Newsletters

Most Americans spend more time planning for vacations and holidays than planning for their retirement.1
1 Employee Benefit Research Insitute, 2007

Will you outlive your retirement income?  How much liability insurance should you have? Should you add stocks to your portfolio?  Are your financial expectations for the coming year realistic?

Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide variety of financial topics.  Simply click on one of the newsletter topics below to read the article in its entirety.

  • November

    Home Equanimity
    The contraction of the housing market has caused many people to take a second look at the way they view their homes.

    The Measure of a Life
    One way to help mitigate the financial blow of the loss of a head of household is through life insurance.

    Confident in Consumer Confidence?
    The consumer confidence index can be a useful tool, but it should play only a minor role in an investor’s overall outlook.

    Playing Catch-Up with Contributions
    Something as simple as increasing your contributions to tax-advantaged retirement programs can go a long way toward helping you pursue your long-term financial goals.

  • October

    HOT TOPIC: Moving Forward from the Credit Crisis
    On Monday, September 15, 2008, the country awoke to news that three of the nation's largest financial institutions were unable to survive without help. Now, more than a year after that fateful September day, the economy shows signs of stability.

    Making Moves to the Money Market
    Money market funds are mutual funds that invest solely in cash-equivalent assets that are categorized as low-risk, low-return investments.

    Estate Conservation You Can Trust
    Trusts are popular estate conservation tools that can help facilitate the smooth transfer of estate assets and maintain the family’s privacy.

    Retirement Countdown in a Down Market
    The process leading up to retirement should begin years beforehand to help protect portfolio assets in the event that the markets are affected by unfavorable economic conditions.

    Fixed Annuities May Offer Stability
    A source of guaranteed income may help remove some of the uncertainty associated with retiring when the financial markets are fluctuating.

    Get Ready for Earnings Season
    Earnings can provide a key to understanding the performance of an individual company and the behavior of the stock market in general.

  • September

    One Final Letter
    A letter of instructions can help someone clearly state his or her preferences for many important issues such as organ donation, funeral arrangements, and other details not enumerated in a trust.

    Variable Annuities Add Guarantees
    Investors who would rather not choose between a guaranteed income and above-average investment gains may want to consider variable annuities with living benefit guarantees.

    A Long Look at the National Debt
    To better comprehend the size and scope of the national debt, it helps to measure it against the size of the overall economy.

  • August

    Note to Self: Check Beneficiary Designations
    Outdated beneficiary forms have the potential to cause needless grief and hardship for surviving loved ones who are your intended heirs.

  • July

    Get Your Retirement Reality Check
    A retirement needs-calculation goes beyond the commonly suggested target to have 70% of pre-retirement income.

    Higher Education Pays, But So Will You
    It’s likely that admission to the nation’s top colleges and universities will remain competitive, but adequate college savings can help ensure that a student’s opportunity to attend his or her school of choice is not compromised by the lack of resources.

    It's Not Too Late to Consider Life Insurance
    Results from one survey suggest that confidence in financial security tends to increase as life insurance coverage increases.

    Good Care Begins Early
    Ironically, people who avoid important discussions because they don’t want to be a burden are sowing seeds for even greater troubles because they are forestalling preparation and ignoring the risks associated with aging, possibly until it’s too late.

  • June

    HOT TOPIC: Social Security and Medicare in Crosshairs
    An entitlement crisis has been looming on the horizon for several years. Unfortunately, according to the latest reports from the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, a spike in unemployment has helped to hasten the arrival of these programs’ insolvency.

    Estate of Emergency?
    To help ensure that an estate is distributed according to one's wishes, it’s important to have certain legal documents in place.

    It's Time to Get Real
    During times of market volatility, it can be easy for investors to lose sight of two seemingly immovable obstacles standing in the way of their long-term investment goals: taxes and inflation.

    Inflation Goes to College
    Over the past 10 years, tuition and fees have grown more than 4% faster than the rate of general inflation at public four-year colleges and more than 2% faster than inflation at private four-year colleges.

    The Positives of Negative Correlation
    Few asset groups are perfectly negatively correlated, but a portfolio may still be able to benefit from the correlation principle.

  • May

    HOT TOPIC: Don't Risk an IRA Rollover Mistake
    A rising unemployment rate means more people face an important decision about what to do with the money in their former employer’s retirement plan. Fortunately, an IRA rollover can help, but only if it's done correctly.

    Celebrate Life and the Benefits of Insuring It
    In addition to the protection it can bring, life insurance can also offer some tax benefits.

    A Question of Identity
    Not only is identity theft costly, it can also be a major hassle that affects a person’s credit score for years. The key to preventing ID theft is awareness.

  • April

    HOT TOPIC: The Fed Plans to Spend Trillion or More to Spur Growth
    For the first time in a generation, the Federal Reserve has undertaken a campaign to influence long-term interest rates, a departure from recent monetary policy that has focused almost exclusively on short-term rates.

    Never Too Old—or Too Rich—to Consider Life Insurance
    There are many possible reasons to consider owning life insurance, even if you have convinced yourself that it's no longer necessary in your situation.

    Avoid the Timing Trap
    Market timing is a risky approach that could have a significant effect on a portfolio’s long-term performance.

    Income Now or Later
    Immediate and deferred fixed annuities are insurance products that could help retirees safeguard some of their nest eggs and provide a steady income stream throughout retirement.

    Defend Your Retirement from Inflation
    Over long periods, inflation can pose a significant threat to quality of life for retirees, primarily because it reduces the purchasing power of their retirement incomes.

  • March

    Hot Topic: Historic Stimulus Strives to Spur Economy
    In an attempt to address the nation's ongoing economic challenges, Congress has passed and the president has signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The $787 billion package is remarkable not only in its scale and scope but in the speed of its passage as well.

    When It Comes to IRAs, Know Your Limits
    In recent years, IRAs have become the single largest vehicle for retirement savings in the United States.

    Another Update on the History of the AMT
    The future of the AMT is nothing but uncertain. Therefore, it is important to consider the potential effect of the AMT on your tax liability in the coming years.

    What You Can Learn from LIBOR
    To investors around the world, LIBOR is more than a mere benchmark for short-term interest rates. It’s a proxy for how global markets view the outlook for the U.S. economy.

  • January

    A Simple Conversion
    It has never been easier to convert all or part of an employer-sponsored retirement plan to a Roth IRA.

    Investors Without Borders
    As foreign markets step up to take their places on the international stage, investors content to stay at home may miss out on some opportunities.

    Averaging for Dollars
    Dollar-cost averaging is a method of investing that may enable you to achieve a lower average cost per share over time.

    The Most Important Blank
    The most important document in an estate conservation strategy might not be a will or any other document a lawyer was paid to create, but rather your retirement account beneficiary form.

  • December

    HOT TOPIC: What's Ahead for 2009
    Economists believe the U.S. economy probably entered a recession in late 2008, but a recovery could be in motion by the second quarter of 2009. What else might 2009 have in store?

    Social Security Outlook
    If your retirement is a long way off, you might want to consider the possibility that Social Security may not provide a significant source of your retirement income. Here’s why.

    Don’t Bet Your Life on These Insurance Myths
    Learning about common life insurance misconceptions can help you make one of the most important decisions for those you leave behind.

    What Employment Says About the Economy
    As important as the national unemployment rate is, it’s only a small segment of the overall data collected on the nation’s jobs situation and the economy at large.