The biggest and most significant component of a strong retirement plan is that its a guide to help you make informed decisions on the things that are most important to you in your Golden Years. Needless to say, there are a number of important decisions that most people must make when reaching their 60’s. One, of course, is when to begin receiving Social Security benefits. There are a number of tools that help us determine the possible scenarios here. […]

  OK, so you’ve been working for the last oh… 30-40 years or so and the following thought has begun popping into your head at least a number of times recently… I think I’d like to retire early! Retiring early is an exciting idea! No more work stress, all the free-time in the world and the ability to get out there and have some fun and enjoy all those hobbies you’ve been waiting to have time for. What will you […]

  At SGL, we encourage every client to have a trusted attorney and CPA whenever they deal with tax and estate matters, but we also try to educate our retirement and pre-retirement clients and provide them basic information to arrive prepared for meetings with these professionals. Many of our clients have done a fair amount of planning for their own retirement needs but many clients are lost, or at a minimum confused, when the discussion of legacy and estate planning […]

  Brexit keeps turning up in the news but how important is it really and what impact could it have on us in the U.S.? These 9 Brexit lessons will have everyone listening to you the next time Brexit comes up in a conversation. We’ll take a look at how Brexit started, where it stands today and what the future might mean for all of us here at home. Let’s start by breaking down what “Brexit” means. Brexit is a […]

  Just the other day I received a phone call from one of our long-time clients. This client had just completed their tax return and had a pretty eye-opening question. She asked me, “Trent, I’m tired of all of these taxes in Illinois and, as you know, I have a place down in Florida where I spend a lot of my time in my retirement years. Can I claim Florida as my resident state to save on some of these […]

  Designing a great retirement plan is no cakewalk! There are so many different variables for you to consider when planning. What should come first? What goals are you trying to achieve? How should you be invested? The list of questions is almost endless. Nevertheless, having a retirement plan is the most important component in ensuring financial success during your golden years. As you assess your own financial and retirement plan, you’ll want to consider a few key questions that […]

  Unfortunately, some of the concerns we deal with every day as financial advisers are identity theft and cybersecurity issues. Have you ever wondered why all new computers come with some sort of trial or free anti-virus software already installed when you buy them? Here’s the answer, a recent tech article I read estimated that it takes less than 2 minutes for a computer that is newly connected to the internet to be exposed to a virus unless they are […]

  There’s a popular advertisement today that says, “What’s in your wallet?” This is our take on that from just a little different viewpoint. I recently assisted an elderly friend during a trip to her bank to take a look at what was in her safety deposit box. The box was virtually crammed full of documents and other items. After inventorying everything and throwing away a ton of old and out of date items I realized that my friend was […]

  Whether you’re already retired, thinking about retiring or retirement is just on your mind, there are specific financial concerns which, if not considered, could undermine the best years of your life. Most folks don’t understand the stress that retirement puts on finances. You work all your life to save, grow and accumulate retirement funds and then the day comes when your paycheck is no more, and your retirement funds must provide enough income to support you for the rest […]