Our 2 Cents – Episode #055 Retiring Solo & Long-Term Care Coverage Options Do you need Long-Term Care Insurance? Does your spouse? And is it worth the costs? There are new long-term care coverage options out there that can be quite advantageous, and they are a major upgrade to the old LTC policy that Mom and Dad might have had. Next, we discuss the idea of “Retiring Solo,” or in other words, when a couple’s retirement dates don’t align. What […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #054 Variable Annuities—Are They Worth it? Plus Estate Planning Essentials Today we put variable annuities under a microscope. When someone wants to gain the advantages of the stock market, yet still have some guarantees, is a variable annuity the route to go? Next we cover some estate planning essentials. Can you keep your assets out of the courts and away from probate? Estate planning is one of the items that should be definitely be on […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #053 Post-Election Commentary and 15 Top Places to Retire It’s been quite the roller-coaster this last week and a half! With apparent president-elect, Joe Biden, winning both the electoral and popular votes, we talk about what that can mean, as well as discuss what lawmakers are proposing in their emergency bill to raise 2021’s Social Security COLA adjustment. After that discussion, we move to our next topic and have a little fun. What are the […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #052 Five Questions – Self-Health Financial Assessment There’s a lot of uncertainty in today’s world with COVID, high unemployment numbers, the Presidential election, and the constant turmoil 2020 has brought us thus far. So how can you really know if you’re ready to retire? Take our self-health financial assessment and see if you are ready today! How much money do you have in assets? Do you know how much you spend? What’s in your investment […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #051 COVID-19 Resurgence & The Upcoming Election The uncertainty of both Coronavirus and the 2020 presidential election are casting an uneasy shroud across the nation. On today’s show, we discuss the state of the economy and the stock market—and what impact the COVID-19 resurgence and the upcoming presidential election may have on both. For many, questions are lingering… Who will win the election? Will more jobs be lost due to COVID-19? What tax impositions will […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #050 50th Episode Special & 5 Financial No-No’s On our special 50th episode-anniversary, we want to send a big THANK YOU to all our loyal listeners for staying by our side. We truly enjoy your questions, comments, and continuous feedback of our show, and we look forward to the next 50 episodes together! ON THIS EXTRA-AWESOME 50th EPISODE: Today we start off with some FUN retirement quotes and some clarifications of our last show based […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #049 October “Deep Dive” – 401(k) FAQ’s and Your Retirement There are many questions surrounding the inner workings of a 401(k) and the best approach to the “do’s and don’ts” during your working and retirement years. On this month’s “Deep Dive” we answer questions such as: What is dollar cost averaging? How much can one contribute on an annual basis? What is a target date fund and how can it benefit your retirement? Should one […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #048 Illinois Fair Tax Act & The Markets Reaction to the Election On today’s show, we kick it off with the new tax act you’ve been hearing all about. The new Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker (D), has proposed sweeping changes to Illinois’ tax code, advocating a constitutional amendment to permit a graduated-rate income tax and proposing a new rate and bracket structure. After we discuss the details and inner workings of these proposed changes, we […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #047 Love It or List It – Fitting Your Home Into Your Retirement Plan We get a lot of questions about how the house (or houses) fit into retirement plans. From downsizing, to rental properties, to interest rates, today we explore some of the top retirement questions as it relates to all things housing. Should I pay off the house as soon as possible or pay it off slowly? Is it wise to downsize to […]