Benchmark Financial Group Blog

If you ask ten different people about their plans for retirement, you might get ten different answers. However, some themes are common, at least in a general way. One answer that you might receive frequently involves home equity. Many Baby Boomers, in particular, have accumulated a considerable amount of equity in their homes. They often assume...

As a federal employee, you already know that you will enjoy three sources of retirement income someday (Social Security, your annuity, and withdrawals from your Thrift Savings Plan). But having income is one matter; having enough income is the real challenge for most retirees. Have three sources of income sounds great, of course, but what about...

Financial planning often revolves around saving for the future, particularly retirement. But anticipating taxes, and strategizing to minimize their impact, is another important component of both short- and long-term planning. Before the end of the year, consider the following steps to potentially reduce your overall federal income tax debt for...

Retired federal employees earn the advantage of three forms of retirement income; their pension, Social Security benefits, and distributions from the Thrift Savings Plan offer a form of income security not often enjoyed by other retirees. Still, having more options doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still strategize to your best advantage. Since you...

We all know that stashing every bit of money possible is one of the smartest ways to plan for a more stable retirement. But, of course, you can’t stash what you don’t have! If you’re short on funds to devote to retirement savings, it could be because you’re losing money to one or more bad habits. Each of these items seems fairly innocuous on its...