Fullerton Financial Hour

Our national conversation is starting to shift when it comes to mental health and how well you take care of yourself. We don’t always talk about it a lot on this show, but there’s a mental health aspect to preparing for retirement as well. Stephanie tells us if she has seen this come up with the people she helps?

The big question is...can I retire? When can I retire? Do I have enough? Will my money last as long as I need it to? Will my loved ones be okay if something happens to me? Steve Fullerton and Josh Becker help us answer some of those questions

Retirement planning as a concept is still relatively new. Thirty or 40 years ago, people had pensions, they had Social Security and savings, and they didn’t live quite as long after retiring. Stephanie talks about how these factors have changed over the years.

We’re faced with questions every day. What’s for dinner? When’s the meeting? How was your day? These are questions that are – or should be – easy to answer, but when you’re starting to consider retirement, the questions can get a lot more complicated.

There are millions of articles online about investing, tax planning, budgeting, everything you can think of when it comes to preparing for retirement. There are important facts to know, and when it comes to your financial future, knowledge is power. BUT. There’s more to financial success than book smarts. There’s a psychology of money.

If 40 percent of households have protected income, that means 60 percent of households do not. Let’s talk about those people right now. What challenges might they be facing if their retirement income is “maybe” money instead of protected income?

You don’t know what you don’t know. And unfortunately, most of us don’t know enough about Social Security. 65 percent of people either failed or got a “D” on a basic Social Security quiz, and only six percent received an “A.”

Picture a 5-star luxury resort. Lush greenery, scenic views, and top-notch customer service. Now picture a run-of-the mill roadside motel. A roadside motel probably isn’t going to be able to achieve a 5-star rating because … something’s missing. If you could rate your retirement plan, how many stars would it have?

Fewer than 1 in 4 Americans think their current retirement lifestyle aligns with what they planned for their retirement to be. It turns out, it’s one thing to dream about retirement and it’s another thing to live in retirement every day.

Does the thought of outliving your savings keep you up at night? You’re not alone. The fear of outliving retirement savings is a major concern for many retirees. We’re about to share some ways to help address some of the biggest money concerns in retirement.

How much is left on your to-do list this week? What about that honey-do list of chores around the house? It’s a mile long, right? The problem with long lists is they can overwhelm you and cause you to shut down. So let’s keep it simple.

: Four of the hardest words to hear are “We need to talk.” But sometimes, that’s the best way to start a serious conversation. Unfortunately, many couples and families are putting off the tough conversations they need to have so they can plan for the future together. And preparing for the future as a family through estate and legacy planning … is definitely a good thing.

With everything going on in the world right now, your finances need to be able to weather any financial storm. We’ll outline some of the major financial risks on the horizon today and talk about some “all-weather” strategies to help you preserve your savings, no matter what kind of storms are unfolding in the financial world.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to preparing for retirement. When should I take my Social Security? When might I accidentally trigger higher taxes? What if I make a wrong move with my retirement savings?

Picture a 5-star luxury resort. Lush greenery, scenic views, and top-notch customer service. Now picture a run-of-the mill roadside motel. A roadside motel probably isn’t going to be able to achieve a 5-star rating because … something’s missing. If you could rate your retirement plan, how many stars would it have?

Retiring is challenging enough already but if you’re about retire, now you face the possibility of trying to do so during a global economic meltdown. Sound intimidating?

Life in retirement has change dramatically over the past few decades, with people living longer and leading more active lives. Put it another way … in retirement we don’t need that rocking chair.

Resolutions are easy to make and even easier to break. It’s time to look ahead and think about practical goals for the new year.

It’s a bit of a sticker shock for all those gifts “my true love gave to me” … starting with that partridge in a pear tree.

A phone call or website can seem so impersonal. Or worse, it could be a financial scam. At least, those are possible thoughts one may have before they visit someone to handle their finances in retirement. It can be a scary thought to go out there and do something new. So, to help provide more confidence to face the unknown, this show will focus on what the process is like for a potential new clien...

Women statistically outlive men by about six years, so a lot of wives will outlive their husbands in retirement. That means a lot of women will suddenly be taking over their own finances for what may be the first time in their lives. That can be confusing and even scary.

In 2020 more than half of all Americans were covered by some type of life insurance. So a good number of people see life insurance as a useful tool to help protect their families and loved ones. The question we want to address today, is not really “do I need life insurance?” but rather, “Do I need life insurance for my retirement?”

We’ve repeated the stats time and time again: thousands of Baby Boomers retire every day. And by 2030, they will all be 65. And if Baby Boomers are up to bat for retirement … that means Generation X is on deck.