Several years ago, there was a frequently aired TV infomercial for a cooking or baking device. Throughout those 30 mind-numbing minutes they would repeat the saying; “Set it and forget it!”, over, and over again. Perhaps you recall seeing the infomercial I am referring to. Unfortunately, many financial professionals in our industry approach retirement income planning with a similar approach; set it and forget it. At Master’s, we take the… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Retirement Income (Part 2)
Today the retirement income landscape looks significantly different than it did in past generations. Previously, it was commonplace for large corporations to fund pension plans that would provide a fixed monthly income for their employees throughout retirement. As you are probably aware, today the typical employer provides a retirement savings plan, most commonly a 401k, where usually both the employee and the employer jointly contribute to that savings plan. This… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Retirement Income (Part 1)
Over the next few weeks, we will be writing about the different elements of a successful retirement income plan. We still use the word “retirement” to describe our years after our main occupation but, of course, the definition of retirement is much different today than in the past. Maybe a better way to think of retirement these days is to think about what it takes to plan for successfully living… Read More
The Master’s Minute – The Journey vs. The Destination
I do not know about you, but I am excited for warmer weather. The days are getting longer, it is getting warmer outside and the piles of snow are starting to melt. My wife and I are also working on our plans for where we want to vacation this summer. What would you think if we decided to pack our suitcase now based on the weather report for August and… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Nearing Retirement? Talk to Your Spouse
After 23 years at Master’s, I will retire at the end of this month. As I plan for retirement, I have been reminded how important it is to communicate with my wife. Communicating with LaNita has been essential at all times in our marriage, but neglecting communication as we approach this significant life transition could produce some unintended outcomes for both of us. You, too, may be nearing retirement. Here… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Just Control What You Can
I’m a fairly intense Philadelphia sports fan. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was reading an article about one of the Philly sports teams this week, and a quote in the article grabbed my attention. It paralleled one of the points Garry made in his Master’s Minute post last week about staying focused on what you can control. Unlike many athletes, this young man seems to be… Read More
The Master’s Minute – The Need for Clarity and Anticipation
People naturally crave certainty. We want to know what will happen, when it will happen and how it will affect us. While we all require different levels of certainty to be productive, we are all affected negatively by uncertainty. Uncertainty can cause higher levels of stress and impede our decision-making process. The reality is that uncertainty is part of life. We can never know what will come next and how… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Angels in Our Midst
I first met Chaplain Elizabeth at Lancaster General Hospital three years ago. She had left numerous voice messages for me about an accident in which my cousin and her husband had been involved. Having never been to LGH’s Emergency Department, I prayed heartily to God on the drive to the hospital that He would lead me to the right place. Not able to find a parking space near Emergency, I… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Heart Auditing
Most individuals do not get a warm feeling when they hear the term, audit. Typically, an audit means a lot of tedious work, and it can produce significant anxiety should any large discrepancies be found. Though an audit can cause some anxious moments, there is also a lot of good that can come from performing an audit. Performing audits in a retail business will help achieve higher inventory accuracy and… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Light in the Darkness
I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who is feeling afflicted by darkness. Currently, we are in the season of darkness. December and January are literally dark months. This time of year we have between nine and ten hours of daylight, and the other 14 to 15 hours are darkness. In addition, we are in the 11th month of the COVID-19 pandemic with all the limitations we face due… Read More
