#retirement help

[g2web]

@mybusinesswerks

[churchventurenorthwest]

CBAmerica's GuideStone Retirement program is open to all church staff members.

GuideStone has made available several new webcasts that may be helpful to the churches affiliated with CBAmerica.  These webcasts were hosted by several of our Advisors and Relationship Managers.  They have produced a series of webinars called Retirement Is Changing.  Within the series, there are several special topics to help our plan participants.

Topics included in the webcast are:

Preparing for Retirement Overview

Saving & Budgeting

The Solution is Simple – tips on money management

Withdrawal Strategies

Social Security Considerations – December 5th

Are You Properly Invested?

The Female Factor – Women and Investing

Some of the webcasts have already taken place and were recorded for plan participants to view at their convenience.  Some are scheduled for the future and anyone can register for these webcasts.  If you would like to listen to any of the webcasts or pre-register for future webcasts, please visit www.GuideStone.org/Calendar.

[seemanholtzinsurance]

Retirement Planning With Seeman Holtz

Retirement Planning With Seeman Holtz

Be sure you’re set up for a successful retirement, and don’t walk into retirement without a plan. The financial advisors at Seeman Holtz have the knowledge you need to build up for a exciting life after work. Ask the advisors at Seeman Holtz today and get the answers you need!

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[edukateblog]

Why April is National Financial Literacy Month

April is National Financial Literacy Month

The term “financial planning” is a vague activity and the term is highly overused by an over-saturated market of providers, so what does the phrase mean exactly? As a basic definition, financial planning is a process for determining whether or not an individual can meet his or her life goals through the proper management of financial resources. Financial planning areas include:

Analysis of personal financial statements

Education planning

Risk Management

Income tax planning

Investment planning

Retirement planning

Estate planning

With a frightening 75% of Americans saving little to nothing for retirement, the White House decided to intervene by promoting personal financial planning, namely retirement saving. At the core of the retirement saving void is a lack of financial literacy. The White House officially proclaimed April to be National Financial literacy Month, here is an excerpt:

“To lay the foundation for continued prosperity, we must expand the availability of financial products and services that are fair, affordable, understandable, and reliable.  We must also strive to ensure all Americans have the skills to manage their fiscal resources effectively and avoid deceptive or predatory practices.” –Barak Obama

Websites like ConsumerFinance.gov and MyMoney.gov are government outlets aimed to promote Americans’ healthy financial lives as well as a direct hotline, 1-888-MyMoney. Other efforts throughout the month of April include:

Money Smart Week: Money Smart Week is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the grass roots collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, government agencies and the media. These groups come together once a year to stress the importance of financial literacy, inform consumers about where they can get help and provide free educational seminars and activities throughout the week. Financial literacy topics are offered to all demographics and income levels and covers all facets of personal finance from establishing a budget to first time home buying to estate planning. http://www.moneysmartweek.org/

AskCFPB: Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray and the staff of the CFPB are taking a leading role in spreading the word about the benefits of knowing more about money. Being informed is your best defense against the tricks and traps found in some financial products. Recently, we launched Ask CFPB, a search tool to help you find plain-language answers to your questions about credit cards, mortgages, credit scores, and more. http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/

FDIC Money Smart: Money Smart is a comprehensive financial education curriculum designed to help low- and moderate-income individuals outside the financial mainstream enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships. Money Smart is delivered through classroom instruction, web courses, and MP3 broadcasts. The goal is to equip families with financial understanding and foster stability. http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html

April as National Financial Literacy Month is an excellent message for the White House to send. However, the typical message is that the economy blossoms through consumer spending. Americans are unprepared for retirement because of a social expectation to spend above his or her means. Until a slow and deliberate shift in social norms occurs, retirement saving will continue to be stunted. American society values material possessions over smart investing habits. Workers earn to spend, not save. They cannot wear, drive, or live in retirement accounts. A basic behavior principle is lacking – motivation. The month of April provides active ways for consumers to organize, participate, and advance the financial literacy conversation.