It’s not fun to think about, but there could come a time in your life when you need help with some of the regular activities of daily living. This includes actions such as eating, dressing, bathing and using the bathroom. Your need could be caused by any number of conditions, …

When people buy life insurance, they don’t always tell their loved ones they’ve done so. Some keep their lawyers informed, talk about the policy in their will or tell their trustee, but others buy a policy and then forget about it, telling no one. While some survivors are lucky enough …

When I talk about long-term care planning, I’m not just talking about buying a long-term care insurance (LTCi) policy. In fact, for many people that’s not the best move to make at all. Long-term care planning is about a lot more than just buying a policy. It’s about planning an …

There are quite a few milestone birthdays we encounter during our lives. Some, like 18 and 21, have legal implications that make them worth noting. Others, such as 40 and 50, usher us into a new stage in life that matters to us on a social level. Still others, like …

This week is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, which makes it a great time to reassess your estate plan and determine whether there are any changes to be made.   Verify asset value: If you’re leaving assets such as real estate or antiques behind, their value will fluctuate over the …

As a preretiree, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about retirement savings. Since this week is National Save for Retirement Week, I want to take a look at five things you may not know about retirement income and savings.   It’s never too late to start saving. Even …

Increasing Your Happiness Before Retirement   This year, Bank of America Merrill Lynch released a study showing the various levels of well-being people reported feeling during their lifetime. While people in their late 50s and older reported having increasing levels of happiness and well-being, preretirees in their early 50s reported …

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Guaranteed Life Policies   Some of the products advertised to the senior audience are extremely helpful in enhancing their lives throughout retirement. Other products, however, offer little real value and make a lot of promises that are simply untrue. One of the products often advertised …

September is Life Insurance Awareness month and at The Retirement Institute, that means we spend a few weeks deeply focusing on life insurance and how it impacts both pre- and postretirement seniors.   Why Life Insurance Matters to Seniors   Many seniors are concerned about the legacy they’ll leave behind …

Five Medication Mistakes   It’s not unusual to be regularly taking one or more prescription medications by the time you reach 55. Even if you don’t take a prescription med, you might be taking over-the-counter meds such as aspirin, Benadryl and Aleve to help with your pain, allergies and sleeping. …