Archive of Financial Articles
These pages are an archive of Financial Article posts from Hansen & Associates Financial Group, Inc. The Financial Articles bring you introductions to a variety of highly focused subjects along with sources and citations that make it easy for you to explore the subject further.
The Things Most Likely to Kill Us
What Are The Major Risks To Our Lives? If we look at the statistics of what claims lives, some of our collective fears look unfounded.
Puerto Rico Defaults
Puerto Rico has been in a recession for the better part of a decade. About 45% of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, and people are leaving the commonwealth at a rate of 1,500 a week. Its schools, hospitals, and social services programs have already been hit with severe budget cuts.
Is It Time to Annuitize?
Immediate annuities are income contracts issued by insurance companies. They’ve been around for decades with roots back to the Roman Empire.
Inherited Real Estate: Cost Basis, Step-up, and Sales Tax Exclusion
At some point in our lives, we may inherit a home or another form of real property. In such instances, we need to understand some of the jargon involving inherited real estate.
Volatility Is Not Risk
To the conservative investor, risk is a negative. To the opportunistic investor, risk is a factor to tolerate and accept.
Could Social Security Really Go Away?
Will Social Security Run out of Money in the 2030s? That warning, heard for years, assumes that no action will be taken to address Social Security’s financial challenges.
Dollar Cost Averaging in a Down Market
Dollar cost averaging is a long-term investment strategy. It means investing in small increments over time, as opposed to pouring a big lump sum into the market.
Financial Planning with Health Insurance in Mind
What’s the worst that could happen to you financially? If you ask a hundred people in their forties that question, you may get a dozen different answers.
Should You Plan to Retire on 80% of Your Income?
A classic retirement planning rule states that you should retire on 80% of the income you earned in your last year of work. Is this old axiom still true, or should it be reconsidered? Some new research suggests that retirees may not need that much annual income to...
Making Investment Decisions
When it comes to investing, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on?