As you probably know, the stock market is experiencing the first bear market (20% correction in the S&P 500) since 2009. Although we have had a historic stock market run over the past 10 years, it doesn’t make these drops…
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The Misleading “Guaranteed Rate of Return” on an Annuity
“Can you guarantee an 8% rate of return like the annuity salesman?” I have had a variation of this question a hundred times in my planning career. The minute I get the question my blood starts to boil, hairs raise…
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The Medicare Mistake That Could Cost You Thousands
I’ve been working with a family for years and finally this year they have decided to pull the trigger and retire. Both will retire now that they are 65, and we spent a lot of time discussing healthcare, and specifically…
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The Bucket Retirement Investment Strategy
The goal in retirement is to have an investment strategy that creates a steady stream of income while minimizing downside risk. Yet, the strategy needs to be aggressive enough in which your account can grow and keep up with inflation.…
Michigan Retiree: Get a Bigger Tax Refund
Anyone who does their own taxes has been there before. The moment you input all of your taxes, hit the submit button, and close your eyes and hope that you don’t owe money. Taxes are pretty simple. Have enough withheld…
The Exit Tax When Moving from the U.S. to Canada
Interested in moving to, or moving back to, Canada from the United States? I was recently speaking with a client that moved to the U.S. from Canada because of a “six-month” job assignment. Twenty years, three jobs, and four different…
How CPP Impacts Your Spouse’s U.S. Social Security Benefit
Recently, I got a pretty basic question on the website. Well, what seemed basic enough. Does WEP also apply to a Canadian who lived in the US, never worked in the US, but collects Social Security spousal benefits due to…
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Video: Beware Of This Annuity Mistake
https://youtu.be/xC8EkN4eE70 Careful of Guaranteed Rates of Returns on Annuities How can you lose money when the annuity salesperson "guarantees" a 6.5% rate of return? This video discusses what you should be aware of before buying an annuity. Of course, a…
Retiring in the U.S. vs. Canada
As a cross-border financial planner I get one question the most often, “Am I better off retiring in the U.S. or Canada?” Now, there are many non-financial benefits of retiring in both countries. You may have family back in Canada…
This Recession Indicator is Hopefully Wrong
September 2019: Investing Insights There are a few certainties in this world. Death, taxes, and the Detroit Lions missing the playoffs are a few of these. Another one of these certainties is the business cycle. There are different names given…