Social Security benefits include automatic cost of living adjustments (“COLAs”), which are intended to ensure that payments keep pace with inflation. However, years of low inflation and rising Medicare premiums have meant that, for many seniors, the adequacy of Social Security for retirement income has declined. Over the past eight years, COLAs for Social Security […]
Do we really need to think about long-term care insurance?
The title of this blog probably induced an immediate reaction. If you’re like most of our clients, it was probably not positive. If you own long-term care insurance, you’re probably frustrated that the carrier has come back to you (perhaps more than once) and asked you to agree to higher premiums for the same coverage, […]
Projecting Your Health Care Costs in Retirement
A recent survey of retirees by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates found that half of them had not attempted to calculate their health care expenses in retirement before they retired, and more than 40% said their health care costs are higher than they originally had expected. Years ago, when we built […]
With Social Security, don’t confuse spousal and survivor benefits
Claiming Social Security can be quite confusing, and determining the strategy that will maximize your lifetime benefits can be complicated. If you are or have ever been married, it may seem even more so. Retirement benefits and survivor benefits (available to widows and widowers) can be thought of as two different buckets of money. If […]
Dear Graduate – Time is on Your Side
“Did I ever tell you the story about the magic of compounding?” That’s what you should ask your recent college graduate when you give her a Roth IRA contribution for graduation. It’s possible she won’t listen, but years from now she’ll be very grateful. The power of the Roth IRA A Roth IRA makes a […]
Be Careful with Your Company’s Stock
Imagine that someone has worked for forty years for a company, and is retiring with a pension and shares of stock in that company. If you are among the majority of Americans who do not have a company pension, you might find this scenario rather appealing. But, if that employer were 125-year old General Electric, […]
Investing using Individual Bonds or Bond Funds
Yesterday one of our clients asked us for the cost basis for a corporate bond that had been in her portfolio. It matured last year (2017) and the principal was returned to our client. Her CPA was working on her taxes and needed to know what our client originally paid for the bond – the […]
Retirement Distribution Planning
So, you’ve managed to save enough to retire and spend the rest of your life doing things that really matter to you. If you’re like most Americans, and did not work in the public sector, you probably don’t have a pension from your prior employer(s). Instead, you saved in your employer-sponsored retirement plan. You probably […]
Ladies and Gentlemen – Please Fasten Your Seatbelts
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – PLEASE FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS” If you have every flown with a commercial airline, you have undoubtedly heard these words. This message is broadcast whenever the plane has encountered turbulence and there is resulting concern about the safety of the passengers and crew. After last week’s performance of the stock market, investors […]
Springwater featured in the Oregon State Bar’s Family Law Newsletter
Springwater’s article on “Financial Mistakes Divorcees Make” was published in the Winter 2017 edition of the Oregon State Bar’s Family Law Newsletter. You can read the article, and the newsletter, here (PDF opens in new window). PLEASE SEE important disclosure information at www.springwaterwealth.com/blog-disclosure/.