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Financial Education

THE POWER OF LIVING BENEFITS

June 16, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Life Insurance

Preparing for the possibility of a critical medical illness or condition is probably not high on your list of fun things to do.

But its importance cannot be overstated—two-thirds of people who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical debt.¹

What many don’t know, however, is that life insurance can help you shoulder the high cost of medical care… if you utilize living benefits!

How living benefits work

Almost all life insurance policies come with a death benefit. It’s money that will go to your beneficiaries when you pass away. A living benefit is a feature of some life insurance policies that allows you to access the death benefit while you’re still alive.

So let’s say you have a life insurance policy with a $400,000 death benefit. You suddenly get diagnosed with a serious illness that requires you to take time off work and undergo intensive medical treatment.

That means you’re facing a substantial expense with a decreased income. Your medical crisis has also become a financial crisis!

But what if you could access your death benefit in the present? $400,000 may cover a substantial portion—perhaps even all—of the cost of treatment.

And you don’t have to use your entire benefit. If your medical bills add up to $100,000, you could use $100,000 from your life insurance policy to cover your expenses, and leave the remaining $300,000 as of the death benefit!

Keep in mind that only certain types of illness may trigger your ability to access your benefit. That’s why it’s important to work with a licensed and qualified financial professional to create the right policy for you.

If you’re interested in what living benefits would look like for you, contact me. We can review your income and how much life insurance your family needs!

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¹ “This is the real reason most Americans file for bankruptcy,” Lorie Konish, CNBC, Feb 11 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html

THE KEYS TO PAYING YOUR BILLS ON TIME

May 13, 2022 / All Blogs, Credit, Debt, Financial Education

Not paying your bills on time can have significant impacts on financial health including accumulating late fees, penalties, and a negative hit on credit scores.

But maybe you – or a friend – learned about those consequences the hard way. Most late bill payers fall into 1 of 3 camps: they forget to pay on time, they don’t have enough income, or they have enough income but spend it on other things. In case you – or your friend – are stuck in 1 of these camps, consider the following tips to help pay the bills on time.

I forget to pay my bills on time.
If this is you, you’re actually in a more advantageous position. Many easy fixes can help get you back on track.

  1. Use a calendar. This is a tried and true, but often underutilized, method to track your bill due dates. When you get a notice for a bill – either by email, text, or snail mail – jot the due date on your calendar. You can also set a reminder if you use an electronic calendar.
  2. Fiddle with your due dates. Many companies offer flexible due dates. Experiment with what due dates work for you. Some people like to pay their bills altogether at the beginning of the month. You may find that you like to pay some bills at the beginning and some in the middle of the month. It’s up to you!
  3. Take advantage of grace period/late fee waivers. If you do forget about a bill and have to make a late payment, give the company a call and ask them to waive the late fee. Late fees can add up, ranging from $10-50 depending on the account. It’s worth a try!

I don’t have the money to pay all my bills.
If your income doesn’t cover your outgo no matter how diligently you pinch those pennies, it won’t matter what type of bill payment method you use, you’re going to have trouble. If you’re in this situation, there are 2 solutions: increase your earnings or decrease your expenses.

  1. Find a side gig. Take a temporary part-time job to make some extra income. Delivering pizza in the evenings or on weekends might be worth doing for a few months to make some extra dough.
  2. Shop around. Shop around for savings. Prices vary on almost everything. Take a little extra time to make sure you’re getting the rock-bottom best prices on your insurance, cable, phone plans, groceries, utilities, etc.

I overspend and don’t have enough left to pay my bills.
Managing income and expenses takes some practice and persistence, but it is doable! If you find yourself consistently overspending without enough left over to cover your bills, try the following:

  1. Create a budget. Get familiar with your income and expenses. This is the only way to know how much disposable income you’re going to end up with every month. You can track your budget daily on an app like PocketGuard, Wallet, or Home Budget.
  2. Stash the money for bills in a separate account. Put your bill money in a separate checking or savings account. This will keep it quarantined from your spending money and help make sure it’s there when the bills come due.

Good Financial Habits
If you feel bill-paying-challenged, or you have a friend who is, try some of the above tips. Taking care of your obligations when you need to can relieve stress, build good credit, and reinforce healthy spending habits for life!

PLAYING WITH F.I.R.E.

April 18, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Retirement, Saving

Financial Independence. Retire Early. Sounds too good to be true, right?

But for many, it’s the dream. And for some, it’s even become a reality.

What is the Financial Independence Retire Early, or “F.I.R.E.” movement? It might be obvious, but it’s a movement of people who are striving to achieve financial independence so that they can retire early. How early? That’s up to each individual, but typically people in the F.I.R.E. movement are looking to retire between their 30s and 50s.

How are they doing it? By saving as much money as possible and living a frugal lifestyle. That might mean driving a used car, living in a modest house, and cooking at home instead of eating out. They scrimp and save wherever they can to save.

So why is the F.I.R.E. movement gaining in popularity? There are a few reasons…

Some people want freedom. They want the freedom to travel, to spend time with their family, and to do whatever they want without having to worry about money.

Others are tired of the rat race. They’re tired of working jobs they don’t love just so they can make money to pay for things they don’t really want. They’d rather be doing something they enjoy and have more control over their own lives.

And finally, people want security. They want the wealth they need to live comfortably and fear-free, and they want it now. They don’t want to wait until they’re 65 or 70 to start enjoying their retirement.

It’s a challenging path. Achieving financial independence and retiring early takes hard work, sacrifice, and planning. You’ll have to face financial challenges like covering health insurance, for one.

So if you’re thinking about joining the F.I.R.E. movement, what are some of the first steps?

1. Assess your finances. Figure out how much money you need to live on each month and how much you need to save to achieve financial independence.

2. Set financial goals. Determine where you want to be financially and create a plan to get there.

3. Make a budget and stick to it. Track your spending and make adjustments as needed so you can save more money.

4. Invest in yourself. Education is key, so invest in books, courses, and other resources that will help you build your wealth.

5. Stay motivated. Follow other F.I.R.E. enthusiasts online, read blogs and articles, and attend meetups to keep yourself inspired on your journey to financial independence.

So are you ready to play with F.I.R.E.?

MANAGE YOUR FINANCES LIKE A PRO

April 18, 2022 / All Blogs, Budget, Financial Education, Saving

Do you ever feel like your money is going out the door as fast as it’s coming in?

Maybe you’ve tried budgeting, only to slip back into a pattern of unconscious spending.

Or maybe you’ve tried saving, but found that you simply don’t have enough cash at the end of each month.

If you’ve tried to get your finances in order but still struggle to stay afloat, this may be the article for you. Here are three dead-simple things you can do right now to help you manage your money like a pro.

1. Download a budgeting app.

If you’re not a spreadsheet whiz, don’t worry. There are many free budgeting apps available that can help you keep your finances in order without breaking a sweat. Most of these apps make it easy to add transactions and set goals based on your income and expenses.

Best of all, some even sync with your bank account, so you don’t have to tally up your spending each month—the app does it for you!

Here are a few budgeting apps to consider…

Mint is—Good overall budgeting app that syncs with your bank accounts

YNAB (You Need a Budget)—In-depth budgeting tool that’s more hands-on than other options

Mvelopes—Cash envelope budgeting system that syncs with your bank accounts

EveryDollar—Simple budget that requires manual input of expenses

Honeydue—Budgeting app designed specifically for couples

Each of these apps is free to use, but offers additional features for a monthly or annual fee.

2. Dial back subscriptions.

Do you have a gym membership, magazine subscriptions, or streaming services?

Better question—are you using your gym membership, magazine subscriptions, or streaming services?

If you’re like many, you’re shelling out money each month for subscriptions you don’t even use. You may have even forgotten that you’re still signed up for some of them!

But little by little, those subscriptions add up, depleting your cash flow each month.

So take some time to look at your transaction history to discover recurring charges. Then, cancel the ones you’re not using.

Pro-tip: You can also use apps like Truebill and Hiatus to help identify and cancel unwanted subscriptions.

3. Automate your savings.

Do you struggle to save money because of your spending habits? If so, it may be difficult to set aside cash while still having immediate access to it.

The good news is that you can set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to a savings account each month.

In fact, with this method, you don’t even have to think about it! It’s like paying a monthly subscription to a future of potential wealth and financial independence.

And it’s not difficult. Simply log in to your savings or retirement account and look for a transactions or transfers tab. Then, schedule a recurring deposit right after you get each paycheck. Just like that, you’ll automate a wealth-building process that requires zero effort on your part.

If you want to manage your money like a pro, simply follow these three easy steps. With these simple moves in place, you’ll be watching your savings grow possibly faster than ever before!

WHY DEBT IS A BIG DEAL

May 11, 2022 / All Blogs, Debt, Financial Education

Debt is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. It ruins fortunes, causes untold stress and topples governments.

Just ask a millennial about their financial struggles—student loan debt will certainly top their list.

But why? Why is debt so bad, anyway? After all, isn’t credit just money you can use now and then pay back later? What’s the big deal?

Well, actually debt is a very big deal. In fact, it can make or break your personal finances.

This article isn’t for hardened debt fighters. You already know the damage debt can do.

But if you’re just starting your financial journey, take note before it’s too late. At best, debt is a tool. It certainly isn’t your friend. Here’s why…

It begins by lowering your cash flow. All those monthly payments bite into your paycheck, effectively lowering your income.

And that has consequences.

It can make it a struggle to afford a home. You simply lack the cash flow to afford mortgage payments.

It makes it a struggle to build wealth. Every spare penny goes towards making ends meet.

It makes it a struggle to maintain your lifestyle. You may find yourself choosing between the pleasures—and even the basics—of life and appeasing your creditors.

And that brings the risk of bankruptcy. It’s a last-ditch effort to erase an unpayable debt. It comes with a heavy price—creditors can take your home and possessions to make up for what you owe. And even if bankruptcy erases the debt, it will have a lasting impact on your credit score and financial future.

It can change your life forever, throwing your life into chaos.

Think about it—when was the last time someone smiled and fondly recalled that time they went bankrupt? Never. It’s a traumatic experience. This is something you want to avoid at all costs.

This isn’t to scare you into a debt-free life or guilt you for using a credit card. Rather, it’s to educate you on the stakes. Debt isn’t something to be taken on lightly. It can have lasting consequences on your life, family, finances, and even mental health. Act accordingly.

 

 

YOUR LIFE INSURANCE RATE & YOU: HOW GENDER FACTORS IN

March 18, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Life Insurance

Men and women pay different rates for life insurance from the get-go. And it’s purely the result of statistics.

 

Life insurance rates are determined largely by life expectancy, so the longer you’re projected to live, the lower your rates might be. Statistically, women live longer: an American woman is expected to live about 81 years to a man’s expected 76 years. Therefore, if qualifying for life insurance was based on life expectancy alone, a man would pay more every time. (However, it’s important to note that gender is only one consideration while you’re applying for life insurance. Other factors include your age and your overall health.)

Now throw this stat into the mix: 46% of Americans don’t have any type of life insurance coverage at all. That means far too many people do not have the coverage in place to provide for their loved ones in the event of a sudden tragedy. Nothing to cover final expenses or replace the lost income and no inheritance left behind… Finding yourself in financial trouble knows no gender.

When you’re ready to work together to build the tailored policy that takes you, your loved ones, and your goals into account, contact me. Stats are stats, but your unique needs have the potential to shape your coverage and your rate into something unexpected!

RETIREMENT MATHEMATICS 101: HOW MUCH WILL YOU NEED?

March 18, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Retirement, Saving

Have you ever wondered how someone could actually retire?

 

The main difference between a strictly unemployed person and a retiree: A retiree has replaced their income somehow. This can be done in a variety of ways including (but not limited to):

  • Saving up a lump sum of money and withdrawing from it regularly
  • Receiving a pension from the company you worked for or from the government
  • Or an annuity you purchased that pays out an amount regularly

For the example below, let’s assume you don’t have a pension from your company nor benefits from the government. In this scenario, your retirement would be 100% dependent on your savings.

The amount you require to successfully retire is dependent on two main factors:

  • The annual income you desire during retirement
  • The length of retirement

To keep things simple, say you want to retire at 65 years old with the same retirement income per year as your pre-retirement income per year – $50,000. According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy in the US is 79 (as of 2015). Let’s split the difference and call it 80 for our example which means we should plan for income for a minimum of 15 years. (For our purposes here we’re going to disregard the impact of inflation and taxes to keep our math simple.) With that in mind, this would be the minimum amount we would need to be saved up by age 60:

  • $50,000 x 15 years = $750,000

There it is: to retire with a $50,000 annual income for 15 years, you’d need to save $750,000. The next challenge is to figure out how to get to that number (if you’re not already there) in the most efficient way you can. The more time you have, the easier it can be to get to that number since you have more time for contributions and account growth.

If this number seems daunting to you, you’re not alone. The mean savings amount for American families with members between 56-61 is $163,577 – nearly half a million dollars off our theoretical retirement number. Using these actual savings numbers, even if you decided to live a thriftier lifestyle of $20,000 or $30,000 per year, that would mean you could retire for 8-9 years max!

All of this info may be hard to hear the first time, but it’s the first real step to preparing for your retirement. Knowing your number gives you an idea about where you want to go. After that, it’s figuring out a path to that destination. If retirement is one of the goals you’d like to pursue, let’s get together and figure out a course to get you there – no math degree required!

MAKING MONEY GOALS THAT GET YOU THERE

March 18, 2022 / All Blogs, Budget, Debt, Financial Education, Life Insurance

Setting financial goals is like hanging a map on your wall to inspire and motivate you to accomplish your travel bucket list.

 

Your map might have your future adventures outlined with tacks and twine. It may be patched with pictures snipped from travel magazines. You would know every twist and turn by heart. But to get where you want to go, you still have to make a few real-life moves toward your destination.

Here are 5 tips for making money goals that may help you get closer to your financial goals:

1. Figure out what’s motivating your financial decisions. Deciding on your “why” is a great way to start moving in the right direction. Goals like saving for early retirement, paying off your house or car, or even taking a second honeymoon in Hawaii may leap to mind. Take some time to evaluate your priorities and how they relate to each other. This may help you focus on your financial destination.

2. Control Your Money. This doesn’t mean you need to get an MBA in finance. Controlling your money may be as simple as dividing your money into designated accounts, and organizing the documents and details related to your money. Account statements, insurance policies, tax returns, wills – important papers like these need to be as well-managed as your incoming paycheck. A large part of working towards your financial destination is knowing where to find a document when you need it.

3. Track Your Money. After your money comes in, where does it go out? Track your spending habits for a month and the answer may surprise you. There are a plethora of apps to link to your bank account to see where things are actually going. Some questions to ask yourself: Are you a stress buyer, usually good with your money until it’s the only thing within your control? Or do you spend, spend, spend as soon as your paycheck hits, then transform into the most frugal individual on the planet… until the next direct deposit? Monitor your spending for a few weeks, and you may find a pattern that will be good to keep in mind (or avoid) as you trek toward your financial destination.

4. Keep an Eye on Your Credit. Building a strong credit report may assist in reaching some of your future financial goals. You can help build your good credit rating by making loan payments on time and reducing debt. If you neglect either of those, you could be denied mortgages or loans, endure higher interest rates, and potentially have difficulty getting approved for things like cell phone contracts or rental agreements which all hold you back from your financial destination. There are multiple programs that can let you know where you stand and help to keep track of your credit score.

5. Know Your Number. This is the ultimate financial destination – the amount of money you are trying to save. Retiring at age 65 is a great goal. But without an actual number to work towards, you might hit 65 and find you need to stay in the workforce to cover bills, mortgage payments, or provide help supporting your family. Paying off your car or your student loans has to happen, but if you’d like to do it on time – or maybe even pay them off sooner – you need to know a specific amount to set aside each month. And that second honeymoon to Hawaii? Even this one needs a number attached to it!

What plans do you already have for your journey to your financial destination? Do you know how much you can set aside for retirement and still have something left over for that Hawaii trip? And do you have any ideas about how to raise that credit score? Looking at where you are and figuring out what you need to do to get where you want to go can be easier with help. Plus, what’s a road trip without a buddy? Call me anytime!

… All right, all right. You can pick the travel tunes first.

HOW MUCH LIFE INSURANCE DO YOU REALLY NEED?

February 14, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Insurance

Whenever you’re asked about choosing a new life insurance policy or adding additional coverage, do you have any of the following reactions?

 

1. “No way. We took care of this year ago. Having some kind of life insurance policy is what you’re supposed to do.”

2. “Well, it is only a few more dollars each month… But what if we never end up using the benefits of that rider? What if I could spend that extra money on something more important now, like getting that new riding lawn mower I wanted?”

3. “ANOTHER RIDER FOR MY POLICY?! Sign me up!”

Even though there might be some similar responses when faced with a decision to upgrade what you already have, with the right guidance, you can finance a policy that has the potential to protect what is most important to you and your family, fit your needs, and get you closer to financial independence.

The most honest answer I can give you about how much life insurance you really need? It’s going to depend on you and your goals.

General rules of thumb on this topic are all around. For instance, one “rule” states that the death benefit payout of your life insurance policy should be equal to 7-10 times the amount of your annual income. But this amount alone may not account for other needs your family might face if you suddenly weren’t around anymore…

  • Paying off any debt you had accrued
  • Settling final expenses
  • Continuing mortgage payments (or surprise upkeep costs)
  • Financing a college education for your kids
  • Helping a spouse continue on their road to retirement

And these are just a few of the pain points that your family might face without you.

So beyond a baseline of funds necessary for your family to continue with a bit of financial security, how much life insurance you require will be up to you and what your current circumstances allow.

If you’ve had enough guesswork, reactionary approach to how you’ll provide for your loved ones in case of an unexpected tragedy, give me a call. We’ll work together to tailor your policy to your needs!

LIFE INSURANCE: BEFORE OR AFTER BABY?

January 17, 2022 / All Blogs, Financial Education, Life Insurance

Also, the advantage of youth is a great reason to go ahead and get life insurance – for both the mother and father.

 

The younger and healthier you are, the easier it is for you to get life insurance with lower premiums. It’s a great way to prepare for a baby: establishing a policy that will keep them shielded from the financial burden of an unexpected and traumatic life event.

Whether you’re a new parent or beginning to consider an addition to your family, contact me today, and we can discuss your options for opening a policy with enough coverage for a soon-to-be-growing family or updating your current one to include your new family member as a beneficiary.

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