The economy has grown, in large part, because consumers are spending more money. It remains to be seen whether that trend will continue as more of the massive baby boomer generation approaches retirement. Even before people retire, many tend to slow down their spending habits. Part of this is lifestyle driven; by age 50, most…

The average life expectancy of a baby born in the U.S. today is 80 years. However, this prediction assumes prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of birth stay the same throughout a person’s life.1 In reality, patterns of mortality improve over time thanks to discoveries and innovations in nutrition and medical science. If you…

It seems everywhere you turn these days, from news shows to news articles to local advertisements, there’s this idea of promoting “mindfulness” in our day-to-day lives. Mindfulness is generally accepted as focusing one’s mental state on the present moment, being completely aware of all elements around us. Some financial professionals have expanded this idea of…

As most of us lament the near extinction of the traditional pension income, planning for our future financial security in retirement has never been more important. There are some creative ways to give your retirement income a boost while you’re still bringing home a paycheck, and enjoy some tax breaks in the process. Traditional IRAs…