Books
Download these Booklets on important retirement topics to get a basic understanding of concepts and tools that you can integrate into your own customized retirement strategy.
Articles: Annuities
Learn more about different types of annuities, including specific features that can affect your payout, how women can use annuities to set up a more secure retirement, and how to decide where an annuity might fit into your retirement estate plan.
Indexed Annuities Offer Security with a Limited Amount of Risk ~~~ You can think of an indexed annuity as a cake, with a solid layer of security topped by a sweet icing of market exposure. [...]
How Annuities Can Lend Safety and Stability to Your Retirement Plan ~~~ An annuity can be a powerful tool for reaching goals in life that are basic to security. An Investment that you cannot outlive. [...]
What Is a Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA)? ~~~ Get a guaranteed interest rate with this tax-deferred investment strategy. Multi-year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs) are fixed annuities that promise a set rate of return for a period [...]
Annuity Lifetime Income Riders: How Rollup Rate and Payout Rate Affect Income ~~~ Lifetime income riders offer guaranteed minimum lifetime income, but these two rates significantly affect the payout you receive. An income rider is [...]
Articles: Social Security
Get an overview of how the Social Security program works and the risks of it defaulting on future payments to retirees. Weigh the pros and cons involved in claiming your benefits at different ages. See how health care costs could take a big chunk of your Social Security income later in life.
The Impact of Health Care Costs on Social Security As health care costs continue to rise at a faster annual rate than Social Security payments, and lifespans continue to lengthen, the need for retirees to [...]
What is the Social Security 2100 Act? ~~~ The Social Security program has run a deficit every year since 2010, and new projections expect that it will be unable to meet its obligations to American [...]
The Uncertain Future of Social Security ~~~ The Social Security program has had a deficit every year since 2010 and by 2033, the program is projected to become insolvent. Though Social Security’s full retirement age [...]
Articles: Life Insurance
Understand the key features of a life insurance policy. Learn about the types of life insurance and how they can help you achieve your financial goals in different phases of life.
Articles: Financing Your Retirement
When should you retire? How much savings is enough? What can you do to ensure that you’ll have an income for the rest of your life? Don’t forget to include inflation in your planning. Women can take steps now to avoid financial insecurity later in life.
Inflation Erodes Retirement Savings Inflation does not literally reduce the number of dollars you possess, but it does reduce your purchasing power. How inflation is measured Inflation and deflation describe whether prices of goods are [...]
Good Debt, Bad Debt Under the right circumstances, debt can have a positive impact on your finances, but the key is to maximize good debt and minimize bad debt. The average American owed $16,720 in [...]
Planning for Retirement in a Slowing Economy ~~~ Being alert to economic slowdowns -- and shifting gears if needed -- can keep you on the path to meeting your retirement goals. When the pace of [...]
Identity Theft and Retirement: How to Protect Yourself Identity theft is a problem that impacts millions of people annually. Retirees and older Americans have recently been targeted at higher rates than other segments of the [...]
Articles: Tax Efficiency in Retirement
Brush up on when and how to prepare for tax day. Learn about tax-reducing credits and investment strategies. Explore tax consequences and potential uses of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).
Avoiding Tax Scams in Retirement ~~~ Every year, as the April tax deadline approaches, there’s an increase in the number of tax-related scams that are reported according to Transaction Network Services. Thousands of taxpayers are [...]
Annual Financial To-Do List Actions you can take this year to improve your financial security. What financial, business, and life priorities do you plan to address in the coming year? Now is a good time [...]
Tax Issues in Early Distributions from Retirement Accounts There are times when people really need money – and in those times, a retirement account may seem like a conveniently liquid resource to tap. What’s the [...]
End-of-the-Year Money Moves Here are some things you might want to do before saying hello to the New Year. What has changed for you this year? Did you start a new job – or leave [...]
Articles: Estate Planning
Learn how to set up your estate plan and put in place strategies for minimizing probate and also conflicts between your heirs. Do a deeper dive into living trusts and beneficiary designation.
Calculators
From estimating how much to set aside each month, how long your projected nest egg will last you, what to expect from the effects of inflation as well as predictions for your Social Security income – these calculators can help!