Retirement

Calculate Your Retirement Savings Requirements

Anyone who is interested in retiring comfortably someday should calculate the retirement savings they will need to have in order to live the lifestyle they desire after they stop working. While it is best to start retirement planning as your career begins, even those who get a late start can take action to set [...]

An Annuity Calculator to Determine Future Value

The annuity calculator below will help you determine the future value of an ordinary annuity by entering the number of periods for the annuity, the periodic interest rate, and the periodic payments. Knowing the future value will help you to compare an annuity opportunity against other types of investments and determine whether a particular [...]

Eligibility and Contributions to a Spousal IRA

A Spousal IRA is an IRA under which contributions are made by an individual for their spouse. A Spousal IRA can be wither a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA, both of which can create savings opportunities with tax advantages for a spouse with little or no income. The parameters regarding eligibility and [...]

What is a Keogh Plan and Who is Eligible?

A Keogh plan, also known as an “HR10 plan” is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan available to unincorporated businesses and self-employed individuals. While most Keogh plans are set up as defined contribution plans (meaning the company sets aside a defined percentage of money to benefit the employee), they can also be set up as [...]

A Fixed Annuity for Retirement Income

A fixed annuity, also known as an “equal” or “flat” annuity, is a long-term contract between an insurance company and the annuity owner under which the insurance company provides payments in fixed dollar amounts to the annuitant for the pre-defined length of the contract or (typically) until the annuitant dies. A fixed annuity is [...]

How a Variable Annuity Works

A variable annuity is a contract between an insurance company and the annuitant under which the annuitant makes either a single purchase or a series of payments in exchange for periodic payments back to the annuitant. A variable annuity offers a number of different investment options (e.g. stocks, bonds, money market instruments) and the [...]

The Accumulation and Annuitization Phases of an Annuity

An annuity is a financial contract offered by insurance companies to provide a series of payments over a specified period of time or for the lifetime of an individual. The accumulation phase of the annuity refers to that period of time in which the annuitant contributes cash to the account. The accumulation phase [...]

A Retirement Planning Calculator

Before you can develop a successful plan to build your retirement savings, you need to reasonably estimate how much money you will need to enjoy the kind of retirement you’re hoping for. Effective retirement planning takes into consideration the threat of inflation, which can erode your savings and jeopardize the lifestyle choices you will [...]

Three Challenges to Properly Funding Your Retirement

As more and more of the Baby Boom generation approaches retirement age and live longer into their retirement years than did previous generations, the prospect of a government-sponsored retirement becomes less certain. Under this strain, governments may be left with no viable option other than reducing social security benefits and/or restricting their availability. [...]

Calculate the Future Value of an Ordinary Annuity

An ordinary or “fixed” annuity provides a stream of fixed payments to the investor at the end of each period for a specified amount of time. Bond coupon payments are often considered ordinary annuities. The owner of the annuity receives these payments in exchange for a fixed sum of money provided up-front. In [...]