How to Help Clients Plan for Long-Term Care

Seven out of 10 Americans will need long-term care at some point in their lives, and two out of 10 will require it for longer than five years. However, only one-third of Americans are confident in their Long-Term Care (LTC) plans. Long-term care expenses can throw a major wrench into the best-laid retirement plans, with…

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Life Insurance: 5 Ways to Use this Versatile Financial Tool

Life insurance might be the most misunderstood of all the products available in the financial marketplace. Nearly half (42%) of all Americans believe they need more life insurance coverage than they currently have while nearly three-quarters (72%) overestimate the cost of life insurance, according to the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association 2024 Insurance Barometer…

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Talking to Clients About Indexed Annuities for Retirement Income

Annuities can be a difficult product for some financial advisors to talk about. Some financial pundits have criticized annuities due to perceived disadvantages, and some clients have a preconceived bias against them. Nevertheless, NOW is the perfect time to be talking to your clients and prospects about the value of indexed annuities for retirement income.…

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Fixed Index Annuities: A Powerful Tool to Manage Market Volatility

The past few weeks have witnessed a level of market volatility unlike anything we’ve seen in quite awhile. Major stock indices plunged after President Trump officially announced his tariff plan on April 2 and have swung wildly in the days since. If you work with retirement-age clients, now is a great time to go ‘back…

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Is the 4% Rule Still Relevant as a Retirement Income Strategy?

retired couple looking worried

Which would you say people fear more: dying or running out of money? Two-thirds of Americans say they’re more afraid of running out of money before they die than they are of death itself, according to the 2024 Annual Retirement Study from Allianz Life Insurance Company. Clearly, most Americans need a retirement income strategy to…

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5 Reasons to Consider Fixed Index Annuities for Your Clients’ Portfolios

As your clients near retirement and their investing timeframe shortens, they become especially vulnerable to market volatility risk. There is less time for portfolios to recover from sudden and drastic market downturns that can severely disrupt their carefully laid retirement plans, which makes preservation of principal more important. A fixed index annuity (FIA) may be…

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The Retirement Hierarchy of Needs, Part 2

This blog post is the second of a series on what we at Tarkenton Financial call the “Retirement Hierarchy of Needs.”  The Retirement Hierarchy of Needs is a philosophy of how to build a comprehensive financial plan for a client.  The idea is to make sure to cover all of the needs, wants, and risks…

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