Voices: Jane Nowak, On Retirement Planni

Voices: Jane Nowak, On Retirement Planning for Women WSJ blog http://ow.ly/b4KSW

$pring Clean Tip 13:Insurance

$pring Cleaning Tip 13: Do you have enough insurance coverage for home, auto, health and life? Are your beneficiaries up to date? A MUST DO!

Reading: Spring clean your finances

Reading: Spring clean your finances @Tightwad blog http://ow.ly/9Za70

Learn to Earn in #ATL

Learn to Earn in #ATL. #Atlanta Regional Commission has $$ for job retraining. Strict eligibility requirements! http://ow.ly/a4XVK

April is Financial Literacy Month

April is National Financial Literacy Month! @NatlJumpStart http://www.jumpstart.org/

Three Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Finances

Spring is traditionally the time to clean up the old and get ready for the new. Why should your finances be any different? Now is the perfect time to spring clean your retirement plans.
Check the beneficiaries on your existing IRAs, 401k and 403B accounts
Assets held in these types of accounts (Roth IRAs too!) will pass outside of your will. This means that  your retirement assets will pass to the beneficiaries that you named when you opened your account. So, make sure that the beneficiaries that you named are still those that you want to pass your retirement assets to.  –You would be amazed at how many ex-spouses are the beneficiaries of their former spouses 401ks! This oversight leaves the current spouse with no claim to these 401k assets.

Reclaim the 401k or 403b held at a former employer
Many folks have the set it and forget it mentality especially when it comes to their retirement assets held in an account at a former employer. Well, this is probably not the best idea.
Consciously decide what to do with your 401k, 403b, IRA held at a former employer. Do you really need to leave your monies there? Should you move them to your current employer’s 401k? Or should you roll the monies over into an IRA? These questions need to be answered and action taken. If you are not sure what to do, consult with a trusted financial advisor. Research your options and take action. Make time to reclaim your abandoned retirement money!

Review and adjust your portfolio asset allocations

While most of us are content to let ‘things rock along’ and leave our investments untouched for years, your retirement portfolio should be analyzed and rebalanced annually. Make sure that you have an asset allocation plan and stick to it.  
In keeping with your plan for asset allocation, sell both assets that have gone up and holdings that no longer serve you. Then, buy more of the assets that have gone down in value. It’s the perfect way to execute your ‘buy low, sell high’ strategy.

Springtime is the perfect season to ‘till the asset allocation soil’ and prepare your portfolio for future growth, check your beneficiary designations and reclaim those 401ks that you have left as orphan investments .

If you need help with your asset allocation or reclaiming your abandoned retirement accounts, just give me a call at 770-333-0113 option 1 x110.

Jane Nowak  is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ™ at Kring Financial Management in Atlanta, GA.  Jane is a Retirement Specialist and Divorce Financial Analyst who provides financial planning for clients in their prime.

 She has recently had articles published or has been quoted in articles that have appeared online at theNASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, Womenetics.com, Smart Money Chicks, Fox Business News, CreditCards.com, U.S. News &World Report, Financial Planning Association (FPA) and Equifax Personal Finance blog web sites.   
 

Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Inc. Member, FINRA/SIPC

                     

 

           

What Smart Women Do After Divorce http:/

What Smart Women Do After Divorce http://ow.ly/9ZcD5 @huffpost by Alison Patton

Short Sales: Basic Information for You

 A short sale is a transaction in which the lender, or lenders, agree to accept less than the mortgage amount owed by the current homeowner. In some cases, the difference is forgiven by the lender, and in others the homeowner must make arrangements with the lender to settle the remainder of the debt.

• Might be good for homeowners that are “upside down” on the mortgage.
• May not hurt the homeowners credit history as much as a foreclosure which may result in being able to qualify for another mortgage sooner once they get back on their feet financially.
• Time wise, a short sale can take many months from start to finish.  Sometimes buyers grow tired of waiting and move on to another home. 

Taken from Real Estate newsletter provided by: Patty Peck – Keller Williams Realty, Smyrna, GA at http://pattyisinthehouse.com/

Reprinted by Jane Nowak CFP®  CDFA™ Kring Financial Management, Smyrna GA   770-333-0113 x110

Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Inc. Member, FINRA/SIPC.

Tremendous Borrower Interest in Refi pro

Tremendous Borrower Interest in Refi program @Bloomberg http://ow.ly/9ll0Q Underwater?|FHA financed?|Find out if HARP is playing your tune

USDA to help thousands of rural homeowne

USDA to help thousands of rural homeowners @washingtonpost http://ow.ly/9lst1 Refi help for rural homeowners. Check your eligibility 1st