We all want to be heard and understood. It’s a fundamental human need. Oftentimes, just being heard is more important than any words or response that may come next.

Fraud continues to be a major problem, especially for older Americans. Criminals are becoming increasingly cunning and resourceful in the ways in which they defraud individuals. While phone and mail continue to be used as outlets for criminal activities, online schemes have swept the globe, allowing criminals to target thousands or millions of individuals with the click of a button.

No doubt, you’ve heard about your clients’ hopes and dreams when you’ve met to discuss financial strategies that can help them achieve their retirement goals. For some advisors, the relationships formed with clients go beyond time spent in the office. Perhaps you’ve sat next to them at your child’s sporting events. Maybe you stop to chat with them at the grocery store or volunteer together at a favorite charity.

There are many considerations when helping a client set up a will or estate plan, from assigning an executor or power of attorney, to choosing beneficiaries, to setting up a trust and more. 

Retirement should be a time when your clients glide into the most peaceful and satisfying years of their lives. A time when finances aren’t so critical, and decisions are care-free.

However, retirement has changed, and some trends have reshaped our traditional view of retirement. One factor you may have heard discussed by some retirees is “Social Security regret,” which is them feeling like they made a mistake in their decision to collect. Many feel they’re taking benefits too soon.

What’s going to scare you during Halloween, other than that creepy kid down the block who dresses up as Chucky every year? Getting a good (and temporary) scare can be invigorating and fun each fall. Some fears, however, linger all year long, and some are debilitating.

As we age, it’s easier to reflect back on the phases of life and appreciate the role each played in forming who we are today. There were the awkward teen years, the aspirational college years, then a career, family and maybe even a dream home. Before you know it, retirement approaches and you wonder where the time went.

When meeting with clients to discuss their risk tolerances and explore potential “what-if” scenarios, you’ll likely uncover many concerns. Topping the list of possible threats to someone’s nest egg will undoubtedly be market downturns, healthcare costs, or even outliving their retirement savings.

So, this article’s headline grabbed you, and you want a knock-down battle between bonds and annuities. We’ll get there, but let’s first take a moment to review why having some guaranteed sources of lifetime income (in addition to Social Security) is often recommended by financial advisors.¹

The population of Americans age 75 and over is projected to double by 2040.¹ That’s even after taking into account that life expectancy numbers have dropped slightly for three straight years (mostly due to upticks in drug overdoses and suicides).² The fact is that more and more Americans will reach advanced ages.