Arbor Financial Services Blog
The Arbor Financial Services Blog features timely tips and insights on a variety of financial topics important to retirees and near-retirees.

Does Your Retirement Strategy Give You Financial Resilience?
Your financial retirement plan may work great if everything goes accordingly. But, if there’s one great certainty about life, it’s that nothing is certain. Stuff

Five Hidden Risks That Can Derail Your Retirement — and How to Avoid Them
Retirement should be a time to enjoy life without constant financial worry. Yet many retirees and those nearing retirement overlook risks that can quietly chip

What Retirees and Pre-Retirees Need to Know About Annuities in Today’s Market
June is National Annuity Awareness Month, an effort launched by the insurance industry to promote education about this complex and often misunderstood investment tool. Not

Why Your Working Years Portfolio Could Sabotage Your Retirement
If you’re approaching retirement, you’ve likely spent decades saving and investing with the goal of building a solid financial foundation. But now that retirement is

Why Good Financial and Retirement Planning Is Essential for Fathers
Being a father is one of life’s greatest responsibilities — and one of its most rewarding roles. From late-night feedings to college graduations, fatherhood is

Turning Savings into Income: Choosing the Right Retirement Strategy
You’ve worked hard, saved diligently, and now retirement is on the horizon—or already here. The question you’re probably facing right now: How do I turn

Smart Summer Financial Tips for Investors Nearing Retirement
As the sun shines brighter and vacation season rolls in, summer is the perfect time to not only unwind but also re-evaluate your financial strategy.

7 Facts Investors Over 50 Need to Know About Investing for Income
For decades, most investors have been taught to focus on growing their portfolios. Accumulate. Grow. Maximize. That works — until it doesn’t. As you near

Do You Need Stocks to Retire? Discover Stock-Free Ways to Generate Retirement Income
If you’ve been told that the stock market is the only way to build wealth for retirement, you’re not alone. For decades, the conventional wisdom

Make the Most of Today’s Interest Rates — Before They Change Again
If you’ve been watching the headlines or your account statements lately, you’ve probably noticed that interest rates are higher than they’ve been in years. And

How to Make Sure You Can Retire When You Want To
Most people have a target age for when they’d like to retire, but many worry they may have to work longer to better ensure their

Are Tariffs a Threat to Your Retirement Plans?
If you’re within 10 years of retirement — or already there — you’ve likely been keeping a close eye on the economy. The market’s recent

Bonds and Bond Mutual Funds: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to investing for retirement, bonds and bond mutual funds are often considered stable, income-generating options. But while they may seem similar, they

How to Deal with Market Uncertainty When Building Your Retirement Income Strategy
If you’re nearing retirement, market uncertainty can stir up a lot of anxiety. The assets you need to start generating retirement income soon could swing

5 Tax Tips Retirees Should Know Before April 15
Tax Day — April 15 — is fast approaching. Whether you’ve already filed or are still pulling together your paperwork, this is more than just

How Investing for Income Helps Reduce Financial Risk
When it comes to retirement income planning, it’s important to have a strategy with the right priorities. Once you’re nearing retirement age, one of your

The True Cost of Underestimating Your Retirement Expenses
Retirement is often painted as a time of relaxation, travel, and newfound freedom – and ideally it should be. However, many retirees face an unexpected

You Don’t Need Luck for a Secure Retirement
St. Patrick’s Day is all about celebrating good fortune, but when it comes to retirement, relying on plain luck just isn’t a plan — it’s

How to Protect Your Retirement from Market Volatility
Market volatility is inevitable. After all, the markets are driven not by economic fundamentals, but by emotion. When investors are optimistic, the markets can soar.

Tackling Tariffs: What Everyday Investors Need to Know
By David J. Scranton, Founder and CEO of Sound Income Group Trade wars, tariffs, and economic negotiations—these words can send the stock market into a

Paying Your Bills in Retirement: Smart Strategies for Everyday Investors
As we celebrate Pay Your Bills Week from February 2 to February 8, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the financial challenges many retirees

How Financial Advisors Can Use AI to Attract More Business Online
More than ever today, financial advisors need a strong online presence to attract and retain clients. It’s all well and good to have a business

What Makes a Great Retirement Income Plan? 5 Key Elements
If you were to ask a group of people, “What is the most important goal of a retirement plan?” most would probably answer, “To help

From Offense to Defense: The Key Shift in Retirement Planning
Retirement planning requires a strategic shift as you approach your golden years. Early in your career, the focus is on growth — maximizing savings, investing

Why an Income-First Strategy Could Be the Key to Your Dream Retirement
We all hope to achieve our “dream” retirement. But hoping isn’t enough. Nor is simply saving a lot of money. As any successful person can

5 Retirement Planning Mistakes That Can Cost You – And How to Avoid Them
Retirement is that chapter in life we dream about — the ultimate freedom to enjoy family, pursue passions, and finally relax. Yet, even as we

The 7 Secrets of a Stress-Free Retirement: What Most Financial Advisors Won’t Tell You
Plans and goals for retirement may vary from person to person, but there is one thing most everyone wants during their retirement years: peace of

Sound Income Strategies’ ETF Ends Year as a Top Performer
Sound Income Strategies, a Florida-based RIA and money manager, saw its FXED ETF end 2023 in the top 1% of similar funds tracked by Morningstar.

Is the economy at a tipping point?
Is the economy at a tipping point? Inflation, rising interest rates, market volatility and talk of a new recession. That’s been the story of the

Understanding Your Retirement Account Options
401k, 403b, IRA, Roth IRA… Your retirement savings options can get confusing. I’m here to help. Choosing the right type of plan to help save

SECURE Act 2.0 Update
Now that congress has passed more changes to the laws around retirement planning, what does it mean for your plan? On March 29th, the House

Financial Spring-Cleaning Tips
When you’re spring cleaning your house and yard this year, don’t forget your finances. Just as your house doesn’t clean itself, your money can get

5 Steps Before Retirement
Preparing for retirement is a step-by-step process. But what are most essential steps? No two houses are exactly alike. Yet the construction of every house

Timely Tax Tips
Spring is just around the corner – which means so is the 2022 tax deadline. It’s almost March, and that means we’re right in the

What’s New With Social Security
The new year has brought new rules to Social Security. What do you need to know to get what’s coming to you? Every year brings

Tech Investing 101
You can count on technology to keep changing. But can you count on it for retirement income? As bad as the coronavirus has been for

Inflation Proof Your Retirement
It’s a New Year but it’s the same old story: inflation. How bad will it get, and how can you help protect yourself? As we

20 Tips to Improve Your Financial Health in 2022
Happy New Year! I’m going to help you make it even happier by improving your financial health. New Year’s is a time when many people

2022 Market Forecast
Happy Holiday season! Will it be a happy one for the financial markets? And what does next year hold in store? Inflation, interest rates, Covid-19….

Is Investing for Income Right for Me?
When you buy clothes, you make sure they fit first. Why not do the same with your financial plan? As I’ve said many times, in

Real Estate and Retirement Income
There’s more than one way to crack an egg… and to invest in real estate. Is one of them right for you? Investing in real

Is Investing for Income Right for Me?
When you buy clothes, you make sure they fit first. Why not do the same with your financial plan? Shifting your investment focus from growth

Retirement Scams
What was the name of your favorite pet? Wait, don’t answer! It could get you scammed! We’ve all seen those innocent looking memes on social

Scary Facts About Retirement
Sure, ghosts and goblins are scary, but in some ways there’s nothing scarier than retirement. It’s that spooky time of year again. But when it

It’s a question most of us start asking in our 50s: when should I retire?
Culturally, we’re programed to think of 65 as the normal retirement age, but many people retire much earlier than that, and some much later. It

What’s Driving Wall Street’s New Nervousness? Lots!
Last month, I identified several issues that could shake up the markets this fall, and they’ve been shaking them. However, new issues have also emerged.

Estate Planning 101
Although estate planning can be a complex task, a well-constructed plan can make a big difference in what is left for your loved ones. Before

Personal Finance Primer
Working with the right professional is important, but financial success starts at home. Even the best financial strategy can be undermined by bad habits. The

Skeletons are Piling Up in the World’s Closet as Fall Arrives
The Summer that began with so much optimism is coming to an end. While Wall Street is still clinging to optimism, its grip may be

7 Retirement Risks
Some risks you can’t see coming. Others you can try to predict – and prepare for. It’s all well and good to dream about a

The Dangers of Following Cookie-Cutter Financial Rules and Strategies
It’s important to understand why it’s dangerous to follow cookie-cutter solutions with regards to financial investments. This comes as a response to the common occurrence

Fall Financial Moves
Summer days are slipping away. Are you financially ready for Fall? For most people, Summer is the season to relax and forget about your finances.

More Successful Investing
Some things are simple in concept, but not easy in execution. Investing is one of them. So, why is doing it so hard? Today we’ll

Ways to Help Minimize Your Retirement Taxes
It’s always a relief when tax season is over. But then again, tax season is never over. You may leave behind a lot of