Investments
Investing is a complicated and intimidating topic that many people may avoid simply because they don't know anything about it. That's where Senior Benefits comes in! We want to help you invest because it's important to preparing for the future, but we also understand how intimidating and confusing it can be! Andy Roman wants to share with you some tips and info to help you better understand investments.
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Mutual Funds
What is a mutual fund?
A mutual fund is a way of investing that includes putting money into a fund of many companies instead of investing in one company at a time. Mutual funds are run by stock managers who select a large number of companies to invest your money in. As the companies' stocks rise and fall, the stock manager determines when to sell and buy stocks in different companies.
This approach of investing in a fund of many companies is more reliable than investing in individual companies. When a company does poorly and you have stock in it, you lose money. However, when one company does poorly in a mutual fund, the many other companies in the fund may be doing well, so your money and stocks are safer.
How to I know what mutual funds to invest in?
There are several sources for monitoring the current and past performance of a mutual fund, but one we recommend is a 3rd-party Morningstar. Morningstar lets you search for the name and Ticker of each fund. You can find information going back up to 15 years on funds, read some expert descriptions of the funds, and check how much a person could have gained if they invested in the past.
Below are the Tickers of some mutual funds we recommend looking at as examples of different types of mutual funds.
American Funds
Tickers for the American Funds coming soon...
Americal Century Funds
AFDIX - Is rated a 4/5 star class on Morningstar for this fund's past performance and is categorized as a Large Blend fund. This means it focuses on long-term, steady growth instead of big, risky income.
ACFOX - Is rated a 4/5 star class on Morningstar for this fund's past performance and is categorized as a Large Growth fund. This means that it focuses on growth-oriented companies that are anticipated to grow dramatically, but holds risk in that the growth may not happen as much or at all.
TWEIX - Is rated a 3/5 star class on Morningstar for this fund's past performance and is categorized as a Large Value fund. This means the fund focuses on long-term gain through investing in under-valued companies with much lower risk of losses.
Templeton Funds (Formerly Legg Manson Funds)
Tickers for the Templeton Funds coming soon...
Plus +20 other well-known Mutual Funds!
Biblically Responsible Investing
If you are religious, you may be more concerned about the specifics of where your investments are going. There are plans and funds out there that take your religion into consideration so you can invest in the future without sacrificing your morals.
Below are some plans that take religion into account when forming a fund.
This is a Christian plan that takes many common beliefs and morals in Christian religions into account when screening for companies to invest in. They have information on what these beliefs include on their website.
Investing in Gold and Silver and Crypto
Inflation is constantly decreasing the value of your dollar. But gold and silver are limited and precious metals that are safer to invest in during times of uncertainty than some other investment options.
To diversify your investments and reduce the risk of losing all your investments, gold and silver are a good, non-dollar based option.
We also offer cryptocurrency services to diversify your portfolio even more!
Annuities
What is it? Why get it? Do you know how much money you will need saved? What if you outlive your retirement savings? No matter how well you plan, fluctuating expenses can potentially deplete your retirement savings and force you to suffer a lower quality of life or rely on your family for financial support. An annuity can help you avoid a future dilemma and safeguard your financial security by setting you up with guaranteed income throughout retirement, even if you live to be 100. For personalized help with your retirement planning our highly trained team is happy to explain the options and find the right annuity to fit your income needs.
What is an Annuity?
An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company that you pay into it in a lump sum or series of payments, and in return you get regular amounts of income that can start right away or at a pre-determined time. The goal of an annuity is to provide a steady amount of income during retirement. Much of an annuity can be customized to the needs of each individual, and you can choose when you want to start receiving payments from your contributions. An annuity that begins paying out immediately is referred to as an immediate annuity, while one that starts at a future date is called a deferred annuity.
Income for Life
Saving for retirement is one of the most stressful and difficult financial challenges facing Americans today. Company pensions are a thing of the past, Social Security may not be there by the time you're ready to retire, and 401(k) and IRA plans have maximum contribution levels that can limit savings. You can benefit from tax-deferred savings and ensure that you have a guaranteed income in retirement with the proper plan with an annuity.
How Annuities can Help You
No matter how well you plan there is no guarantee on what the future will bring. Inflation, tax hikes and increased medical expenses could eat away at your retirement savings. This means living at a lower quality of life or relying on your family for financial support in your golden years. An annuity can help you avoid these sorts of issues and help to safeguard your financial security. You can structure an annuity to pay you for the rest of your life, even if you live to be 100. You can also use annuities to transfer wealth to the next generation while avoiding probate.
The best part? There are no monthly premiums, and your annuity is guaranteed to never lose money. For personalized help with your retirement planning, contact Senior Benefits Services today. Our highly trained team is happy to explain the options your options and help you find the right annuity to fit your income needs.
Variable Annuities
Variable Annuities are a mutual fund investment that allows you to invest the minimum payment before retirement and you are paid a certain income during retirement depending on the initial investment. There are also options that allow you to pass your benefits on to a loved one.
Jackson National
Jackson National is one provider of variable annuities with several options to choose from to best diversify and protect your investments as you move into retirement. They have videos and detailed documents with information on variable annuities from surface level understanding to in-depth breakdown of each product and how it varies from others.
Lincoln Financial
Lincoln Financial Group is another provider of variable annuities that include several products and options that let you find the best fit for your life.
MetLife
If you're looking into getting a variable annuity through MetLife, they have a large selection of products listed with their past performance and their potential in the future available for you to compare and browse.
IRA
IRAs or Individual Retirement Arrangements are a way to save for retirement with various ta benefits. There are two main types of IRA: Traditional and Roth.
Traditional IRA
A traditional IRA is setting a portion of your paycheck aside in savings with no taxes taken out as you add to your savings. However, when you are old enough to take money out of your IRA to use, it will be taxed then.
Roth IRA
A Roth IRA is setting a portion of your paycheck aside in savings and having it taxed as you add to it. However, when you take the money out later in your life, you do not pay taxes on it since you already had when you put money in.
Education Savings Account
If you are planning on having children or have already had them, setting up an education savings account can help them get a complete education that helps them grow into the future they want. From kindergarten through college, you can use the savings in the account to support them as they grow. There is an income cap on the account as your income must be below a certain amount, but in the case that you make more than the account allows you can use a 529 College Plan.
529 College Plans
A 529 College Plan is similar to an ESA in that it's for saving and paying for college, K-12 tuition, and some apprenticeship costs but has no income level cap. It allows you to save money for your own or another's education, and can even allow for friends and family to put money into the account as a gift for the student.
Brokerage Accounts
A brokerage account is a special account similar to a bank account, but it allows you to access the stock market so you can invest the money you put in in stocks, bonds, and mutual accounts. Some accounts can even be managed by a broker who invests strategically for you.
Roll-Over IRA
A roll-over IRA helps you move your employer-sponsored retirement IRAs into your own, separate account without getting charged taxes or early-withdraw fees. If your retirement savings are through your employer, you may want to look into a roll-over IRA when you start planning to leave.