By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner ™ Would you like to design your ideal retirement? Where do you begin? First of all, what does retirement mean to you? If you’re in a relationship, does retirement mean the same to you as it does to your partner? Do you know if your “ideal retirement” is affordable […]
Category: Financial Planning
Social Security: Don’t Make These Three Mistakes
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner ™ Social Security has been around for decades and it’s not about to disappear. Why? Social Security is not an “entitlement” (gift) – it’s a forced savings scheme that Americans pay into in their working years in order to secure a pension for life. Ideally, Social Security shouldn’t be […]
Getting Real About Retirement – Will You Have Enough Money to Remain Comfortable?
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner™ Let’s get real about retirement. Will you have enough to remain comfortable in retirement for 30 years or more? Studies show this is a recurring fear many Americans feel. As a Fee-Only financial advisor, my number one priority is to confront this fear and help my clients retain enough […]
Six Mistakes People Make When Hiring a Financial Advisor
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner (TM) There are 6 common mistakes people make when engaging a financial advisor — and all of them are avoidable! Before we go through this list, let’s put the issue of paying for financial advice into context. Health and money are two areas of life where everyone benefits from […]
Five “No Brainer” Moves to Strengthen Your Finances
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner (TM) Here are 5 “no-brainer” moves you can make before year-end to strengthen your finances: Taxes: NJ AND NY RESIDENTS ALERT: If Congress pushes through tax reform that eliminates state and local tax exemptions, many NJ and NY residents (along with MA and CA residents) will be hit […]
Are You a Near-Sighted or a Far-Sighted Investor?
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner(TM). Are you a Near-Sighted or a Far-Sighted investor? If you’re a near-sighted investor, you probably check your investment balances frequently (even several times a day) and you feel good when your investments are up. Your focus is short-term, even though you may live another 30-50 years. Conversely, you worry or feel regret when […]
Take a Quiz: Is Your Financial Advisor a “Broker” or a “Financial Planner”?
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner (TM) Professional You have a financial advisor, but what kind is he/she? Take this brief quiz to see if you can tell the difference between a “Broker” and a “Financial Planner.” Receive 2 points for all “Yes” answers, and 1 point for all “No” answers: My financial advisor has […]
“Keep It Simple, Stupid” (KISS) Your Way to Financial Health
by Eve Kaplan, CFP(R) Professional Are you familiar with the KISS (“Keep it Simple, Stupid”) concept? KISS helps you refine your elevator speech, write concisely…and the KISS concept can boost your financial health. How? By helping you focus on essential ways to strengthen your financial well-being. After working with hundreds of financial planning and investment […]
Which is Best: Lump Sum or Pension Annuity?
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner(TM) Is a lump sum offer from an employer a better choice than a pension annuity for life? The former provides an immediate up-front amount (say $300,000), but the pension annuity gives you a stream of payments for life (example: $1,350 per month). A number of employers dangle a lump […]
Brains and Wine – Both Improve with Age
By Eve Kaplan, CFP® Professional Brains and wine both improve with age (and any oenophile will tell you, putting the two together — in moderation — can be good for you). When I discuss brain improvement with age, I’m referencing a growing body of literature studying the so-called “middle-aged brain” (the 40-60s age group). True, […]