Since much of the country has recently spent a lot of time watching the Weather Channel and getting a refresher on how hurricanes work, it’s the perfect opportunity to see what we can learn about retirement planning from a discussion about hurricanes…

Most of us know it is smart to save money for those big-ticket items we really want to buy, a new TV, a car, how about a house? You may not realize that probably the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy in your lifetime is your retirement.

Take out a dollar bill from your wallet and look at it. Now take out a second dollar bill and look at it. They look pretty similar, don’t they? They spend at the grocery store the same.

We’d all like to be able to hit home runs, but the truth is that there just aren’t that many home run hitters out there, even at the pro levels.

You’re about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you’re considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble-free, there are some pitfalls you’ll want to avoid.

Just the other days I was meeting with a CPA in my area reviewing our planning process. It’s inevitable that when I review our planning process called Simplicitree we get into investment strategies.

Not too long-ago Lisa Wallace, the public affairs specialist from the Social Security office was on my radio show Simply Financial that airs each Saturday morning at 11:30 here in Charlotte on 102.5FM or 610AM.

I imagine many of you have heard the story of the Blind Men and The Elephant. I believe it may have been the sixth grade or so when I was first introduced to it.

Having met with thousands of individuals during the 25 plus years of my career, I have noticed most people tend to make similar mistakes.

If you want to retire, then you better put your money to work. View your retirement savings as a little army that is going to fight for your future income.