Are You Really Serious About Your Retirement?

Are You Really Serious About Your Retirement?

It’s no secret that one of the greatest problems facing America is the fact that an increasing percentage of our nation’s retirees are not financially ready to retire – a number that is getting worse with time. In my opinion, though, that is not the real crux of the matter. The most maddening thing is that most of these folks are not becoming aware of their dire situation until they have either already retired or are pretty close to it.

Of course, various reasons may account for this, but my first-hand observation from working with retirees on a daily basis is that an overwhelming number of people, for one reason or the other, do not give any serious thought – at least not to the degree that they should – to their retirement income until they are about to walk out the door.

Understand, I am not placing the entire blame on these hard-working folks. We live in an environment where the financial press and so-called money gurus lead us to believe that all it will take to succeed in retirement is making sure that you are consistently saving money in a 401(k), an IRA, or some other plan.

To state the obvious, this type of messaging is not working – or we wouldn’t have such a vast number of seniors facing enormous financial challenges after all those years of hard work and saving. Could it be that many are saving, but in the wrong places? Is it a good idea to assume that the general, one-size-fits-all financial instruction we are receiving is indeed what will work for us? How many Americans have a real retirement plan specifically crafted for them by an experienced financial professional? How often do you review/assess the progress of your retirement investments?

The thing is, most of the challenges that are destroying the retirement dreams of many are problems that could have been corrected years ago, had these individuals sought the right help. Maybe you need to get a real plan today? Food for thought!

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Would you like to talk with an experienced professional with a proven-track record about how you can have the peace of mind of knowing you have a retirement plan that will actually work for you? Call 877.656.9111 or visit www.LaserFG.com to schedule a no-obligation consultation RIGHT NOW!

Exposing the Fallacy of "Long-Term" Investing

Many financial advisors tell investors who are concerned about the ups and downs of the stock market to simply focus on the "long-term." Question is: When exactly is this "long-term" when apparently there will be no such fluctuations?

Here's why that explanation is completely bogus - and what you can do to secure your investments.



Would you like to talk to an experienced professional with a proven-track record about how you can have the peace of mind in knowing that your retirement is set? Call 877.656.9111 or visit www.LaserFG.com to schedule a no-obligation consultation RIGHT NOW!

Is a Roth IRA Your Absolute Best Option?

Is a Roth IRA Your Absolute Best Option?

Compared to their traditional counterparts, Roth IRAs allow you to make after-tax contributions and withdraw your proceeds tax-free (provided that you’ve owned your account for at least five years and are at least 59 ½ years old). Therefore, all things being equal, in a rising tax environment, you could end up with a lot more income if you used a Roth IRA. They are also friendlier, in terms of allowing you to access your original contributions at any time, without triggering taxes or penalties.

Another superb but often unmentioned benefit is that income from a Roth IRA is not counted in the calculation of Provisional Income, thereby effectively reducing or completely eliminating any potential federal tax on your Social Security retirement checks. Additionally, unless you inherited the account from a deceased owner, there are no IRS-mandated required distributions to deal with beyond age 70 ½ — leaving you in full control.

Some Roth IRA limitations

Most notable is the limit on the maximum amount you can contribute in any given tax year. In 2013, the cap is $5,500, or $6,500 if you are past age 50.

In addition, there are limitations on who can own a Roth IRA and who can make maximum contributions. Currently, your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) must be less than $112,000 (single) or $178,000 (joint return) to make the maximum contributions to your Roth IRA. Those earning between $112,000 and $127,000 (single) or $178,000 and $188,000 (joint return) are allowed reduced contributions — but if your MAGI exceeds either of these upper limits ($127,000 and $188,000), you are disqualified from contributing to a Roth IRA at all.

Similar benefits without the restrictions

By and large, anyone — irrespective of their income level — can enjoy similar, if not superior, tax advantages by maximally funding (note the important word maximally) a life insurance contract up to, but not beyond, the IRS-mandated modified endowment contract (MEC) limit.

With this approach, there are no MAGI limitations or any of the stringent dollar caps associated with IRAs, so you are essentially able to set your own “limits” by simply customizing your contract to hold the exact amount you intend to save. Another powerful feature is that if for any reason you contribute less than your intended amount in a particular year, you may contribute the shortfall anytime going forward, in addition to that year’s amount. So unlike a Roth IRA, your opportunity to contribute in a given year does not evaporate as the calendar hits April 15.

You also are able to access some of your accumulated cash, including any gains, via wash loans (where the interest charged equals the interest credited, for a zero net effect), without creating taxable income and without having it counted as part of your Provisional Income. At death, the remaining funds are paid to your beneficiary — under Section 101 of the Internal Revenue Code — completely income-tax free.

Here’s an important caution

Be sure to seek counsel from a licensed professional who is familiar with the requirements surrounding these contracts as set out in the U.S. Tax Code (particularly sections 7702, 72(e), and 101) and who has real-life experience in designing such contracts that are complaint and cost effective. If you’d like more information or simply need a second opinion about your financial plan, please call 877.656.9111 or visit LaserFG.com to schedule an absolutely no-strings-attached consultation with an experienced, thoughtful professional. 

Debunking the False Investing Dilemma

There seems to be this -wrong - notion out there that in order for you to make decent returns on your investments you must invest directly in the stock market. Or else, your only other alternative would be to turn to fixed instruments (like, CDs and bonds), which pay next to nothing in terms of growth.

Here's the problem, though: 

This entire hypothesis leaves out a third investing strategy that will enable you to make money, up to a certain cap, when the stock market goes up, but don't lose anything (absolutely, nothing) when the market goes down. Watch this 2-minute video....



It's YOUR retirement and hard-earned money! Get the facts you need from experienced professionals with real-life success stories. Call 877.656.9111 or visit us online to schedule a no-obligation private consultation today!

Experts Say Such-and-Such…But Who Exactly Are These Experts?

Experts Say Such-and-Such…But Who Exactly Are These Experts?

By all accounts, following expert advice when it comes to your retirement investments is a good thing, especially in this day and age. And boy do we have a barrage of expert opinions about how to ensure a financially comfortable retirement, don’t we? So why is it, as the years go by, that the percentage of Americans who are missing the mark – and we’re talking significantly missing the mark – is on the rise and getting worse?

Of course, there may be a number of reasons why only a few Americans succeed at retirement planning. But here’s what nobody seems to be addressing, yet may well be the root cause of the financial nightmares of millions of retirees and soon-to-be retirees: The “expert advice” they’re following may be completely wrong and out of touch with reality.

Let me explain. Every day we hear the experts tell us what we should be doing to hit home runs with our retirement nest eggs. Just turn on the news, pick up a financial magazine, or visit a financial website. The experts have spoken and continue to speak in no uncertain terms.

On the other hand, however, many of the folks I have personally met in my practice have more or less followed the experts’ advice to the T. Yet they are achieving the exact opposite results than the retirement lifestyles they envisioned. Rather than retiring comfortably, they are afraid of outliving their savings, don’t have enough money to do or purchase many of the things they want, and are being clobbered with taxes, when all those experts said their taxes would be much lower as they approached retirement.

The thing is, if someone told you to do something to achieve a specific result, and you followed their advice but ended up with a completely different outcome, it can mean only one thing: their recommendations were wrong. Does it really matter who the advice-giver is or what they advised? Whether they refer to themselves as an expert, a master, a consultant, or a specialist? Of course, not.  

Please don’t mistake me – I am not saying that you shouldn't follow expert advice. I’ll always personally prefer an expert to a non-expert. But I’d also like to know who exactly this expert is that I’m going to be listening to and, most importantly, to learn of the real-life (notice the keyword here is real-life) success stories associated with his/her recommendations, not just their theories. The interesting thing is that in many cases, we don’t have the slightest clue about who the expert is because all we hear are things like “according to experts,” “experts recommend,” “experts say,” or “retirement experts suggest.” Next time you hear advice from an expert, ask yourself this simple question: Who exactly is this expert that I am about to follow?

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It's YOUR money! Be sure to get the SOLID, proven, common-sense advice that will help you navigate all that big-media expert advice and protect your future. Call us today at 877.656.9111 or visit us on the web to schedule your no-strings-attached consultation!

Media Expert Financial Advisor vs. The Others

What do you do when your financial advisor's recommends are completely different from what your favorite media financial guru says? Here's my simple (yet most effective) criteria for deciding whom you should go with:


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Need straightforward recommendations from an experienced professional with a PROVEN track record? Call us on 877.656.9111 or visit LaserFG.com to schedule your no-strings-attached private consultation.

Why Bank Mutual Funds Are No Safer than Wall Street’s

Why Bank Mutual Funds Are No Safer than Wall Street’s

It is no secret that most of us – including yours truly – like the idea that bank deposits are insured by the FDIC. Hey, any assurance of protection, however small, is welcome when it comes to my hard-earned money, especially given the history of banks in America. However, I have noticed a very troubling misunderstanding in the area of securities (which I refer to as “mutual funds” in this forum) that are sold by bank-affiliated companies.

Easily 9 out of 10 folks are under the impression that the mutual funds they buy through their banks are also FIDIC insured, and therefore safer than those on Wall Street (or those purchased from a non-bank brokerage or investment company). The fact of the matter is, no mutual fund in America – regardless of whom you bought it from – is insured by the FDIC. The FDIC insures up to $250,000 of your checking, savings, CD, and bank money market savings accounts only.

When you buy mutual funds of any kind (even money market mutual funds), you do not have any further protection – when it comes to FDIC coverage – than someone who buys the same mutual fund from a non-bank-affiliated investment company or broker, because no such protection exists.

Interestingly enough, federal law mandates that this fact be disclosed on all documentation that relates to these bank-affiliated investment accounts. And to their credit, these institutions do disclose that the underlying securities are “not FDIC insured”. But for some reason, many fail to read the “not” or simply conclude that all bank accounts come with FDIC protection, in spite of the notice.

Of course, not all mutual funds or general securities are the same, in terms of riskiness. That is why it is imperative that you carefully consider your situation and also understand the exact ramifications of your choices. The one thing you can count on for sure is that FDIC protection has absolutely nothing to do with securities.

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It's YOUR money! Be sure to get the SOLID, proven, common-sense advice that will help you protect your future. Call us today at 877.656.9111 or visit us on the web to schedule your no-strings-attached consultation!