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Category: Budgeting

Why You Still Need Goals-Based Planning in Retirement

Why You Still Need Goals-Based Planning in Retirement

Before you retired, you may have spent time developing strategies to help you reach your retirement goals. You might have invested for the income you would need, minimized your debt, or protected yourself with long-term-care insurance. By focusing on your financial goals and envisioning the lifestyle you wanted for that next stage in life, you were able to build a path toward retirement.

Now that you are retired, you are no longer setting long-range goals because you’ve likely reached your destination, right? Not quite.

Each stage in life requires new goals and strategies, and retirement is no different. Here are some reasons why goals-based planning can still help you build the life you enjoy, even in retirement.

Your New Reality May Not Be What You Expected

The Employee Benefit Research Institute found that fewer than half of retirees say that their retirement is very enjoyable, no matter their economic status or gender.[I]

As you prepared for this phase of life, you may have envisioned your dreams of a leisurely lifestyle coming true. But as reality set in, you found the life you once imagined is not what you are experiencing. If this is true for you, you can still make the most of your retirement by acknowledging how you’re feeling and identifying the necessary steps to revamp your perspective and experiences.

Ask Yourself these Questions:

  • What exactly do I feel unhappy about? And what am I able to change?
  • What have I been unable to achieve so far? And what are the roadblocks?
  • What lifestyle changes can I make? What can I change now to make my life different?

You May Need New Lifestyle Goals

The average retiree in America will spend 18 years in retirement.[ii] Before you retired, you had to focus on the goals that would help you retire comfortably; now you may need to look at how you want to spend your time.

If you have reached retirement and found yourself feeling disappointed or disillusioned, you can make changes. You can start revamping your lifestyle by identifying ways to enhance your enjoyment and deepen your engagement in the long term.

Ask Yourself these Questions:

  • Are there any new hobbies I would like to pursue?
  • What volunteer opportunities could increase my community involvement?
  • Should I get a part-time job, and what new skills can I develop to support my search?

Ultimately, every stage in life brings new experiences and fresh priorities. Just because you spent years working to ensure you could afford retirement doesn’t necessarily mean that the planning and preparation stops once you retire. Of course, your unique financial situation and life values will drive how goals-based planning can help you in retirement.

If you’d like to explore how to strengthen your goals and better ensure you live your best retirement life, feel free to contact us.

Investment advisory services are offered through CapSouth Partners, Inc., dba CapSouth Wealth Management, an independent registered Investment Advisory firm. Information provided by sources deemed to be reliable. CapSouth does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information.  This material has been prepared for planning purposes only and is not intended as specific tax or legal advice.  Tax and legal laws are often complex and frequently change.  Please consult your tax or legal advisor to discuss your specific situation before making any decisions that may have tax or legal consequences.

This article contains external links to third party content (content hosted on sites unaffiliated with CapSouth Partners). The policies and procedures governing these third party sites may differ from those effective on the CapSouth company website, as outlined in these Disclaimers. As such, CapSouth makes no representations whatsoever regarding any third party content/sites that may be accessible directly or indirectly from the CapSouth website. Linking to these third party sites in no way implies an endorsement or affiliation of any kind between CapSouth and any third party, including legal authorization to use any trademark, trade name, logo, or copyrighted materials belonging to either entity.

[i] http://time.com/money/4383981/retirement-3-ways-isnt-boring/

http://time.com/money/4308089/retirement-happiness-satisfaction-study/

[ii] https://www.thebalance.com/average-retirement-age-in-the-united-states-2388864

 

2018 Summer Activities for Kids

Summer Activities for Wiregrass Kids

2018 Summer Activities for Kids

Now that school is officially out, are you looking for some fun summer activities to keep your kiddos entertained and engaged? No need to search out of town.  The Wiregrass area offers some great, affordable options right here in our own backyard!  Check these out!

Landmark Park – Summer Youth Programs

For More Info: (334) 794-3452

https://www.landmarkparkdothan.com/summer-camps/

 

Dothan Houston Library Summer Reading Program – Libraries Rock

For More Info: (334) 793-9767

https://www.dhcls.org/summer-reading-program/

 

SEACT Summer Theatre Camp

For More Info: (334) 794-0400

https://form.jotformpro.com/80186455884973

 

Dothan Lanes Kids Bowl FREE

For More Info: (334) 983-1585

https://www.kidsbowlfree.com/center.php?alley_id=37

 

Camp Choctaw, Playground Program and Youth Adventure Camp

For More Info: (334) 615-3700

http://www.dothan.org/index.aspx?NID=362

 

Bricks 4 Kidz – Lego Camp

For More Info: (334) 803-6882

https://my.bricks4kidz.com/index.php?action=location&location=364

 

Water World

For More Info: (334) 615-3750

 http://waterworlddothan.com/waterworld/

Keep Your Finances in Order When Divorcing Later in Life

Keep Your Finances in Order When Divorcing Later in Life

Divorcing later in life is becoming more commonplace among people 50 and over. Divorce among older couples has more than doubled since the 1990s. In 2015, 10 of 1,000 married people filed for divorce. Five of 1,000 married filed for divorce in 1990. The divorce rate for people 65 and older has tripled since 1990.[i]

For older couples thinking about “gray divorce,” ensuring your finances are in order may help ease the strain.

Here are four tips to help make it easier and less stressful:

  • Identify your individual incomes. The impact on older women may be especially difficult. Gray divorce forces many older women between the ages of 50-74 to continue full-time work, rather than retiring.[iii] Calculating future income and assets as a divorcee is important. Getting a divorce can devastate a couple’s finances.
    1. Determine income levels of each spouse. Divorced spouses will no longer be able to rely on their partners’ incomes. In gray divorces, men average income drops of 23%; women’s incomes drop by 41% on average.[ii]
  • Manage your retirement accounts
    1. Divorcing couples will also have to manage how they’ll divide their 401(k) and IRA accounts. After years in the workplace, many retirement accounts have grown substantially in size. Dividing those accounts while maintaining two households can get complicated and expensive. Often, workers listed their spouses as beneficiaries on retirement accounts and insurance policies.
  • Consider downsizing your home
    1. The home is one of the largest assets of older couples. It also generates some of the biggest expenses, especially if retirees maintain mortgage debt. Many older couples are going into retirement with mortgage debt, which can drain cash reserves. A better option might be downsizing to a smaller house or renting a place to offset the reduced household incomes.
  • Stay focused in more contentious divorces, long-time friendships can disintegrate and rifts can form in otherwise amicable families. Begin establishing relationships with your most trusted and loyal friends, which can help fortify your emotional stability and may help protect you against failing health from increased stress.  
  1. Overall, your individual needs and retirement goals will define the financial strategies you should address if divorcing later in life. If you have questions about the options available, or how a divorce could impact you financially, feel free to contact us.
  2. Sometimes divorces, even later in life, can get messy. While financial and budget management is important, guarding your emotional condition and ensuring you maintain a strong support network are important in sustaining long-term security and comfort. Establishing a firm emotional support system helps newly single individuals move forward and adapt to lifestyle changes.

Investment advisory services are offered through CapSouth Partners, Inc., dba CapSouth Wealth Management, an independent registered Investment Advisory firm. Information provided by sources deemed to be reliable. CapSouth does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information.  This material has been prepared for planning purposes only and is not intended as specific tax or legal advice.  Tax and legal laws are often complex and frequently change.  Please consult your tax or legal advisor to discuss your specific situation before making any decisions that may have tax or legal consequences.

This article contains external links to third party content (content hosted on sites unaffiliated with CapSouth Partners). The policies and procedures governing these third party sites may differ from those effective on the CapSouth company website, as outlined in these Disclaimers. As such, CapSouth makes no representations whatsoever regarding any third party content/sites that may be accessible directly or indirectly from the CapSouth website. Linking to these third party sites in no way implies an endorsement or affiliation of any kind between CapSouth and any third party, including legal authorization to use any trademark, trade name, logo, or copyrighted materials belonging to either entity.

Investment & Wealth Management

 

[i] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/09/led-by-baby-boomers-divorce-rates-climb-for-americas-50-population/

 

[ii] http://time.com/money/4229581/divorce-after-50/

[iii] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-devastation-of-divorce-for-older-women/

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