Why Women Need Life Insurance By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert Today, women have more financial responsibilities than ever before. How will your family or loved ones manage financially if you die? Whether you are single, married, employed, or a stay-at-home mom, you probably need life insurance. At the very least, life insurance can help pay for the costs of funeral and burial services, estate administration, outstanding debts, estate taxes, and the uninsured expenses of a final illness. Who needs life insurance? Working women Increasingly, families... Read More

Finding More Time and Saving More Money with PERK By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We can all use more time and more money, right? Well, I stumbled across an acronym that can help us do both. The acronym is PERK, and credit goes to Robert Pagliarini, an author, a certified financial planner, a columnist, and the President of Pacifica Wealth Advisors. Here\’s how it works: Think about all your activities and all your expenses (current and upcoming). Write them down. For each activity and expense, apply “PERK”: Postpone: Want a new car, but still... Read More

Women and the Retirement Ripple Effect By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert Women today are an integral part of our economy and key financial decision-makers in their families. In the last 40 years, women\’s incomes have risen more than 60% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and women control 51% of the private wealth in America1. Despite this influence, there are certain factors distinct to women that create challenging retirement realities for them. As a group, lower wages on average and more time spent out of the workforce than men... Read More

Financial Challenges of Caring for an Aging Parent or Parents By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert It was your parents who made sure the tooth fairy never forgot you, and took care of all the bumps and bruises of childhood. They were taking the pictures when you graduated from high school, and later when you married. When you gave them grandchildren, you could see them glow with pride. Now, they are aging and unable to live alone. They need your help with some things and you are bringing them to live with you. The challenges are the same whether you assisting... Read More

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement If you haven\’t seen “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” I\’d recommend you get yourself to a theater and luxuriate in this gem of a film. It\’s the perfect movie for Boomer women (men, too – my husband really liked it). In addition to impressive acting by such notables as Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Judi Dench, it explores the concepts of challenge, transformation, hope, and resilience through humor and drama. I visited exotic and memorable India a few... Read More

Retirement Rules of Thumb By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert Because retirement rules of thumb are guidelines designed for the average situation, they\’ll tend to be “wrong” for a particular retiree as often as they\’re “right.” However, rules of thumb are usually based on a sound financial principle, and can provide a good starting point for assessing your retirement needs. Here are four common retirement rules of thumb. The percentage of stock in a portfolio should equal 100 minus your age Financial professionals often... Read More

Can Money buy Happiness? By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We\’ve heard the expression “Money can\’t buy you love,” but what about happiness? The answer may be yes. An April 2012 Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll found that people who made $50,000 or more felt younger than their actual years, felt less likely they will be burden to others, thought they wouldn\’t feel as lonely as they age, thought they would be more likely to travel and volunteer, and even thought they\’d have a better sex life than those making under $50,000.... Read More

Why Women Need Social Security By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert Did you know that the first person ever to receive ongoing Social Security benefits was a woman? Ever since Ida May Fuller received the first retirement benefit check in 1940, women have been counting on Social Security to provide much-needed retirement income. Social Security provides other important benefits too, including disability and survivor\’s benefits, that can help women of all ages and their family members. Retirement benefits: a steady stream of lifetime income While... Read More

Surprising New Retirement Statistics By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Here are several fascinating findings from the 2012 EBRI (Employee Benefit Research Institute) survey. This is the 22nd year that the EBRI has published its “Retirement Confidence Survey.” The results demonstrate that what we THINK will happen in retirement and what WILL happen are not always the same. I call this “Expectation vs. Reality.” For example: 70% of respondents planned to work in retirement, but only 27% are actually working in retirement. 8% of respondents planned... Read More

For Better, For Worse: Communicating About Retirement By Pamela J. Sams, CRPC NABBW’s Retirement Planning for Women Expert A recent survey suggests that many couples are not communicating clearly about retirement goals and strategies, even as they approach retirement age. The couples surveyed were at least 46 years old with a minimum annual household income of $75,000 or at least $100,000 in investable assets.1 Only 41% said they handle decisions on retirement savings and investments together, and 73% disagreed on whether they had a detailed strategy for retirement income. Many couples... Read More