Survivor Benefits

By Elaine Floyd, CFP Get on your clients’ radar now with a customized calendar that includes financially important dates for them as well as family birthdays, anniversaries, and more. Best of all, you can preschedule your client events, meetings, and portfolio reviews. It will force you to plan your year in advance with the added benefit of ...

By Joe Mont If you have same-sex couples among your clients, be aware that gays and lesbians are at a disadvantage when it comes to retirement savings, mostly because of federal laws. As same-sex couples are increasingly being granted rights similar to those in traditional marriages, many will be at a comparative disadvantage as they enter retirement. A study by the ...

By Helen Modly, CFP, and Sandra Atkins, CPA/PFS Helping baby boomers live out their golden years is going to be a challenge. Funding 30-year retirements will take financial planning prowess as you juggle the effects of inflation, distributions, taxes, asset allocation, and expenditures. Are you up to the task? The baby-boomer generation will change the rules for retirement ...

  By now almost everyone has heard of the strategy to delay the claiming of one’s Social Security benefits.  Why delay?  Because you will receive a higher monthly benefit if you wait.  In fact, delayed claiming of Social Security benefits until age 70 could mean a payout that is 32% more than you would have received had you started ...

  For most workers, their ability to claim Social Security benefits starts at age 62 and many advisors recommend their clients start claiming benefits at this age.  In previous $mart Social Security articles I have addressed this concept, proving that this is generally the wrong strategy for most people.  Following that advice could cost hundreds of thousands ...

In November of 2015, Congress enacted laws that changed a number of claiming strategies to Social Security.  These changes are significant and could reduce the amount of benefits that you would have otherwise received from Social Security over you lifetime. Below is a link to our webinar – Smart Social Security, An Urgent Update, Changes To The ...