Posts by Scott Campbell, RICP
New Client Guide- The Retirement Instructor
We Want Your Retirement to Be Seamless As president of The Retirement Instructor, I know for a fact that we are doing our best to streamline your retirement. That’s why we have so many complimentary financial softwares and services for your to choose from. This article will help you to understand the available tools at…
Read More401(K)s Can Augment Your Retirement Plan
Record Highs in 401(K) Contributions Retirement accounts in the U.S. reached record highs by the end of 2018’s third quarter. The average account balance was $106,500 for 401(k) plans, and the number of 401(k) millionaires in the U.S. increased to 187,400, up 41 percent from 2017. This trend may continue, because of an increase in 2019…
Read MoreReducing Investment Risk With ETFs
Exchange-Traded Funds Are a Safer Alternative to Stock Investing As an indexed security, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are still susceptible to market fluctuations. However, they are a portfolio of investments, which provides greater diversification for the investor than owning an individual stock or bond. The funds are diversified by the ETF’s management and it takes the…
Read MoreJanuary 2019 Market Update
2018 Market Review1 Last year was a little bumpy for markets near the end of the year. This excerpt from How Every Asset Class, Currency, and Sector Performed in 2018 by Jeff Desjardins at Visual Capitalist sums up 2018 really well: “We’re only a few days into 2019, but it appears markets have picked up…
Read MoreCaring For Elderly Parents in Retirement
Care-Giving During Retirement Can You Afford to Take Care of Your Parents? According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, it is now common for people in their 60s and 70s to be caring for a parent in their 90s or older. 10% of adults between the ages of 60 and 69 with…
Read More2019 Updates to Social Security
Cost of Living Adjustments for Social Security Good news! Social Security benefits are scheduled to increase by 2.8% in 2019, the biggest benefits increase since 2012. The average beneficiary – who received about $1,405 per month in 2018 – can expect to see about $468 more over the course of the year.1 Why is Social…
Read MoreHow We Protect Your Financial Security
Recent Increase in Cyber Attacks Over the past few months, the financial industry has experienced an increase in fraudulent attempts to gain access to client data, through false disbursement requests. In fact, cyber attacks are now considered one of the largest risks to financial markets in 2019. To keep pace with the times, we have…
Read MoreDon’t Forget Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s)!
What Are Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s)? When you reach the age of 70 & 1/2, Uncle Sugar (The IRS) mandates that you take a minimum withdrawal from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. Why? So he can potentially tax that money! In the year you turn 70 & 1/2 years old, you must withdraw the specified amount by…
Read MoreHistorical Data May Indicate Future Recession
In U.S. History, We Have Experienced Many Market Recessions: Causes varied greatly and could often be tied to contractionary monetary policy, instituted to reduce inflation. “Contractionary policy refers to either a reduction in government spending, particularly deficit spending, or a reduction in the rate of monetary expansion by a central bank. It is a type…
Read MoreNew Tax Policy Could Increase Your Taxes in 2018
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reduced federal income tax liability for some, but not all Americans. Wealthy residents of California, New York and other high-tax states could face a higher tax bill, when they file their 2018 return.1 Effects on 2018 Tax Filings: Cuts…
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