http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips Your Wise Wealth Advisor Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:37:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   Theresa A. Harzelak, CFP®  With two young active sons, I spend a lot of time at the baseball field.  The truth is I love the game as much as they do. A deeper truth--I find that the game of baseball and the strategies to winning the game offer us many ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/07/03/baseball-and-investments-they-have-more-in-common-than-you-might-think/   Theresa A. Harezlak, CFP®  Health care—it’s on everyone’s mind these days. Even the presidential candidates have moved health care to the top of their platforms. As we struggle to find the best ways to insure all Americans, most of us still have to address the rising costs of healthcare and ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/07/02/healthy-healthcare-solutions/   Theresa A. Harezlak, CFP®  My sister Lynette was diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks after discovering she was pregnant. I remember the uncertainty of the time and the sheer panic within my entire family at having to confront cancer and mortality with someone so young.  My sister was 34 years ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/30/integrative-health-and-wealth/   Brian P. Conroy, CFP®  Fixed income (bond) strategies alone can be a disaster in a rising cost world.  Here is a quick quiz: pick one:   A) Your money will outlive you B) You will outlive your money C) There is no C Plan on A or you might inadvertently find yourself defaulting to ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/25/retirees-buy-some-yellow-and-some-green-bananas/   Brian P. Conroy, CFP®  I often talk to clients about investing for the “long term.”    Often the response is some version of “I’m retired, I don’t have a long term.”  Or, “I can’t take the risk of stocks, I can’t wait for challenging markets to recover- I’m retired.”  My response ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/23/retirees-you-bet-your-life/   Brian J. Knabe, MD Why include a series about health and wellness in a financial publication?  With close examination of any retirement plan, the connection is apparent.  Healthcare expenses consume an increasing portion of a retiree’s savings.  One reason is the double-digit yearly rise in the overall cost of healthcare ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/20/health-wellness/   Thomas A. Muldowney, MSFS, ChFC, CLU, CFP®, CRC, CMP®, AIF®  You have probably heard of folks who looked like the paragon of fitness…you know the type, they run in marathons, work out every day, have a treadmill with a remote hooked up to the TV with earphones so they can ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/17/forensic-financial-analysis/   Kim Cady  Do you know who is listed as your beneficiary when it comes to your retirement account?  You should check this periodically, especially if you have had a life changing event, such as a marriage, divorce, or added children to your family.  There have been many cases where the ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/13/know-your-beneficiary/   Kim Cady   When I started working with retirement plans over 20 years ago, this was a common statement made by employees of newly developed employer sponsored retirement plans.  While it was certainly a reasonable and obtainable goal for saving-conscious plan participants back then, a million dollar retirement plan goal today ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/11/i-want-to-be-a-millionaire-when-i-retire/   Kim Cady  Many 401(k) plans today allow participants  the ability to borrow a portion of their plan balance.  Most participants consider this a valuable plan benefit.  But is it? A program that lets you pay yourself back sounds like a great deal, but remember, you are the one doing the payback, ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/savantips/2008/06/09/is-a-401k-loan-feature-in-your-retirement-plan-really-a-benefit/