Archives for Finances

How to Make “For Better or Worse” Better in Retirement

February 22, 2019

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 events and transitions. How do they do it? Here are our tips based on direct experience. Both of You Need to Get and Stay Involved When It Comes to Your Money Although one spouse usually ends up taking on the lion’s share of the load when it comes to paying bills and/or managing
Read More

What To Do During Times of Market Uncertainty

February 1, 2019

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 hedge against the many financial risks you face as you get closer to retirement or are already retired, including market risk. In addition to managing wealth in a way that helps us move your money to safer accounts in challenging economic times, we also have specific strategies we
Read More

Family Life Events: When to Call Alpha Beta Gamma

August 23, 2018

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, for better or worse. And if there are children from a previous marriage involved, it’s doubly important to meet with a financial advisor to get the relationship off on strong financial footing. A comprehensive financial plan—which includes mutual goals, time horizon to retirement, and desires for wealth transfer to family
Read More

How to Reduce Your Cooling Costs This Summer

July 18, 2018

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 a lot of money.1 Here are some alternate ideas for handling Florida heat in July. Avoid creating additional heat in your home One way to keep the air inside your house as cool as possible is to cook outside on the grill, serve cold salads or
Read More

Annuities: 5 Things You Should Know

June 22, 2018

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 money for an agreed-upon monthly payment that starts immediately, or later. They’re not right for everyone. Because pensions are pretty much a thing of the past in corporate America, it’s tough for people to take control of their retirement income using a 401(k). The
Read More

5 Ways to Give Your Finances a $pring Cleaning

March 26, 2018

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 aren’t any expenses or debts on your credit report that aren’t yours. It’s free to check your credit reports once a year to ensure no one has used your name or identity to make unauthorized purchases. And with the Equifax data breach making headlines last year, we do
Read More