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Pre -Retirement
"I've always enjoyed managing my own investments. Actually, it's almost like a hobby for me. As far as I know, I'm on target to retire in 2014 — or at least I was before the economy fell apart. Like everyone else, my portfolio has taken a hit. I'm wondering if this is going to work as planned or whether I need to adjust my timeline. I'm also wondering if I should make changes to my portfolio as the economy improves." |
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Retirement
"We didn't think this day would ever come! For the first time in our lives, we'll have time for travel and for some of the volunteer projects that have been on the back burner. We've just scheduled our first Elderhostel trip to travel through Colorado by railroad. We're excited to go but are apprehensive about leaving our portfolio unattended with all this market uncertainty. We've worked really hard to build this nest egg and our retirement plans depend on it. For the first time, we're thinking about hiring someone to do this for us." |
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Divorce
"If someone had told me ten years ago that this was where I'd be at 55, I wouldn't have believed them. Well, here I am. My ex managed our financial lives - budget, taxes, investments, savings - all of it. I know it's my responsibility now but I'm so afraid of making a mistake that I don't seem to be able to move forward. I'm not a stupid person, but honestly, I don't even know the questions to ask. I need some help figuring out what needs to be done right away, whether I need to find a job, and how to make the divorce settlement last the rest of my life." |
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Family Trustee
"Dad died a few years ago and I didn't think twice when I was named as trustee to manage Mom's assets. Mom was always healthy. She had a great group of friends and seemed to just enjoy life. I never thought of her as old so when she got so sick I just wasn't prepared. The cost of her care is several thousand dollars a month. I worry about how I've invested her money and whether it will last. I try to visit her as much as possible, but I work full time and have a family of my own so it can be really hard. I'm so stressed and tired that I'm not sure I'm making the best decisions. If I could find an easier way to manage all of this, I would." |
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Inheritance
"We had no idea that the family property was so valuable. Mom and Dad worked so hard for all those years — and now we're receiving a windfall. We wish they had spent the money on themselves. It's very important to us that we preserve what they worked so hard to build and pass it on to our children and grandchildren. At this point, we're overwhelmed. We realize that we need to make good investment decisions but we don't feel we have the expertise to do this ourselves." |
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Empty Nest
"The kids are grown and on their own. I've had a great career but I'm ready to try something new — maybe do some consulting part time. I'm a little nervous about making a change at this stage of my life but if I could generate more income from my portfolio, I might be able to make it work." |
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