What Fairy Tales and Myths is Your Financial Advisor Feeding You?

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I’ve spent the last two decades proving there are many investing and retirement planning myths, lies, and fairy tales that most people and financial representatives blindly accept as fact.

It’s really not their fault. Wall Street spends billions of dollars every year to brainwash us.

As the late President John F. Kennedy observed…

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

Here are 3 fairy tales you’ve probably heard from your financial advisor and the facts about each:

Fairy Tale #1: You Must Risk Your Money in Order to Grow an Adequate Nest-Egg

This is undoubtedly Wall Street’s BIGGEST lie. [Read more…] “What Fairy Tales and Myths is Your Financial Advisor Feeding You?”

The 5 Biggest Threats to Your Retirement Security Today

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Recent studies and surveys show that pre-retirees and retirees fear these five threats to their retirement finances most – and with good reason. Which of these keep you up at night?

Retirement Security Threat #1: Outliving Your Money

This is such a big and scary threat that some people say they would rather die before their time than run out of money.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of outliving your money is all too real. The average 65-year-old will outlive their savings by almost a decade, according to a recent study by the World Economic Forum.

To determine how much money you’ll need to have saved by the time you retire, a good guideline is the “Rule of 25,” which says you should multiply your total annual expenses by 25. By that measure, to have $100,000 per year (don’t forget to adjust for inflation) to spend in retirement, you’ll need to save $2.5 million.

It’s also important to consider that you may well live longer than you imagine, and studies show people tend to underestimate their life expectancy.

Retirement Security Threat #2: Market Risk

[Read more…] “The 5 Biggest Threats to Your Retirement Security Today”

Case Study: Enjoy a Guaranteed Lifetime Income and Reduce Your Taxes in Retirement

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Tom Justice is a 59-year-old chemical engineer who has three major concerns about his retirement plan…

His first concern is about outliving his retirement savings

He’s read the statistics and knows that in spite of experiencing the longest bull market in history, the average 65-year-old will outlive their savings by almost a decade, according to the World Economic Forum.

Tom doesn’t have anywhere near the amount of savings recommended by many experts. According to the “Rule of 25,” you should have 25 times your total annual expenses saved by the time you retire if you don’t want to run out money.

Tom wants to live on at least $100,000 a year, which means he needs at least $2.5 million saved up. And that’s a far cry from the $750,000 he’s managed to save in his 401(k)… and it’s all invested in a stock market that he knows is past due for a major market crash.

Tom’s second concern is he believes tax rates can only go up over the long term

[Read more…] “Case Study: Enjoy a Guaranteed Lifetime Income and Reduce Your Taxes in Retirement”

The Wall Street Journal Podcast Interview with Pamela Yellen: Why You Won’t Work as Long as You Planned

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I was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal for an episode of their “Your Money Briefing” podcast.

The episode is described as, “Financial security expert Pamela Yellen explains why most people stop working earlier than planned, and offers safe investment tips to reduce the chances of running out of money in retirement.”

In this interview I discussed: [Read more…] “The Wall Street Journal Podcast Interview with Pamela Yellen: Why You Won’t Work as Long as You Planned”

Retirees Will Outlive Their Savings by 10 Years, According to a New Study by the World Economic Forum

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The typical 65-year-old has only enough savings to cover 9.7 years of retirement income. That leaves the average American man with a gap of 8.3 years, and women (who live longer) face a 10.9-year gap with no savings left.

That’s according to a scary new study by the World Economic Forum. This assumes you live an average lifespan. If you’re one of the “lucky” ones who lives longer, you could outlive your money by 20 to 25 years or more.

6 Challenges You Face that Could Turn Your Retirement Dreams into a Retirement Nightmare…

How many of these challenges have you prepared for?

Challenge #1: The typical household nearing retirement has an average of only $135,000 in their combined retirement accounts – enough to provide at most $600 per month income. (Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances)

Challenge #2: Even healthy couples will face extreme health care costs in retirement. [Read more…] “Retirees Will Outlive Their Savings by 10 Years, According to a New Study by the World Economic Forum”