Paying Down Debt vs. Saving for Retirement
Here is one we hear all the time – “How can I save for retirement with all of these monthly debt payments?” For what is seemingly a simple question, the answer can actually be somewhat complicated. Striking the right balance between debt payments and savings contributions will vary with each household and the solution is […]
The Investor Taxation Lifecycle
We are not CPAs nor are we tax preparers, but a great deal of our time is spent working with clients and their professionals honing a financial plan that is tax efficient. We advise our clients to hire a CPA with whom we can work together to manage their financial plans. The financial plan and […]
Top 10 Personal Finance Best Practices
As more investors seek out and embrace personalized asset management and individualized financial advice, industry tycoons Vanguard and Russell Investments researched the value created by professional advice. Both companies measured the impact on investor returns when partnering with an advisor who provides skilled management and guidance. Russell Investments identified up to an additional annualized […]
The Ballast Roth Manifesto: Why We Believe Roth is for the 99% AND the 1%
Join us for a live discussion about Roth savings on January 27th, 2022 at 4 PM on ballastplan.com/live. Our advisors will be discussing this article and answering any questions. One of the biggest mistakes a retirement investor can make is to believe the common wisdom that Roth savings are only for low income-earners. Yes, […]
Optimizing Required Minimum Distributions
Key Takeaways The IRS made a retiree-friendly tweak to its RMD schedule for 2022 When to best take retirement distributions can be opposite for two similar investors Engage Us: We do our best work when we know your updated situation We’re only a week into 2022 and I have already spent a few […]
Retirement Saving Myths and Misconceptions
We are fortunate to have a very educated and knowledgeable client base, but we are consistently surprised by the myths and misconceptions clients and prospects bring to the conversation. Below I have listed my Top 7 Myths and Misconceptions About Retirement Savings; it is by no means a complete list but highlights the most common […]
Balancing Saving and Giving
Most of our clients aspire to be financially self-sufficient. As those clients age, we notice some amount of transition into wanting to benefit others with accumulated resources. This giving can range from donations to charities of interest to paying for a grandchild’s education to helping a friend in need. We have been fortunate since the […]
Finding the Best Order for Funding Retirement
With a task as important as funding your retirement, determining which accounts to fund and in what order should not be taken lightly. Whether it’s a company plan, individual retirement account or taxable account, there are a lot of ways to save for retirement. So how do you decide where to put each dollar you […]
Determining a Retirement Savings Rate
As we meet with new families, we continually hear the same two questions: 1) are we making good decisions with the money we earn and 2) are we saving enough for retirement? These questions are typical whether a person is 35 years old or 55 years old. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. […]
Testing the Challenges of a Long Retirement
We often joke that our job was created because of increasing life expectancies and pensions seldom being offered. Obviously, finance and investing has become more complicated and there are an ever-increasing number of investment vehicles and planning strategies we help our clients choose between. We also know there is great value placed in our ability […]
The Hidden Benefits of Saving Early in Life
We’re all aware that saving for retirement is not a strong suit for many Americans. There is no end to the alarming statistics regarding our lack of preparedness for when it’s finally time to call it a day. The most recent head-scratcher I came across was a survey done by J.P. Morgan Asset Management and […]
Insight Into Fixed Income + Timing of Social Security
When entering retirement, the question of how to structure income can be the most influential factor in determining a family’s long-term financial well-being. Several factors such as income source, inflation, and sequence of returns present risks and opportunities for retirees. Today’s Atheneum discusses how we might explore retirement income with John and Jane Smith. They […]
