News 2019 Archives - Atlanta Financial Associates, Inc.

4 Estate Planning Tips When You Have Young Children

October 14, 2019

1. Write a Will
For most young parents, writing a will is less about distributing assets and more about naming a guardian for their children. The guardian named in your Will is the person that would take care of your children if you and the other parent were unable to do so. This situation is very unlikely, but worth addressing just in case.

If your children ever needed a guardian, the local Probate Court would appoint the person designated in your Will, absent a serious problem with that person. You can name different guardians for different children if you wish. If you do not have a Will with a Guardianship Designation, or if you haven’t made your wishes in the Will clear, the Probate Court would have to select a guardian for your children without any guidance from you. The most common choice is a family member. But what if you really wouldn’t want a certain family member to raise your children? Or what if you preferred that a close friend step in as guardian? The Court would have no way of knowing your wishes.

How Much Will Your Social Security Increase in 2020?

October 14, 2019

You may have heard that the Social Security Administration officially announced that Social Security recipients will receive a 1.6% cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment for 2020. Those increased payments will start in January 2020. The purpose of the COLA is to help the purchasing power of Social Security benefits keep pace with inflation. Congress first enacted the COLA provision as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, with automatic annual COLAs began in 1975. Before that, benefits were increased only when Congress enacted special legislation.

Atlanta Financial’s 11th Annual Holiday Open House

October 14, 2019

The holidays are the perfect time to express our thanks for your business and to think about those less fortunate. Please join us for our 11th Annual Holiday Open House and Toys for Tots Collection on Thursday, December 12, 2019, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm at our office – 5901-B Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Suite 275, Atlanta, GA 30328. Lunch will be served.

Congratulations Harrison Fant on Five Years with Atlanta Financial

October 14, 2019

All of us at Atlanta Financial want to congratulate Harrison Fant on recently passing his five year anniversary at Atlanta Financial in September. Since joining AFA in 2014, Harrison has rapidly ascended through the different positions to his current position as Wealth Manager. Harrison has a unique combination of technical financial planning skills and the ability to present those complex concepts in easily understandable ways to all of his clients.

Creating a Tax Efficient Retirement Withdrawal Strategy

October 14, 2019

In working with my retired or soon-to-be retired clients, perhaps the most frequent question I am asked is “What is the best way to withdraw from my investment and retirement accounts in retirement in order to provide me my desired retirement income?” I believe they ask me this question because many of them have investments in a mix of different accounts with varying tax characteristics such as taxable investment accounts, IRAs, 401k or retirement plan accounts, Roth IRAs, and possibly real estate investments such as rental property. In addition to that, they may also have retirement income coming in from multiple sources and at different times such as Social Security income, pension income, and deferred compensation. If you are interested in increasing what you can spend in retirement and reducing the impact taxes have on your retirement nest egg, it is important to have a multi-year retirement income plan that takes into account the impact taxes will have on both your retirement income sources, and the withdrawals you take from your different investment and retirement accounts.

What Is My Number?

September 13, 2019

As a financial advisor, this is a frequently asked question. How much money do I need to save to retire comfortably? In other words, what is my number?

Much has been written about this topic. Schwab recently released a survey of 1,000 401(k) participants across the country indicating that on average, Americans believe they need $1.7 million to retire. That may seem like a reasonable number, but is it? A recent CNBC poll showed that two-thirds of U.S. workers are either very or somewhat confident that they will be able to live comfortably throughout retirement. However, a study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute showed that only 42% of Americans have done any retirement calculations. And on top of that, according to Fidelity, the average 401(k) balance in the U.S. is $297,700 which is a far cry from $1.7 million.

So, where is the disconnect and how can you actually determine what your own “number” is?

Although every person’s situation is completely different, there are really five things to consider when determining how much you need to save for retirement. The impact of underestimating any of these factors could be catastrophic, so this is not the time for optimism. This is the time to be very clear-eyed about setting your goals and expectations. Let’s get started.

Category: News 2019

4 Estate Planning Tips When You Have Young Children

How Much Will Your Social Security Increase in 2020?

Atlanta Financial’s 11th Annual Holiday Open House

Congratulations Harrison Fant on Five Years with Atlanta Financial

What Is My Number?

Hear How Atlanta Financial Makes Life’s Journey Richer

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