Financial Market Fear: 2016 Isn’t Off To As Rough A Start As You May Think
Just a week into 2016, and the market is off to a difficult start. If it feels like déjà vu, it is. Chinese market volatility has once again reared its ugly head and is causing anxiety in the U.S. markets. As of Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 is down 10% from its May highs. While […]
Trends to Watch in 2016 as You Plan Your Investments
Over the past several years making predictions about the upcoming year, I’ve noticed that every year the consensus (financial newspapers, strategists on Wall Street, etc.) defaults to “the market should do about 10 percent this year.” As far as predictions go, that’s a relatively safe one, as a 10 percent rise is right at the […]
CIA Brings Holiday Cheer to Clark’s Christmas Kids
For a quarter century, radio host Clark Howard has been raising money to get gifts to needy kids. Since the mid-1990s, those gifts have specifically gone to foster children in the state of Georgia. This year, our team took part in charity by adopting 45 kids for Clark’s Christmas Kids Toy & Gift Drive in honor of […]
Charitable Giving As Part of Your Financial Strategy
As you bring this year to a close and review whether you reached your financial goals, you should also be asking yourself one important question: Did I make charitable contributions in 2015? If your answer is yes, you likely made a smart move that can play out well for you financially. Yes, charitable giving is simply […]
New Laws That Will Affect Social Security Benefits in 2016
Whether you are retiring now or 10 years from now, you need to be aware of these important changes to Social Security. As of November 2nd 2015, President Obama signed, and thereby enacted into law, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Subtitle C, Section 831 of this bill includes significant changes to social security benefits. […]
7 Steps to Increase Your Net Worth
When it comes to our financial health, there are plenty of numbers that we’re concerned about, but the one number that can quickly tell you how well you’re doing is your net worth. Your net worth is the total value of your assets minus your liabilities. This number can help you determine how your debt […]
4 Ways To Achieve A Happy and Early Retirement
In a recent retirement confidence survey, 36% of retirees reported that they retired early—and this isn’t just by coincidence. Many of these retirees have common traits and characteristics that led them achieving a happy and early retirement. Retiring early requires a lot of discipline and a vision of what you want your retirement to look […]
Use Or Lose Social Security Benefits?
I’ve recently been writing on how to optimize your Social Security benefits, and I’ve had several people reach out to me with additional questions. One question that I keep getting asked is, “Why should my spouse and I delay taking our benefits if we won’t be around long enough to enjoy the money later?” It’s […]
9 Factors To Consider Before Taking Social Security
Last week I wrote about how to optimize your Social Security, but I mentioned that deciding on when to take Social Security is not always as simple as waiting until you are age 70 so that you have the potential to receive the most money possible. Rather than simply looking at the bottom line, I […]
How To Optimize Your Social Security Benefits
Social Security turned 80 last month. Whether you like it or not, your Social Security benefits will likely play a significant role in your future retirement. If you’re Donald and Melania Trump, sure it won’t matter; however, the vast majority of Americans count on their Social Security benefits. For many families, Social Security is their […]
