ARE YOU GAMBLING WITH YOUR INVESTMENTS?

Posted by Brad Bridgewater
On September 30, 2016

Recency bias is one of a long list of behaviors that lead people to make decisions they might not otherwise make after more thought and reflection. Other examples of these biases are groupthink, impact bias, and the gambler’s fallacy. Recency bias is the tendency, based on human nature, to rely heavily on the latest data […]

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT – PITFALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On September 6, 2016

If you’re like most people, the information you receive about Medicare through the mail, from insurance agents, or talking with friends, family, and co-workers is confusing! And the abundance of conflicting information can leave you anxious, worrying that you’ll do the wrong thing like miss a key enrollment period or incur hefty penalties. DO ANY […]

FIDELITY BROKERAGELINK: DESIGNED FOR SAVVY INVESTORS WHO WANT MORE CHOICES

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On August 31, 2016

Are you a savvy 401(k) investor who prefers to do your own investment research? If so, Fidelity BrokerageLink could be a useful tool for you. WHAT IS BROKERAGELINK? Fidelity BrokerageLink is an additional trading platform offered by Fidelity Investments to many of their 401(k) plan participants. It is a self-directed brokerage trading option that offers […]

THE BENEFITS OF ADDING AN AUTO-INCREASE TO YOUR 401(K) CONTRIBUTIONS

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On March 18, 2016

As a pilot, you have many factors to consider when planning for your retirement; 401(k), pension (if retired military or if PBGC through an airline), Social Security and any personal IRAs or savings and taxable investment accounts. In most pilot contracts, the airline makes large contributions to your 401(k), but it is also important to […]

CHARITABLE TRUSTS

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On February 7, 2016

A charitable trust is a trust established for the dual purpose of donating to charity and providing for a non-charitable beneficiary (such as your children). When a charitable trust is used, the gift to charity is also referred to as a split-interest gift because the gift is split between a charitable beneficiary and a non-charitable […]

LOSING AN ENGINE ON TAKEOFF

Posted by Brad Bridgewater
On December 11, 2015

Empathy gap is the inability to predict your own future behavior under stress. In other words, the likelihood of you making an emotional decision instead of an intellectual one. As a pilot, this is the reason the simulator throws every nightmare possible at you during training. Your training prepares you to make the right decisions […]

HOW ARE RMDS CALCULATED?

Posted by Brad Bridgewater
On November 6, 2015

RMDs, or Required Minimum Distributions, are calculated by dividing your traditional IRA or retirement plan account balance by a life expectancy factor specified in IRS tables. Your account balance is usually calculated as of December 31 of the year preceding the calendar year for which the distribution is required to be made. Example(s): You have a […]

COLLEGE TUITION: WHAT IF YOU RUN OUT OF TIME TO SAVE?

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On October 22, 2015

We thought we were ready. We started to save early. When our kids were young we had a plan to save enough money to provide them with four years of college education. But somewhere along the line, the challenges of life got in the way — and now we find ourselves running out of time […]

LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE – IS IT WORTH IT?

Posted by Brad Bridgewater
On June 19, 2015

We’ve all been told that two things in life are guaranteed – death and taxes. Maybe it’s time to add a third, the rising costs of long-term care. Premiums for long-term care have risen sharply in recent years as more insurers have realized they haven’t collected enough in premiums to cover expected future benefit payments. […]

MEDICARE: WHAT DOES IT COVER?

Posted by Michael Kane, CFP®
On June 19, 2015

Medicare is our country’s federally-issued health insurance plan for individuals age 65 and over who have worked and paid into the system. It provides health insurance to younger individuals with disabilities, end-stage renal disease, and ALS. Currently, Medicare provides health insurance to over 48 million Americans and is growing with the many baby boomers retiring […]