Articles Tagged with Houston Retirement Planning

Boy birdwatchingFrankly, there is less room for error when a single parent is managing all of the responsibilities of raising a family. Five key planning guidelines are the focus of the Parent Herald's article "5 Financial Planning Tips For Single Parents For Your Family's Protection."

Here are the top five most important tips:

  1. Create a safety net. Most important is to have sufficient emergency funds that can be your financial safety net. Single parents should save at least six months' worth of expenses in an account that's untouched until an emergency occurs.

Self-management_senior_swimmingThere is an expression among elder law attorneys called being "elderproofed," according to the Huffington Post in "Writing an Eldercare Plan." This takes planning to the next level, and includes things like how the person wises to be cared for, medical treatment preferences, whether they want to be cared for at home or in a facility, and more. These cover the day-to-day decisions to ensure that desires are followed once a person is unable to make those decisions known.

It's very important for seniors and their loved ones to discuss a care plan for the future before disease or dementia come into play, or a crisis causes eldercare services to become urgently needed. Get the plan drafted while the senior is still fully cognizant and rational. They can be signed when other end-of-life documents are put in place.

In truth, everyone wins with early discussions. When the patient is involved in the decisions for his or her potential care, the family has a better understanding of their preferences and are prepared for tough questions.

Wedding cake topperIn "3 ways to choose the right life insurance plan," the New York Daily News invites readers to consider how their lives have changed over the decades, and how their insurance should change too.

Young adults have some pretty straightforward insurance needs like obtaining insurance for their first car, insuring that special engagement ring or shopping for rental insurance for that first apartment. As we get older, our needs in life and in insurance change. Saving for a down payment on the first house, college tuition for the kids, and then down the road, retirement become new priorities. And many of us will be faced with unexpected events, like illness or death of a loved one, divorce or a spouse who is forced to retire prematurely.

Make adjustments. Life insurance is an important financial tool that should never be a "set it and forget it" plan. For example, a couple has life insurance policies on which they're continuing to pay premium payments and then the husband passes away. Depending on the death benefit and her level of concern for their children's financial state, it is possible that the wife does not need to keep her life insurance policy. She could put the dollars she was paying for insurance premiums in her pocket for her desired benefit. Also, many companies have employer-sponsored life insurance plans for their employees that cover about three years of salary. Depending on the level of coverage, you might consider purchasing additional insurance outside of your employer.

Concerned elderWhen you live on a fixed income, any increases in your living costs present a huge challenge. For Manny Martinez, whose sole income is his monthly Social Security check, even living in rent-controlled senior housing doesn't protect him from being squeezed when costs go up. There are months when he has no choice but to accept food from the very same church food bank where he is a regular volunteer.

Martinez said it doesn't pay to get a part-time job because his rent would increase.

Martinez hasn't had to borrow money, but his situation is similar to many seniors who are struggling to get by, says The Daily Item in "New Report: More seniors falling into debt."

Bigstock-Couple-running-bookshop-13904324In the article "Social Security Changes in 2016.", AARP provided a full list of the Social Security changes for this year.

No Bump. Social Security beneficiaries will not receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) due to low inflation. This is the third time since 2010 that beneficiaries won't see a raise.

Your Average Monthly Social Security Benefit. The maximum monthly benefit for workers retiring at full retirement age is $2,639. The average monthly benefit for all retired workers is $1,341.

SurpriseMaybe the biggest rookie finance mistake happens when someone from human resources sends you a link or gives you a form to enroll in the company 401k at your first job. There's so much else going on, and the usual response is to put it on the "I'll get to it later" list. When "later" becomes years later, you wonder what might have been if you had signed up right from the start.

We've all faced similar decisions, and some we get right—but others leave us wondering the possibilities of what could and should have been. Forbes' article, "10 Financial Choices You'll Regret in 10 Years," discusses some financial decisions that you'll kick yourself for in 10 years. Let's take a look at five of these now:

1. Starting your budget way too late. Most people think that budgeting means not being able to spend money on the things they really want, but it's really a freeing exercise. You can recognize the areas of your life where you're wasting money on things that aren't important to you. Look at where you can use some money for something that is more desirable. As a result, instead of an expense that you could care less about, you will put your money to better use. If you've been putting off beginning to budget, start today and discover its amazing benefits.

Senior on beachThe same people who put off estate planning have no problem finding the time to plan their vacations. And far too many people think the only plan they need for retirement concerns being able to pay bills.

Retirement planning is for that time when you change direction and stop the grind of working full-time. Estate planning is what Federal News Radio's article, "Estate vs. retirement planning: You bet your life, literally!" says is an after-you've-gone shopping list.

Think of estate planning as how you would like things to be, and to be divided, to minimize stress on your loved ones and avoid nasty family fights that can occur after the funeral. You can minimize problems and decide some of the tough issues before you pass away. Estate planning is a thoughtful gift for your family and friends.

Couple paintingFailing to plan for the enormous changes that retirement brings leads many Americans to find themselves emotionally lost at sea when retirement finally arrives. In "The Biggest Oversight in Most Americans' Retirement Planning," Kiplinger's takes a look at what happens to people when they have failed to do any planning for this next exciting phase of life.

Many folks head into retirement with a sense of excitement and a bit of anxiety—but they haven't given much thought to their actual goals: they haven't spent sufficient time thinking about how best to use their unique skills and abilities in their future. Many folks do very little "avocational" planning when preparing for retirement and plan to just "take it as it comes." But those who put some time and effort into planning prior to the day they stop working will have more meaningful and interesting lives. You can devote your time of service to others, newfound creativity, or even start a new business.

If an individual uses good time management and active planning, retirement—and the freedom that comes with it—can be the best part of your life. But for too many people, retirement is a big disappointment. Loneliness, depression, and alcoholism are common afflictions of retirees.

Cartoon moving truckAccording to CNN Money, Americans are moving and Oregon, South Carolina and Vermont are heading up the list of the most popular places, as reported in "Oregon is the most popular state to move to."

Oregon leads the list as the top "moving to" destination in 2015 for the third year in a row. This is according to a study of 123,000 moves conducted by United Van Lines. Nearly 70% of the interstate moves in Oregon were people moving to the state, and the number of people moving to Oregon has increased by 10% in the past six years.

The research also showed that five of the ten states with the highest number of inbound movers are west of the Mississippi River, with the tech boom playing a large part in attracting new residents to the West Coast. However, that's just part of it.

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