Benchmark Financial Group Blog

As a federal employee, your future retirement income will be based upon your annuity payments, withdrawals from your Thrift Savings Plan, and Social Security benefits. It makes sense to max out your potential retirement income by stashing as much as possible in your Thrift Savings Plan, and working enough years to qualify for your best possible...

Just one or two generations ago, the average person retired around age 60, lived a few more years into retirement, and then passed away after enjoying a typical lifespan. Today, however, our fifties are no longer considered “old”! And our lifespans have grown longer than ever, with many of us living into our eighties and nineties. Because of...

For many of us, retirement represents the end of many years of meticulous financial planning. You’ve anticipated your needs, prepared for them, worked hard throughout your career, and now you want to relax. If your main debts are paid off, such as your mortgage and even cars, you might feel tempted to “relax” a bit too much. Keep in mind that...

For most of us, years of hard work and a long career aren’t just about our own personal fulfillment. We’re doing it to provide for our loved ones. While our kids tend to grow up, move away, and pursue their own careers, we hope to enjoy the rest of our lives with our spouses. But what happens if you pass away sooner than expected? What would...

Ideally, we should start planning for retirement in the early days of our careers (perhaps even in our twenties). In reality, many of us don’t think about retirement until our late thirties, forties, and beyond. No matter where you are in the retirement planning process, we do suggest you start with these four basic questions. Then, we can help...