A fellow advisor once shared a story that has always stuck with me. He tried to help his grandmother with her financial and life planning, but she refused. “She insisted that John—her advisor and friend for decades—was doing just fine,” he said. “Besides, she couldn’t imagine taking business away from someone she trusted for so…
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Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, “It is what we learn after we know it all that counts.” That quote perfectly captures one of the greatest challenges in retirement planning. As human beings, we like to feel respected and knowledgeable—and we really don’t like being wrong. That feeling often grows stronger as we get…
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Let’s be real—everything feels more expensive these days. A few years ago, most of us had at least a little breathing room in the budget. Now? Inflation has eaten that cushion and asked for dessert. You may not be able to control the cost of groceries or gas, but you can control how much of…
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(Probably Not—And Here’s Why) It’s a question most people avoid asking: Do I need life insurance—or more of it? The truth? Nearly 102 million Americans say they’re either uninsured or underinsured. That’s 42% of the country!1 And since that number is based on people self-reporting, the real figure is likely even higher. But here’s the…
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I love starting my day with a little time in the Word, and recently I was listening to a sermon that hit me right between the eyes. The pastor asked a simple but powerful question: Where are you getting your advice? It made me pause. Every day, we let different voices shape our thoughts and…
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48% – The chance that you will need some type of paid long-term care services in your lifetime. 1 70% – The chance that you will need some type of severe long-term healthcare need if you are 65 today. 1 7 years – This is the average length of long-term care for a woman TODAY.…
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Do you have it? Do you have enough? Does it cover what you think it does? What would happen if…. You were at cause/fault in a car accident in which someone was badly injured or worse? Someone else was driving your car and the same thing happened? Someone got hurt stepping down the stairs of…
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The August 2008 Money Magazine offered up an article of several successful individuals talking about the smartest financial advice they have ever received. Billionaire and CEO of Virgin records, Richard Branson shared a story about his lack of knowledge in the financial realm and being humble about what you don’t know. Have you ever noticed…
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If I never use it, I don’t get anything back. Yes, that is absolutely true of basic long-term care insurance. I say basic because hybrid plans exist that co-mingles LTC insurance with life insurance or annuities—but that’s a different subject for a different day. Today I would like to share a story with you: Several…
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Actually, that was in the month of November. We couldn’t quite squeeze it into the Life Planning 101 podcast schedule, but that doesn’t mean it is any less important. We have a pandemic in this nation and for once, I am not talking about COVID. This Pandemic is the escalating need for long-term healthcare and…
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