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Most Common Retirement Planning Problems (And Solutions on How To Solve Them)
What are the biggest challenges of retirement planning? Three challenges or problems that come up the most often are: How Do I Maximize My Social Security Income? How Can I Afford The Proper Health Care in Retirement? How Can I Deal With The Effects Of Market Volatility? If these problems are things you are currently worried about be sure to [...]
How Much Money Will Retiree’s In Rockford Need To Spend Per Month In Retirement?
Many people wonder, “How much money will I really spend in retirement?” Still, others want to know more specifically how much money do you need per month in retirement? Before we get into answering these questions you may also be wondering how to avoid going broke in retirement while securing your nest egg! If so, please check out my FREE [...]
Is Long Term Care Insurance Really Necessary For Retiree’s In Rockford?
Long Term Care Insurance can be expensive so many retirees choose to go without it. But is this a good idea? Here are some things to consider: What is a Long-Term Care Expense? How Much Does it cost to cover Long Term Care Expenses out of pocket? Does Medicare Cover Long-Term Care expenses? Does my health insurance cover Long-Term Care [...]
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Helpful Glossary
The Four Financial Advisor Business Models And How They Charge You
The Stock Broker
The Stock Broker business model is one where the Advisor does not charge you ANY fees at all and simply gets paid a commission for selling you a particular investment.
Mutual Fund / A Shares
Product may charge a Front end load of 3.75% to 5.75% on Average* as an upfront off the top charge in addition to annual management fees of about 1.44% per year**
Variable Annuities
Typically don’t carry a front end charge but in addition to annual management fees usually around 1% they may also charge a Surrender Charge of 6% or higher decreasing over a period of years if you take all of your money out.
Mortality and Expense Fees
Most Variable annuities also charge a fee for Life Insurance that can tack on an additional 1% per year or more on top of the other mentioned fees.
The Insurance Agent
The Insurance agent business model works very similarly to the Stock Broker Model above. The Insurance agent Advisor does not charge you ANY fees at all and simply gets paid a commission for selling you a particular Insurance Product.
Fixed Annuities
Most have a back-end surrender charge that decreases over a period of years. You only pay this charge if you take all of your money out early or withdraw more than the allowed percentage in a given year. Typically you have access to 10% without a fee.
- NOTE: Unlike Variable Annuities Fixed Annuities typically don’t have ANY front end or ongoing annual management fees or life insurance costs built in.
 - Life Insurance: Most life insurance plans charge Front end fees and back-end fees as well as ongoing costs to cover the charge for the death benefits.
 
The Fee-Only Advisor
A Fee-only Advisor business model is one where the Advisor charges a fee for advice or for managing money.
The Hybrid Advisor
A Hybrid Advisor is a business model that is a blend of two or more of the business models above.




