If I ever write another book, and I hope to, it just might be about how our homes fit into our wealth plan and our retirement. I find that once people retire and feel comfortable that their finances will support their lifestyle, the next most important thing on their mind is their home. And once that is sorted out, the last piece is their estate. Often the two – their house planning and their estate planning – are connected. Our … Continued
Years ago, my aunt and uncle spent time in a retirement community in Florida with a couple much older than them. “How was it?” I asked. “No one there buys green bananas!” my uncle exclaimed as a way of pointing out that he was younger than most people there. These days, I find that way of thinking taking over the minds of many of my clients. It becomes noticeable when we are considering investing in bonds and GICs. Interest rates … Continued
I’ve mentioned many times that one-third of my clients are women on their own. This gave me insight that made it possible to write When the Picture Changes. Generally, women live longer than men and women are more likely to be on their own in retirement. But over the past two years, several of my male clients have lost their spouses. I’ve noticed that they face different challenges than women in adjusting to life on their own. I don’t think … Continued
I’ve talked before about how things happen in waves in my practice. I seem to deal with very similar problems in clusters. These days, I’m helping a number of people who have sold their homes to use the proceeds to generate income. They have generally been on their own and in retirement. Their home was becoming too much for them. They no longer needed the space. The maintenance was becoming difficult. And decisions around major repairs were costly and stressful. … Continued
A few years ago, I was a fan of the Netflix series “Suits”. In one of the early episodes, the protagonist Harvey Specter was mentoring his young protégé on how to move a case forward. “Keep pressing until it hurts. Then you’ll know where to look”, he said as he sent off his understudy to get more information. This is absolutely true for wealth advisors if they want to help clients deal with their most important concerns. I’m not talking … Continued
There seems to be a surge in information available about aging well and longevity. This isn’t surprising given demographics and an aging baby boom. What has surprised me is how much time I spend talking about it and how much of my headspace it takes up. I’m reminded of a conversation with my Uncle Vito at a family gathering when I was in my twenties. I was quietly listening while relatives 30 or 40 years older talked. Uncle Vito pointed … Continued
Things happen in waves in my practice. Someone will approach me with a certain financial challenge. Within a week, another person will have almost the exact same concern. Then another. I’ve talked many times about the large segment of my clientele that are women on their own. It was the impetus behind the book I wrote. When the Picture Changes | Matthew Moccio I experienced another wave of inquiries recently from women who are “newly single” meaning they just lost … Continued
NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo recently had an exchange with a reporter that garnered a lot of attention. His team was knocked out of the playoffs and the reporter asked if he thought the season had been a failure. His response was brilliant and highlighted how achieving a goal is a process where you sometimes make progress and sometimes have setbacks. He said, “There are no failures in sports.” He pointed out to the reporter that Michael Jordan played 15 seasons … Continued
I recently read a column by a local financial advisor in a local newspaper. The thesis of the article was this: The single greatest thing you can do to build wealth is to set up a regular savings plan. Hmmm… Certainly, saving is important. There are other key things one should do as well. Have a plan and update it regularly. Diversify. Rebalance periodically. Stay invested when markets are poor. I put all of these in the category of good … Continued
When I began working as an advisor almost 20 years ago, the common practice was to run a financial plan to age 90. Since then, that number moved up to 95 and sometimes even 100, thanks to longer life expectancy. It’s prudent to have a plan that provides for you and tests a scenario where you are blessed with a long life. But that is only part of the equation. It’s not just how long you live, but how long … Continued