With rates as low and competitive as they have ever been, it’s as close to a “buyers” market in life insurance as we’ll get. Still, in these cash-strapped times, curbing all costs and expenses is a priority for most people, and buying life insurance is no different.
Most people are aware that they can begin collecting their Social Security retirement payout at age 62, and, in doing so, they are informed that they will be collecting a reduced benefit. And most people also know that, the longer they wait to collect benefits, they will receive a higher monthly benefit.
Ever since the introduction of variable life insurance in the 1950s the debate over life insurance as an investment has raged on, and, to this day, the issue remains largely unsettled.
After several years of wallowing in financial upheaval caused by a severe recession and financial crisis, Americans are, once again, looking to the future. A renewed confidence has many people setting their sights on long term goals that, just a few years ago, may have seemed out of reach.
Universal life was introduced nearly three decades ago as an alternative to whole life insurance which had been gradually losing favor due to its low rates of return and its inflexibility as a financial management tool. With interest rates on fixed yield investments reaching as high as 18%, life...
As anyone would have expected, the extraordinary convergence of extreme stock market volatility, low interest rates, declining home values, diminished retirement savings accounts, and chronic economic sluggishness has taken a severe toll on the American psyche. For many investors, it may have forever altered the way in which risk is perceived and managed.
If you have read any literature on retirement planning or have received advice from a financial professional, chances are you were presented with the 70% rule, the one that suggests that retirees will need between 70 and 80% of their pre-retirement income in order to maintain their standard of...
Even as the stock market works its way to new highs, retirement savers, still shell-shocked from the extreme volatility of recent years, are slow to wade back into equities. Smaller investors tend to ignore the history that shows that the market eventually rewards those who can withstand the...
When people’s attention eventually turns to planning their estate, they are suddenly confronted with a new language replete with the kind of legalese and Latin terms that only a lawyer can love, and that’s mainly because lawyers are typically the only people who can understand it. Among the more...
One of the principal tenets of investing is that no one single investment is right for everyone. Every investment has certain characteristics, risks, and objectives that must match those of the investor, and fixed annuities are no different. Although fixed annuities have become more popular in light...
