By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Planning for retirement is no easy task. The years leading up to retirement can be an overwhelming time with all the decisions to be made: where will you live, how will you spend your time, and, most importantly, how will you fund your […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads It’s no secret that things in our world are a bit uncertain these days. It feels like we’re constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. If you’re like most people, living with this level of uncertainty day in and day out can be […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads You don’t have to pay attention to the news to see how inflation is affecting everyone, including the average consumer. If you have filled up your car with a tank of gas, bought a week’s worth of groceries, or purchased anything online or in […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads There are so many different kinds of retirement plans out there; finding the right one for you can be difficult. With tons of nuance and obscure names, it’s no wonder a lot of people can’t tell the difference from one retirement plan to the […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads The government may be one of the few remaining employers to offer a pension to its employees. And although you may be thinking that the government needs to get with the times, the value of offering a pension will never go out of […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Have you ever thought about what would happen to your finances if you lost your spouse prematurely? Most people avoid this topic, and understandably so. We don’t want to dwell on things that cause us emotional distress, but what we don’t realize is that […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads After a three-year rally, the financial markets were down for seven straight days in January, marking their worst slide since the pandemic decline in March of 2020. The market dip on Monday, January 24th put the S&P 500 down over 10%, which is officially […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Have you built long-term care costs into your financial plan? If not, it’s probably time to start. Research suggests that most Americans turning 65 this year will need at least some form of long-term care as they age,[1] and long-term care is enormously expensive. […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is the federal government’s version of an employee 401(k) plan. For most government employees, it’s a pretty sweet deal. The TSP has lower-than-average fees and administrative expenses. It also offers 5 well-diversified investment funds—one of which is an unbeatable […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads It’s open season again, which means it’s that time of year when you start getting notices about all the changes coming to your employee benefits. Even though you’d much rather be doing just about anything else, it’s important not to just set and forget […]
Continue Reading
Change is an inevitable part of life—whether we like it or not, whether we’re prepared or not, and whether we have something to lose or not. Unfortunately, most people don’t like it, aren’t prepared, and have a lot to lose. But, while change is inevitable, it doesn’t have to be […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads If you work for the federal government, you’re accustomed to more than a few benefits, but perhaps the greatest is that your position can set you up for much financial success. After all, for most private-sector employees, being able to retire after 30 years […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Unfortunately, financial literacy is not a class taught in high school or even college—but it definitely should be. Most people graduate college or graduate school and start working without understanding how to organize their financial life, and as a consequence, they have little to […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads We all face financial pitfalls. Not having a financial plan, starting to save for retirement too late, not being aware of your expenses, being underinsured, to name a few. But if you’re a federal employee, there are specific financial pitfalls you should be on […]
Continue Reading
By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Retirement is one of the most discussed financial topics, and it’s easy to understand why. A substantial retirement plan should enable you to live comfortably for decades while preparing you for an array of possible unknown outcomes. While comparing your retirement to your neighbor’s […]
Continue Reading