Protect Your Retirement Lifestyle from the Threat of Inflation

According to the U.S. Energy Administration, in 1981, a gallon of gasoline cost an average of $1.38. Based on current figures from the U.S. Department of Energy, the percentage increase in the price of a gallon of gasoline is 148% over the last 30 years. Meanwhile, data from The Congressional Research Service and the U.S. Administration on Aging show that the median income for persons age 65 and above during this same 30 year period has increased only 48 percent. This trend is not limited to just gasoline prices; the costs of housing, food, energy, and many other commodities have soared through the roof.

Most Americans are familiar with the concept of inflation and they understand that inflationary pressure makes it increasingly harder to get by, financially. What many people are missing is the connection between the last thirty years and the next thirty years.

When planning for retirement, people commonly anticipate a period of approximately thirty years. But yet, they fail to ask a simple question, “If inflation drove the cost of living up so dramatically during the last thirty years, what will happen over the next thirty years?”

If gas prices continue to increase at the same rate, in thirty years a gallon of gas will cost close to ten dollars! Food and other living costs will also experience similar cost increases. What would be the impact of these massive cost of living increases on your retirement lifestyle? Could you afford to pay over $8.50 for a gallon of gas?

The answer is grim for most prospective retirees.

There’s no doubt that inflation is a major threat to retirees. Yet, with proper planning, you can mitigate inflation’s impact.

The Hidden Wealth System’s Personal Protected Pension Plan™ can help you protect against inflation. Our Personal Protected Pension Plan™ provides you with a proven, safe-money solution, that helps protect your retirement from inflation; a retirement that is also tax-advantaged and free from market losses. Our unique design increases your retirement income as inflation rises to help protect your lifestyle from the effects of inflation. You can’t hope to keep pace with inflation using traditional retirement programs; learn how you can plan to beat Inflation. Inflation is a very real threat to retirees and those planning for retirement, but with careful planning, the risks can be minimized.

Don’t risk running out of money before you run out of life. Protect your hard-earned life’s work and immunize yourself against inflation. Imagine, living your retirement years with an income stream that is tax-advantaged and inflation-protected; safe in the knowledge that your income affords a lifestyle that allows you to be really retired. Contact Millie today at (866) 998-7699 or email her at: millie@TheHiddenWealthSystem.com and begin protecting your savings against inflation today!

Do You Want to Work Into Your 8o's?

As the economy continues to sputter and the cost of living continues to increase, baby boomers are becoming increasingly concerned about their ability to retire—and with good reason. For those fortunate enough to still have a job, salaries have typically held steady or even been cut. Meanwhile, gas prices continue to climb, while investments and real estate have largely lost value. Add to this unpleasant cocktail the threat of major inflation in the near future and it is very easy to see why prospective retirees are concerned.

As economists dissect recent data, they are coming to the conclusion that many baby boomers will have to work well past the age of 65 before they can afford retirement. In fact, some economists are suggesting that many would-be retirees will be forced to work well into their eighties before they have enough saved for retirement. While some have dismissed these forecasts as overly gloomy, it is a mistake to ignore them altogether. It is a fact that our economy is currently experienced painfully weak growth—at a time when we need to be adding jobs rapidly to keep unemployment under control. The future of our economy is also very unclear, as many of our manufacturing and communications jobs have been outsourced. And while the stock market has rebounded from the crash of 2008 and 2009, investors remain unconvinced that the recovery is going to last. Finally, even if our economy is able to overcome these obstacles and regain strength (not to mention full employment), there is little question that inflation will be a factor in years to come. The question is not whether we will experience inflation or not—the question is how severe will it be?

Meanwhile, you have been working hard for decades, saving and investing your money in hopes of reaching retirement while you are still young enough to enjoy it. Now, through no fault of your own, your plans are in jeopardy. I have good news for you, however. It’s not too late to seize control of your financial future. A carefully crafted plan can help you weather the economic storms we are currently experiencing—and will make the retirement of your dreams possible. Get in touch with us today and let us create a strategy to protect you from the dangers of inflation and economic stability.

The Loss of Confidence in Traditional Investing

Investors seem to be growing tired of the financial roller coaster where their accounts post slow gains for a number of years and then those gains, plus some of their original principal, vanish when today's volatile markets take an unexpected tumble. In 2008, many people's 401k and IRA accounts lost 31 percent and most have not recovered back to what they had as their original principal. This pattern has been going on for decades and it seems many investors have now had enough.

Investors are getting fed up with the same traditional advice of investing in IRAs and 401(k)s, to postpone taxes and then having to deal with the ravages of market volatility on their long-term gain. In my experience as a wealth strategist, I've never had a client come to me from a traditional advisor that had a tax exit strategy or an inflation impact plan as part of their overall financial strategy. These are things that traditional planners just don't consider or deem important.

According to a new survey from Prince & Associates, 81 percent of investors with $1 million or more in investable assets plan to take money away from their current advisor. An even larger number, 86 percent, plan to tell other investors to avoid their advisor. Only two percent of those surveyed plan to recommend their firm to other investors.

It doesn't take a financial genius to realize that deferring taxes to a later date as tax rates continue to rise, placing money into investments that lack liquidity and placing the rate of return for a retirement nest egg in variable products are not winning strategies. Yet, these are only three of the major problems with traditional investments.

If you're tired of: giving your gains (and principal) to the market every few years, not having access to your money until your 59.5 years of age, having to take minimum required distributions at age 70.5 and worring if inflation will deplete your retirement income, please schedule a no-cost, no-obligation discovery meeting to determine if our planning strategies are right for you. Please call (866) 998-7699 to arrange a meeting or visit our website: http://www.thehiddenwealthsystem.com/

Keeping Your Plan on Track

Part of my job as a Wealth Strategist is to help my clients to stay on track with their financial plan. This includes helping them to avoid making big money mistakes. I've recently developed a list of five, thought-provoking questions that can help clients to realize mistakes that they may not be aware that they are making:

1. What is the process that you use to budget or examine your consumption activities? The answer to this question can help you keep your family's spending within your acceptable limits.

2. Do your goals and aspirations have realistic time lines? This answer helps to keep you from setting unrealistic expectations for your financial plans.

3. Do you know what you can do, so that you can share with others what you want to do? The purpose of this question is to explore if you have adequate protection against unforeseen losses.

4. How have you strategically diversified your investments in order to reduce unpredictable fluctuation? This answer will help protect you from unnecessary investment risk.

5. Will you outlive your retirement resources? The answer to this question will determine the effectiveness of you inflation impact plan.