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Financial Planning

7 Budgeting Tips For July

Budgeting can help you achieve your goals faster. Once you realize that budgeting can help you achieve the goals you’ve set out for yourself, you may find the process inspiring. Think of your budget as a spending plan Think of your budget as your “how-to” plan for spending your money rather than what you “can’t” spend. The upside is that…
Rick M. Crosby
2021-07-23
Bond RiskInflation RiskInterest Rate Risk

Interest rates, bond prices and inflation are related. Here’s how.

The Federal Reserve “Part of the mission given to the Federal Reserve by Congress is to keep prices stable–that is, to keep prices from rising or falling too quickly. The Federal Reserve sees a rate of inflation of 2 percent per year–as measured by a particular price index, called the price index for personal consumption expenditures–as the right amount of…
Rick M. Crosby
2021-03-23
Legislation

5 Highlights of the New Stimulus Package

What the latest round of funding may mean for you.   The $900 billion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (2021 CAA) was signed into law by President Trump on December 28th as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact employers and employees. The new package resembles March’s $2.2 trillion CARES Act, but will only be $920 billion, with roughly half of…
Rick M. Crosby
2021-01-25
Retirement Planning

How Rich Do You Have to Be in Order to Retire?

Even though perceptions have changed during the pandemic with more Americans now saying they need less money to feel rich1, when it comes to retirement, most people are still unclear about how much they will need to have saved before they can quit their jobs. The answer to that question is different for every person. Here are some of the…
Rick M. Crosby
2020-08-18
RetirementRetirement Risks

“Longevity Risk” in Retirement

When you hear “risk of longevity,” what exactly is meant? Longevity refers to “long life” or “length of life.” Simply put, longevity risk is the risk that someone will outlive their wealth and available income. It’s a fact that people are living longer. Not only has the average life expectancy increased, but one out of every four 65-year-olds living today…
Crosby Insurance Group
2020-07-03
Retirement

5 Things You Need to Know About the SECURE Act

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE) became effective Jan. 1, 2020. Here are the top five things you should know. 72 is the new 70½ The SECURE Act raises the age at which retirees must begin taking Required Minimum Distributions from the awkward age of 70-1/2 to an even age 72, allowing for a couple…
Crosby Insurance Group
2020-07-03