Here are six things you need to know if you or a family member has been furloughed—or laid off—from their job A furlough is an unpaid leave of absence. You don’t report to work, you don’t get paid, and you may lose some of your benefits. Getting fired or laid off is different because i ...
In the wake of COVID-19, wearing masks or some type of facial covering is mandated in most public locations in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease. Medical-grade masks, such as the N95 respirator mask, are known to provide the best protection against breath-borne pathogens. But since those ...
The $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill is the single largest relief legislation in U.S. history, aimed at providing help for individuals and businesses affected by the outbreak. It was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act is also known as “Phase III,” because it follows a $10 ...
Our long term clients (some, for more than 25 years) know that I am an “optimistic realist.” I suspect that over the years, I’ve evolved a bit less along the “optimistic” side to be a bit more “realistic” but that is, I suspect, the long term developmental process for most optimists. ...
The first quarter of 2020 was one of the most volatile in the history of the capital markets. No asset class was spared as a result of the Corona Virus which swept across the global population and its economies with “Blitzkrieg” speed, toppling people, businesses, the capital markets, and economies ...
The Rules Are Changing For Your 401(k) In 2020 If you’re still working and contributing to a 401(k) or similar workplace retirement plan, there is some good news for the upcoming year. If you’re under age 50, the amount you can contribute to your 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans and the federal govern ...
Thanksgiving is one of America’s beloved holidays, and it’s a time when we gather together with family and friends to enjoy a communal feast. And at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management, we like to expand even more than our waistlines when it comes to thankfulness! Many traditions encourage us to be t ...
It’s October, the month that we typically celebrate “scary stuff” right up until the last day, when Halloween arrives on the 31st. Pretending to be afraid is one thing. But being fearful and anxious in real life, especially as you get older, is not fun at all. The fears that go along with retirement ...
September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, and thus the focus of this month’s blog post. Here are some of the things you should know about life insurance: Life insurance is a contract. A life insurance policy is basically a contract between you and an insurance company. As with any contract ...
We talk a lot about “risk” in retirement, because there are a lot of issues to consider. That’s why retirement planning is so important—it includes contingency plans to cover potential adverse events. Here are five examples: Incapacity Even young people face the possibility that they will become dis ...
PODCAST: “Money and Politics” July 13, 2019 Here are some of the points made by Curt Lyman on the show: The stock market is hot. The economy is good. Building and construction is occurring all over the nation. Housing inventory is low/in ...
Longevity means “long life” or “length of life.” Longevity risk is the risk that someone will outlive their money or available income—something we are very concerned about at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management. It’s a fact that people are living longer. A woman who has reached age 65 can expect to l ...
Retirement It’s a fact that 10,000 Americans per day1 will continue turning 65 up until the year 2030. For the people who have money saved in, say, a 401(k), which is the most common retirement vehicle, you are facing stock market volatility which can have a devastating effect on your portfolio, ...
The old notion that you should withdraw from life and sit in a rocking chair during retirement has been completely overturned as today’s older population demonstrates on a daily basis. Here are some recent facts and new ideas about retirement that you should consider before you take that last payche ...
At Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management, we’ve worked with hundreds of couples in our 30+ years serving as financial advisors. And one thing we’ve noticed is that some husbands and wives appear to enjoy their retirements more, seem happier overall, and demonstrate poise in handling life’s unexpected e ...
By Curt Lyman At Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management, we have been helping clients for decades, and we’ve worked through Black Monday, the dot com bubble, the housing market crash of 2008, as well as many other times in recent history when markets went sideways. That’s why our approach is always to h ...
All of us at Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management look forward to serving you and your family in the upcoming year, and we are committed to finding the best strategies for every economic condition. Let’s schedule your annual review! If you are not a client yet, but are looking for new or alternative i ...
On November 17, 2018, Curtis Lyman, CEO and CIO of Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was featured on the podcast, “Money and Politics in Delaware” to discuss his views on the current stock market and economy. October was a volatile month for stocks—the single most vo ...
Indexed annuity sales set records in the third quarter of 2018, according to the preliminary Wink’s Sales & Market Report, in its 85th edition. Non-variable annuity sales—which include indexed annuities, traditional fixed annuities and multi-year guaranteed annuities—increased almost 5% as compa ...
Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management is expanding to better serve our clients. Meet our two newest team members! Raquel Bencosme has joined Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management with a focus on providing first-class service to our clients. She handles account openings and account maintenance, manages s ...
Curt Lyman appeared on the podcast “Money and Politics in Delaware” on August 25, 2018. The topics ranged from ETFs and bitcoin on the equities side of the market, to how rising interest rates might be poised to affect the fixed income bond side of things. Curt’s common sense approach is backed by 4 ...
Here are some life milestones and events that mark when you should call us to get financial advice and help. A marriage. Whether it’s you, or your children or grandchildren getting married, when two people join together in holy matrimony they’re also going to need to bring their finances together, f ...
Clients who have been with us for many years know that this blog ‘Riding the Rockies’ began back in 2010 when I began spending some time in the Colorado Rocky Mountains cycling. That time spent in the saddle of a skinny Italian bicycle has historically provided me with the solitude that’s sometime ...
90 degree weather with 90% humidity can have you racing for the thermostat just to get some relief. In Florida, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) can account for more than 40% of your utility bill, and at an average electricity cost of 12.09 cents per kilowatt hour, that can add up to ...
June is “Annuity Awareness Month,” so we thought we would share a little bit of information about them. Here are 5 things you should know. Annuities are similar to a pension. An annuity is kind of like a pension you can buy for yourself from an insurance company. You basically exchange a sum of mo ...
The most important thing you can do when you retire is have a clear plan for how you want to spend your days. Scheduling is essential so that you don’t begin spending too much time in front of the television instead of living your best life. Here are some ideas for you to consider. You may want to s ...
I’ve been spending a significant amount of time over the past several weeks pondering the following: Which of the two interest rate scenarios do I think are most likely to play out over the coming months: A ‘benign’ Federal Reserve with gradually rising interest rates along the curve over an extende ...
How can you plan a wonderful celebration for the most important day in a couple’s life—without overspending? It used to be that parents paid for a daughter’s wedding as a matter of course. But for better or worse—or richer or poorer—families and cultural norms have changed. Maybe that’s partly due t ...
Spring is coming! Time to get your finances in shipshape condition. Here are five ideas to get you started. Check your credit reports. While you’re reviewing your expenses and debts in order to see how you fared last year in terms of staying within your personal budget, make sure that there a ...
No one wants to think about the fact that they may become unable to care for themselves someday, but the truth is that more than 50%1 of people 65 or older are estimated to need long-term or nursing care at some point. Costs for long-term care vary by state. The average cost2 of a semi-privat ...
No doubt, the “talking heads” on the financial news channels are scaring the hell out of most individual investors by today’s very volatile market action. Let’s talk about what happened today and what we see looking ahead. Most of today’s market action this afternoon was caused by ETF trading. Typic ...
As those of you who are “long-time” friends and clients know, I began writing “Riding the Rockies” in 2009, at the height of the Great Recession. The title comes from my love of road cycling above 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains and the analogy to the ups and downs of the stock and bond markets. ...
2017 was a strong year for stocks with the S&P 500 up almost 19%, as stock valuations broadened out. We had been overweight stocks going into 2017 and remained overweight through the year. Bonds, however, returned only nominal returns, based predominantly on yield, as the Fed increased the Fed ...
1. Home equity loan interest is no longer deductible. Since you cannot deduct interest on home equity loans or lines of credit from your income taxes anymore starting in 2018, it may make sense to pay these off depending on your situation. Mortgage interest deductions on home loans going forward can ...
If year-after-year you find yourself making the same boring and unattained New Year’s Resolutions, we offer you some new goals you can try for 2018. Cheers, and Happy New Year! 1. Write a business plan. If you’ve been thinking about turning that hobby into a business for years, or have a drea ...
The most “wonderful time of the year” isn’t always so wonderful if you overspend. And it can happen to the best of us. Retailers start plying the public with their Christmas wares pre-Halloween, for good reason. People spend more during the holiday season than any other time of year. And this year, ...
From The Alpha family to yours, we Say “Thank You!” for the opportunity to be of service to you in the achievement of your financial goals. ...
Those readers who are long-time clients and friends of Alpha Beta Gamma Wealth Management know that my blog is called Riding the Rockies first, because I view the capital markets quite similarly to trekking through the most majestic mountains in the world and second, because, as a ‘flat-lander’ Flor ...
According to a recent article in The Washington Post, 71% of Americans aren’t saving enough for retirement. If you’re in this predicament, what can you do to close the gap? Here six practical suggestions. Bolster your 401(k). Much as it may pain you, try to allocate more of your paycheck ...
Two key Senate Republicans reached an agreement on the framework of a major tax cut that reportedly will save taxpayers $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), members of the Senate Budget Committee, released a statement saying they agreed on a path toward ...
This year, however, the movie is a real thriller and no one knows how it’s going to end on December 31. No one knows if tax laws are going to change, much less how they will change, but a lot is at stake. For example, a proposal that has received bipartisan support would treat an IRA left to y ...
The Federal Reserve’s August beige book forecasted broad-based, steady growth that is neither too hot nor too cold, a “Goldilocks economy.” It’s an ideal environment because it suggests the Fed will not feel compelled to hit the monetary brakes any time soon, particularly wit ...
