Financial Topics Newsletter

Brought to you compliments of Steven Stanganelli, CRPC^® CFP^®

April 2009

Thursday, September 9, 2010

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Lower College Costs
Paying for College without Going Broke ... 1st in a Series
by Steven J. Stanganelli, CRPC®, CFP®

Paying for college is a daunting challenge. How you pay for it will impact your retirement. Regardless of where you send your kids to school, the bottom-line fact is this: How you pay for college impacts how much you save for retirement. For every dollar that you save on college costs means more for your personal retirement down the road. With proper coordinated planning, you can maximize your savings and investments, use proven strategies that will help avoid crushing student debt and use the IRS to help pay for college.
[FULL STORY]

Overlooked Long Term Care Insurance Benefit Worth Weight in Gold
www.CareManager.org
by Susie Caspar, CLTC

When considering whether or not to purchase a long-term care insurance policy, consumers often focus on premium cost and the dollar value of benefits payable. However, it's smart to also consider the value of other, often overlooked benefits that a policy may include. One such item is called 'care coordination,' and its value may be priceless to a policyholder at claim time.
[FULL STORY]

Your Retirement Accounts: What Else Is There?
Taking Control With the Power of Self-Directed IRAs
www.penscotrust.com
by Steven J. Stanganelli, CRPC®, CFP® with Larry Jacobs

Have you ever wondered what else your Defined Benefit Plan or IRA could invest in besides stocks, bonds, and mutual funds? Many consumers and industry professionals are not aware that rules governing Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) permit a wide array of investment choices beyond the plain vanilla ones that come to mind. And in today's economic environment, where more traditional investments offer low or even negative returns, it may be time to consider the alternatives.
[FULL STORY]

Tax Planning as You Age

While tax planning should be a consideration through all phases of life, the nature of that planning changes as you approach retirement age. During your working years, your primary tax-planning objectives are to reduce your current income taxes while saving for retirement. After decades of accumulating money, you now need to ensure you withdraw and manage that money properly. Here are some tips.
[FULL ARTICLE]

A Review of Your Portfolio

With the recent market declines, it may be painful to reevaluate your portfolio in depth, especially if your portfolio contains large losses. But this review is necessary to see if changes are needed to your portfolio. Some factors to consider include...
[FULL ARTICLE]

Encourage Your Children to Fund IRAs

Once your children start working, help them develop good savings habits by encouraging them to fund an individual retirement account (IRA). Even if your child only contributes for a few years, an IRA can provide significant funds for retirement.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How Much Do You Need in Retirement?

One of the most critical factors in determining how much you need to accumulate by retirement age is how much annual income you'll need in retirement. But if that retirement date is years or decades away, it may be difficult to come up with a reasonable estimate of your income needs. Most people will want a standard of living similar to the one they're living before retirement; so simple rules of thumb, like 70% of preretirement income, may not give you an accurate estimate. Follow these tips to estimate how much you'll need.
[FULL ARTICLE]

What's Your Score?

How is it that you can apply for a mortgage, credit card, or car loan over the phone and be approved or declined in a matter of seconds? For speedy access to credit - and the mountain of credit card "preapprovals" you get in the mail each month - you can thank an invention called the FICO score.
[FULL ARTICLE]

My highest priority is getting you where you want to be. If it's an important goal for you, then it's important to me to help get you there. Whether you need a road map for retirement investing or want an answer to a specific financial challenge, I am available.

My goal is to provide the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have entrusted your financial future to a team of experienced professionals that cares about making your dreams a reality - regardless of the size of your portfolio.

I work with retirees, busy professionals and growing families who are motivated to achieve financial success or need help with the challenges that result from a life changing event.

For more than 18 years I have been involved in helping individuals and organizations tackle complex financial issues through a progressive career in mortgage banking. For the last ten years I have focused my practice on all aspects of retirement and investment planning and have published articles on a variety of financial planning issues.

I am a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR(sm) and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional. I earned a Master of Science degree in Finance from Bentley College and an undergraduate honors degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Based on my credentials, education, and fee only practices I also hold a five-star quality rating from the Paladin Registry, earned by fewer than 3% of planners in the country.

I am never too busy to help you or someone you know and care about.

Feel free to contact me via e-mail at
steve@focus-capital.com
or visit my Web site
www.focus-capital.com

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Copyright © 2009 Focus Capital Wealth Management. All rights reserved.
Some information provided in this newsletter was prepared by Integrated Concepts. This newsletter intends to offer factual and up-to-date information on the subjects discussed, but should not be regarded as a complete analysis of these subjects. Professional advisers should be consulted before implementing any options presented. No party assumes liability for any loss or damage resulting from errors or omissions or reliance on or use of this material.

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