Center.

So the question is: Will you bet your retirement security on Congress getting its act together in time?

Or would you rather take control now, so you never have to slash your lifestyle or give up the things that make retirement worth looking forward to?

The earlier-than-expected depletion of the Social Security trust fund means you’ll likely need to save far more than you originally planned. How much more depends on your age, but one thing is clear: You need a safer, smarter strategy starting today.

And adding the Bank On Yourself strategy to your financial plan may be the answer.

It helps you grow wealth safely and predictably—even when Wall Street and Washington are in chaos—and gives you guarantees no other financial vehicle can match.

Here’s What Bank On Yourself Gives You

The clock is ticking, but it’s not too late to secure your financial future.

The time to prepare is now. Start building a retirement income strategy you can count on, no matter what Congress does

Request your FREE, no-obligation Analysis today and discover how to lock in a lifetime of financial security. You’ll get a referral to a Bank On Yourself Professional who can answer your questions and create a custom-tailored strategy to help you reach your goals, without taking any unnecessary risks.

They can also show you how you could transform assets into a guaranteed income you can never outlive. So, request your Analysis by clicking on this button today:

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FREE ANALYSIS!

How to Protect Your Family from Life’s Biggest Hidden Expense

As Andy Rooney noted, “It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”

As medical science improves, people with chronic conditions and disabilities are living longer. You might be hoping that the script for your later years will read “healthy-healthy-healthy-dead.” But the statistics tell a different story. More than 80% of us will require some form of care in our later years, according to a new study from the Center for Retirement Research.

Fortunately, there is a new breed of life insurance policies that offer long-term care solutions. They can help you pay for almost any type of care, whether informal care delivered at home by friends or loved ones, or more specialized full-time support. We’re living longer than past generations, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be skiing the slopes of Telluride in our 90s. [Read more…] “How to Protect Your Family from Life’s Biggest Hidden Expense”

Should You Treat Your 401(k) Like a Bank?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal says it’s time to consider borrowing money from your 401(k). These loans have become more popular as more Americans get deeper into debt at high interest rates.

Most 401(k) plans offer participants the option to borrow from their plan. No credit check or collateral is required.

The IRS requires a mandatory repayment schedule of principal plus interest, currently 9.5% in many plans. That interest rate is lower than personal loans and significantly lower than the average credit card interest rate, making it appealing in today’s climate.

The article went on to explain the significant downsides of these loans. That got me thinking about how a 401(k) loan differs from a loan from your Bank On Yourself plan. So, let’s compare…
[Read more…] “Should You Treat Your 401(k) Like a Bank?”

Are You Prepared for These 3 Financial Shocks?

In today’s crazy world, it’s crucial to remain vigilant against major financial shocks that often catch people unprepared. Here are three shocks many people will face and strategies to help you safeguard your financial future against them.

Shock #1: Your Social Security Benefits Can Be Taxed

Most people don’t realize that it’s common – even for middle-income folks – to pay taxes on Social Security benefits. 48% of Americans already pay taxes on their Social Security benefits, according to the SSA. And because the cutoff isn’t benchmarked to inflation, more and more beneficiaries will soon be subject to the tax.

Doesn’t it bother you that the government may require you to pay taxes on the money you get from Social Security – a system you paid your hard-earned money into for all those years? It’s like double jeopardy!

But most people also aren’t aware that you can reduce – or even eliminate – the taxes you may have to pay on your Social Security benefits.

How is that possible? [Read more…] “Are You Prepared for These 3 Financial Shocks?”

Average 401(k) Balances Have Barely Budged in 5 Years

Fidelity Investments, the largest provider of 401(k) plans, just reported that the average 401(k) account balance barely budged in the 5 years since the 3rd quarter of 2018. They increased by only $1,200 from $106,500 to $107,700… less than 1.2% total.

To make matters worse, inflation was a whopping 21% during the same period. (Here’s a great inflation calculator.) That means those average 401(k) accounts needed to be at nearly $129,000 – just to keep up with inflation!

Okay, but what if you waited longer, say 10 years, like the “experts” say you should. On the surface, that looks better. The average 401(k) was $84,600 10 years ago and is now $107,700 (a 27.3% gain). But inflation over that period was 30.45%, so the average 401(k) would have to be at $110,357 today to keep up with inflation.

In 2022, the average 401(k) balance plunged 22.9%, according to Fidelity Investments. As I write, the market has been rallying, but you’d need an increase of almost 30% to get back to where you were… and another 3.5% increase to keep even with inflation in 2023, let alone have a gain. It’s pretty nasty news if 2022 was the year you had planned to retire.

And the typical IRA hasn’t fared any better over the last ten years, according to Fidelity:
Average Retirement Account Balances [Read more…] “Average 401(k) Balances Have Barely Budged in 5 Years”

3 Tips to Unlock Prosperity Through Gratitude this Holiday Season

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. It’s a time of year when we gather to express gratitude for the abundance in our lives, and I believe that the power of gratitude extends far beyond this special season.

I want to share how gratitude can transform our finances and overall well-being. Here are three tips that highlight the connection between gratitude and financial success:

Tip #1: Focus on What You Have

It’s often said that you get more of what you focus on. Instead of dwelling on what you lack, turn your attention to what you already have. Expressing gratitude for your current financial situation, whether modest or prosperous, can shift your mindset toward abundance. This change in perspective can reduce feelings of financial stress and open up opportunities for smart financial choices.

Tip #2: Be Consistently, Consciously Grateful

[Read more…] “3 Tips to Unlock Prosperity Through Gratitude this Holiday Season”

Should You “Ride Out” the Volatile Stock Market?

Both the Dow and the S&P 500 were back to where they were more than two years ago, as of May 31st. It’s been a stomach-churning roller coaster ride along the way.

The S&P 500, however, has been on a tear, up 10% this year. Maybe you’ve been looking at your investment and retirement account balances and wondering why you’re not seeing that kind of gain.

That’s because just five technology companies drove 96% of those gains!

According to the Motley Fool, nearly half of the stocks in the index were negative for the year on May 31. (MarketWatch just called the S&P 500 “ridiculous” and questioned whether you should bet your retirement on the fortunes of a small handful of stocks.) [Read more…] “Should You “Ride Out” the Volatile Stock Market?”

Is There a Safer Place for Your Money Than in a Bank?

The problems at Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, and First Republic Bank are fueling anxiety for people who want to make sure their money in banks and money market funds is safe.

Adding to the fear that this may just be the tip of the iceberg is that banks borrowed a record amount from the emergency last-resort support the Federal Reserve set up in the last week.

So, it’s not surprising people want to know how safe their money is in a Bank On Yourself plan. Read on for the answer. And, since you must “park” your money someplace, I’ll also explain why you would be hard-pressed to find a safer, more advantageous place to put your dollars – in good times or bad – than in a Bank On Yourself plan. [Read more…] “Is There a Safer Place for Your Money Than in a Bank?”

Why “10 Times Your Income” Isn’t a Smart Retirement Goal

ChatGPT has been making headlines since it launched last year and gained 1 million users in the first week.

If you’re not familiar with ChatGPT, it’s an artificial intelligence computer program that generates human-like answers to almost any question you ask.

So I decided to conduct a little experiment and ask it a simple question:

How much do I need to retire?”

Here’s what the “robot” told me:

 ChatGPT's answer to how much money you need to retire [Read more…] “Why “10 Times Your Income” Isn’t a Smart Retirement Goal”

The 5 Biggest Financial Threats You Face in 2023

As the New Year gets underway, it’s good to set goals and make plans – but it’s also important to review the biggest threats you face.

Here are the top 5 threats to your financial future in 2023…

Threat #1: 2023 Recession

If you had money in the stock market, you know how bad 2022 was. The S&P 500 lost nearly 20%, and the average 401(k) lost 22.9%. Seeing one-fifth of your life savings vaporize in a single year is a hard pill to swallow.

And after having the worst year in the markets since the 2008 financial crisis, it’s only natural to want to put that behind us and move on. However, what we want to happen and what is happening are two different stories. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg see a 70% chance of a recession in 2023 – which means it’s very likely things will get worse before they get better.

Threat #2: High-Interest Rates

[Read more…] “The 5 Biggest Financial Threats You Face in 2023”