This week we're kicking off the conversation about long-term care in our quest to dispel the mystery around what many find to be an intimidating subject. It doesn't have to be so scary, and we're committed to simplifying it for you. Since November is Long-Term Care Awareness month, we can't think of a better time to start the conversation. We're rolling out Part 1 of our month-long series about long-term care. THE BASICS Say the words long-term care and chances are you thi

This is a question that many people ask, but the answer is never the same for everybody. This is because there is no "one-size fits all" solution. What you need is going to be completely different than the person next to you, and so on and so on. Everyone's in a different stage of life, some have kids, some have elderly parents they're caring for, some are business owners, some aren't. Sometimes when talking with a client they say something like "I need $100,000 in life in

When talking with a client, the question of whether or not they have a trust is always part of the first conversation we have. Why is a trust so important? Plain and simply because without one, you're leaving a nightmare for your family to deal with. Someday when you pass away, your estate will automatically pass through probate court. This is a process that happens with everyone if you live in a probate state, regardless of your situation and it can be an extreme nightmare

A beneficiary is an individual, institution, trustee, or estate which receives or may become eligible to receive benefits under a will or insurance policy, retirement plan, trust, annuity or other type of contract. The entire point of naming a beneficiary is to ensure that your assets go where you want them to when you die. So whether you want to leave the proceeds from your life insurance policy to your family, surviving spouse, charity, or a trust, or you're wanting to ens

The latest Transamerica Retirement Survey in 2016 found that women save significantly less for retirement . . . a lot less, than men. The survey found women have a median of $34,000 in household retirement savings (the same as in 2012), while men boast a whopping $115,000 (up from $50,000 in 2012.) We need to change this. This gap can have a huge effect on when and how women retire, and what their quality of life will be in retirement. So why the gap? Men have prioritized

Many people confuse disability insurance with long-term care insurance, but they are actually two very different types of coverage. Today we're going to clarify the difference and run through what each one does. Disability Insurance Disability insurance is coverage that replaces up to 60% of your income during your working years, expiring at age 65, if you should become ill or have an injury that prevents you from working for an extended period of time. You can also think o

As a parent or guardian of a child with special needs, you have unique challenges that you’re dealing with, and it can seem overwhelming. You have to find the right schools, doctors, caretakers, and other professional services that will help give your child the best possible chance of living a long, happy life. This also means that your child might outlive you, and that’s a scenario that most parents of special needs children don’t like to think about, and understandably so.

When you think of life insurance, what usually comes to mind is the death benefit -- the amount of money that is paid out to the beneficiary when someone dies. While the death benefit is the main reason most people buy life insurance, it definitely isn't the only thing it's capable of. If you get the right type of life insurance, it can provide numerous "living benefits" that you can take advantage of throughout your lifetime. (Side note: there are two main types of life i

Chances are you bought your life insurance policy much earlier in life, and for certain reasons. You had a young family to protect, an unpaid mortgage, future college tuition to pay for, income you needed to protect. For many people, the need to keep life insurance in place long-term, or even permanently is a no-brainer. But what about people who find themselves in another category? The reasons why someone initially purchased their life insurance policy may no longer be r

It's a shocking statistic: 64% of women have no back-up plan if they're forced to retire early, according to a Transamerica study. This can happen for multiple reasons: a health condition, company layoffs late in your career, a need to care for a family member, and more. An unexpected retirement can create major challenges for women if they aren't prepared. It's important to have a back-up plan, so here are four strategies to help you avoid finding yourself in this situat

While the term estate planning may sound like it's only for the wealthy, it's really about managing and preserving the assets you have and passing them on according to your wishes after you pass away. This can and should be done, even with smaller estates as well. When this type of planning isn't done, things go through probate, and drag on through the system, which means more of your hard earned money and assets will go to the government in the process of "figuring out" wh

Nearly 80 million boomers are now reaching retirement age, and they make up nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population. The oldest of this group are likely contemplating retirement, or have already done so. Roughly 10,000 a day qualify for Social Security payments, and many of them have done a poor job in preparing for the years that are still ahead of them. The question is, why haven't they planned? Thirty-four percent of older Boomers said that they did not understand the