How to help clients assess their current financial health
Research shows that investors who guess at their retirement income needs tend to underestimate, jeopardizing their financial health. In contrast, investors who use an online calculator or work with a...
View ArticleDo the math: Precision matters in retirement investing
There’s no doubt about it: retirement planning is complex, with so many factors to consider and so many unknowns that need to be estimated, assumed and forecast. That makes rules of thumb about...
View ArticleSmart retirement planning: Factoring in COLAs
A popular lemon-lime flavored soda once adopted an advertising slogan positioning the product as the “uncola.” That slogan was powerful in the 1970s to set the product apart – and can have value for us...
View ArticleRetirement planning or spring cleaning: Which would your clients choose?
Engaging clients in disciplined retirement planning can be challenging. So, how about trying a new angle: “If you can voluntarily take on a hard task in one area of your life – you can surely do so in...
View ArticleThe head and the heart of retirement planning
As financial advisors, we’re well-trained at helping clients prepare financially for retirement. We help them think through details such as how much their retirement is likely to cost, how much to...
View ArticleHelping clients balance their heart, mind and portfolio
As investing has become more accessible to – and arguably more necessary for – most Americans, rarely a day goes by where investors don’t encounter some sort of investment information: market...
View ArticleIt’s different for retired clients: Understanding risk capacity versus risk...
In our just-released Q3 Financial Professional Outlook survey, we discuss how advisors are generating retirement income for clients in or near retirement. Today’s post will cover how advisors allocate...
View ArticleNew year’s resolution: Employing disciplined investment strategies
The new year often brings ambitious resolutions – often revolving around ways to perfect yourself. Perhaps some of your clients have even shared their resolutions with you. But what if this year you...
View Article3 Myths of retirement investing
Humans have a long history of accepting misconceptions as facts: the myth that the earth sat at the center of the universe began with the ancient Greeks and endured well into the Middle Ages. Even...
View ArticleYour younger clients may be worth more than you (and they) realize
Although Millennials are celebrated as a crucial source of long-term business growth for advisors, some advisors remain skeptical or uncertain about how to balance the fact that younger investors...
View ArticleJump on the bandwagon: National Save for Retirement Week
In the world of investing, jumping on bandwagons is not usually a recipe for success. Buying when everyone is buying can lead to prices being bid up beyond their fundamental value; selling when...
View ArticleInvestors seeking yield may take on unexpected risk
Current levels of low interest rates Investors seeking to produce income from their portfolios may have a difficult task. Equities are paying dividends in the range of 2.5%.1 A core fixed income...
View ArticleThinking beyond Social Security: Congress creates opportunity for advisors
One part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 signed into law on November 2, 2015 discontinues the popular “File and Suspend” and “Restricted Application” claiming strategies that allowed married...
View ArticleThe power of growth after retirement: 15/35/50 Russell’s retirement lifestyle...
It’s common investing wisdom for investors to reduce their portfolio allocation to equities as they age and gradually move to less risky assets—such as bonds. But many think they should be highly...
View ArticleA holiday gift to investors from Chairwoman Yellen
On the seven-year anniversary of interest rates near zero percent, the U.S. Federal Reserve finally raised interest rates last week. A scan of financial headlines could easily lead investors to the...
View ArticleHelping clients to keep their head out of the clouds
In a world of complex data and an abundance of information, the human brain is hard-wired to seek patterns as a way to simplify and focus on the relevant feeds. The challenge is, in its zeal to find...
View ArticleThe bespoke approach – taking tax-management to the next level
For many clients, offering a standardized approach to tax-management – such as investing in municipal bonds/funds instead of corporate bonds and using tax-managed funds for equities in non-qualified...
View ArticleGoing back in time to understand retirement investing today
Retirement (and retirement planning) has changed rapidly over the past few generations. At some level, most investors understand this. But I’d be willing to bet that you’ve had conversations with...
View ArticleReframe & refocus: Seeing the ‘good-side’ of market volatility
Russell Investments’ strategist team is expecting markets to be volatile throughout the remainder of 2016. This can be unnerving for investors because it can make things feel like they are out of...
View ArticleThe value of expecting the unexpected
Picture this: you’re packing for a five-day vacation. You check the weather report, consider your itinerary and decide to pack a small carry-on suitcase. Easy enough — but what if you didn’t know how...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....