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Things to do If You are Retiring in 10 years – Rani Jarkas

  The years leading up to retirement can be exciting. When you're a decade away from leaving the workforce, you can finally start to dream about living out your goals. Here are four items to check off your list if retirement is 10 years away.   1. Assess your current savings Hopefully, by the time you're 10 years from retirement, you'll have socked away a decent chunk of money in your 401(k) or IRA. Now's the time to make sure your savings are adequate. If they aren't, you still have an opportunity to make up for lost time.   2. Research healthcare costs The amount of money you'll spend on healthcare will depend on a number of factors. HealthView Services estimates that the average healthy couple retiring today will spend $606,337 on medical bills throughout retirement, not including long-term care. That's just one estimate, and it pays to review more. Still, the last thing you want to do is underestimate your costs.   3. Figure out when you&

How to avoid Running Out of Money in Retirement by Rani Jarkas

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  The pandemic has put a dent in many people’s financial lives, affecting their ability to save and stash away cash for retirement. Add the fact that more Americans are living longer, and the prospect of financial security in retirement for many is falling short. Here are five steps you can take to avoid running out of money in retirement.   1. Start planning now It’s never too late to start planning. Although it might be impossible to know how long you’ll live or what your health may look like in the future, there are things you can plan for now that can set you up well for retirement.   2. Save as much as you can The sooner you start saving, the more time your money has to grow. In your younger years, even a small amount of savings can go a long way. The longer you wait, the more you’ll need to set aside to meet your goals. So it’s always a good idea to try and put away as much as you can.   3. Invest the money you save But it doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget to inv

“Money Management Is More than Just Budgeting” - Rani Jarkas

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  What is financial management? Contrary to popular belief, managing your money is not just about creating a budget. Although budgeting does play a significant role in financial management, there are still other key factors to consider. Financial expert Rani Tarek Jarkas might be able to help you find them. Here are some essential strategies for effective money management, according to Rani Tarek Jarkas : ·         Create a separate business account A heavily detailed budget is useless if your personal and business funds are located in a single account. This only makes your financial management strategy less efficient, possibly resulting in overspending and missed growth opportunities. It’s best to open a business bank account as soon as you start your business. But if that opportunity has long passed, you can start now to track profitability and monitor spending easily. ·         Focus on cutting costs Before you begin looking for strategies to increase your profits, you

3 Best Investments for Military Families by Rani Jarkas

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  Serving in the military doesn’t afford much free time, which can make it tough to research and choose the best investments. Here are three of the best investments for military members provided by Rani Jarkas .     1. Federal Thrift Savings Plan The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a qualified retirement plan that provides a low-cost, tax-advantaged way for federal employees and service members to invest. You can select your own mix of investments, from a short-term U.S. Treasury bond to index funds to a life-cycle fund, the last of which automatically rebalances your assets as you near retirement.   2. Savings Deposit Program The U.S. Department of Defense’s Savings Deposit Program (SDP) gives deployed military personnel serving in designated combat zones a guaranteed 10% annual return on deposited amounts of up to $10,000. To qualify, you must be receiving Hostile Fire Pay and be deployed for either 30 consecutive days or at least one day per month for three consecutive mont

5 Important Things to Consider as We Come To the Year-End by Rani Jarkas

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  Rani Jarkas ' long and successful career in finance has helped him develop some of the most valuable and unique insights in the industry. Here, he lists five important things to consider as we come to the end of the year.   1. Review your financial goals and objectives.   As 2022 comes to a close, it's important to take a step back and review your financial goals and objectives. What worked well for you, and what didn’t work out so well? And most importantly, what do you want to achieve in the coming year?   Once you've reviewed your goals, it's time to make a plan. How are you going to achieve your goals? What steps do you need to take? What resources do you need?   2. Review your finances.   Carefully analyze your income and expenses. Where can you cut back? Did you have any unplanned or unexpected expenses last year? How can you plan for them this year? This way, you'll better understand where your money is going and how you can make changes

Discussing How to Recover from a Bad Investment Decision with Rani Jarkas

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Investing presents an attractive opportunity for people looking to grow their wealth or achieve other financial goals. However, it is not an exact science and anyone can make a bad investment. If an asset fails to make you any money, or worse still, it makes you a loss, it is fair to call it a bad investment. There are a few things you can do to help you recover from one, which we explore below:   1. Don’t take it personally; the idea failed, not you Even the most seasoned experts make bad investments sometimes. However, they don’t let these losses stop them from investing. They simply learn from it and move on. You should do the same.   2. Understand the sunk costs and opportunity cost Sunk cost is the irrecoverable loss made from a bad investment. The downside is that it might actually cause bigger losses. Opportunity cost, on the other hand, is what you miss out on because you chose a specific action. You might have avoided a larger loss if you had spread out your capita

How to Seek the Best Fit Investment Firm for You? Rani T Jarkas

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  When it comes to choosing investments, the right fit is something that meets your financial goals as an institution or as an individual. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The answer varies per investor and may even evolve for the same investor down the line.   For instance, your goal now may be to get optimum returns from your investments at your age to afford your dream lifestyle, so ideal investments for you may include high-risk ventures and securities. However, your needs may change over time and become more concerned with safeguarding your money for retirement, so the best investments for you may shift to blue-chip stocks and bonds.   Finding the right support Choosing the right investments requires specific expertise, knowledge, and experience. These are traits only seasoned and certified financial services experts like  Rani Jarkas  possess. Such experts will take the time to understand your financial planning and investment goals and recommend the best solutio