Thank you visiting the archives for Financial Planning Concepts, a monthly newsletter that addresses the financial issues you and your fellow Lab employees may face. Please click on one of the headlines below to read a previous issue of Financial Planning Concepts.

How The Inflation Affects You
Over 100 years ago, before the lab was even born, you could find all sorts of wrapped candies for just a penny apiece. Today, lab employees and their families would be lucky to find.... (continued)

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Americans have always had a flair for the dramatic. But finally, after days of deliberation, lab employees and other individuals learned of a new relief act that will.... (continued)

Now That the Election’s All Over
It’s been roughly one month since Barack Obama was re-elected as the President of the United States and the Republican party maintained its majority in Congress. In that time, many of my lab clients have asked how these two outcomes will affect the financial landscape...(continued)

Get Yourself in Tip-Top Tax Shape
Time really does fly and, before you know it, the calendar will turn to 2013. As 2012 draws to a close, there are some things you should be doing… that is if you want to avoid paying taxes...(continued)

The Costs of Living Longer
In general, Americans are living longer, today, than they ever have in history (and I see no reason why the lab populace would differ). While that's good news on the whole... (continued)

Prepare Your Estate Plan for Changes in Tax Rules
Federal estate tax laws have changed four times since 2008, and they're scheduled to shift again at the end of this year. The constant flux can make it hard to know when to adjust your plan and what changes.... (continued)

The Retirement Risk You Didn't Realize
After years of hard work at the lab, you’re probably looking forward to a comfortable retirement. After all, it’s nice to know those evenings you devoted to LLNL will pay off with relaxing vacations and more time for golf, or any other hobby you have.... (continued)

How Personality Can Affect Performance
Your personality affects many things in your life — whether you’re shy or outgoing, which activities you enjoy doing, how well you get along with your fellow lab employees, and even your job function at the lab.... (continued)

Investment Risk - There's No Escaping It!
Our current economic conditions may have some lab employees on edge, worried about how their money is doing during this critical time.... (continued)

A Retirement Savings Tool You Might Be Missing
America's pending retirement savings crisis has drawn a lot of media attention lately, and for good reason.... (continued)

Fitting College Funding Strategies into your Overall Picture
As the spring rolls in, so do college acceptances and the important decisions that follow.... (continued)

Addressing Financial Planning Issues - Back to Basics
Regardless of what you earn, adhering to the principles of basic financial responsibility is always important, and often overlooked.... (continued)

Determining the Need for Disability Income Insurance
No one likes to think about becoming disabled.... (continued)

Planning for a Long Retirement
Americans are living longer than ever, thanks to advances in health care, improved diets and better exercise.... (continued)

Year End Tax List
The year may be ending, but Uncle Sam’s payday is still looming a few months away....(continued)

How to Handle a Financial Windfall
Imagine you suddenly came into $1 million. What would you do?....(continued)

Lessons Learned from the Markets
Over the last few years and especially with the unprecedented volatility of the last few months, lab employees have been given quite the opportunity .... (continued)

Bugeting to Retire
The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” is never truer than when it comes to budgeting for retirement. For lab employees, starting early is the best strategy...(continued)

The Hidden Costs of Health Insurance
Health care is causing a huge debate in Washington as health care costs have skyrocketed, and these escalating health care costs can undermine the best-laid retirement plans....(continued)

Covering All Bases for Timely Estate Planning
For LLNL employees who have worked hard, saved and invested, a good estate preservation strategy can help ensure that your assets are protected....(continued)

Demystifying IRA and 401(k) Distributions
For most of us, the big worry about retirement planning is building a sufficient nest egg....(continued)

Five Ways to Cover College Tuition
With college admission letters coming in, most lab employees either have children or know someone with children who are trying to decide where to go next year....(continued)

Plan Today for Retirement Tomorrow
Planning and saving for retirement, like cleaning out the attic, may be something you figure you'll get to later....(continued)

Buy the Core and then Explore
A solid foundation supports the floors and walls of the building above. Without it, the building may not be strong enough to withstand bad weather and years of use.... (continued)

Analyzing the Flows in Your Financial Plan
For most lab employees-even those with significant wealth-a secure financial future doesn't simply happen. Instead, it must be carefully crafted to help meet your most important goals.... (continued)

Stay on Track With a Summertime Portfolio Review
Summer is traditionally a time for fun, family vacations and a more relaxed pace of life (projects at the lab notwithstanding). But between the baseball games and barbecues, it's a good idea to conduct a midyear portfolio review... (continued)

Simplifying Your Retirement
Retirement planning for many lab employees used to just mean working for a long time and building up their monthly pension. But changes over the past few years.... (continued)

The Folly of Market Timing
Many lab employees started their 403(b) and DCP accounts year ago with a few different funds and have left it alone their entire careers. On the other side of.... (continued)

Talking Taxes
Historically, many people don't think about taxes until they're facing the April 15 deadline. In fact, you're probably thinking about your.... (continued)

Don't Wait to Plan Your Estate
Making excuses to delay estate planning is easy for many lab employees. In fact, maybe you've already thought: "I'll worry about it when I'm older." Or.... (continued)

Roth IRA Conversions - A Golden Opportunity
2010 is the start of a new decade, and the government is kicking it off with what many consider to be a very special opportunity. New rules will allow.... (continued)

Understanding the Lump Sum / Pension Quandary
Fewer and fewer companies are offering pension plans these days, which means fewer and fewer people are having to make the decision those of you who elected to freeze.... (continued)

Navigating the Top 5 Retirement Risks
Longer lives and better health translate into longer retirements and new concepts of what retirement should be. Many of today's retirees view retirement.... (continued)

Long-Term Care Insurance - Is it Right for You?
It's something many people at the lab haven't thought about yet - but your golden years will be here sooner than you think. And unfortunately, the average cost.... (continued)

The Real Deal on Target and Index Funds
If you can't beat them, join them. That's the approach many new investors take, both inside and outside the lab. The stock portion of their investments.... (continued)

How to Make the Most of Your IRA
With so much media attention spotlighting retirement planning these days, you'd think the United States is a nation of hardcore investors.... (continued)

The New Face of Retirement Planning
Retirement these days just isn't what it used to be. A generation ago, many Americans spent their golden years pursuing mostly sedentary activities.... (continued)

Fine-Tuning Your Entire Portfolio
When it come to investing, are you a micromanager? Or a hands-off type? Micromanagers obsess over their portfolios. They switch.... (continued)

Is Your Life Insurance Right for You?
Few things are as important as ensuring that your heirs will be in good financial shape should you pass away unexpectedly.... (continued)

Your Investment Strategy Nearing Retirement
The current economic downturn (and corresponding market freefall) we are experiencing has many people on edge. But it's especially scary.... (continued)

Who Needs Help? Maybe You Do
Would you trust your medical diagnosis to a casual acquaintance? Do you cut your own hair or dry clean your own clothes? For some services.... (continued)

Take a Proactive Approach to Protecting Your Money
It may be hard to believe now, but a little more than a year ago the Dow was over 14,000, an all-time high. After a market crash whose severity was exceeded only by.... (continued)

2008 - The Year in Review
2008 proved to be a most dramatic and trying time for world markets and investors. Years of rising home values emboldened both borrowers and lenders to believe.... (continued)

How Know Your Investment Options
Unless you've been under a rock over the past few months, you probably realize the markets have been experiencing more than a little volatility. Unfortunately.... (continued)

Things to Know During the Financial Crisis
With the lab still going through some transition, the global financial meltdown could not have come at a worse time. Fortunately, most observers agree the.... (continued)

Are Your Assets Really Diversified?
You've heard the old adage, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." It's good advice. A diversified portfolio should be at the core of any well-planned....(continued)

How Much Will You Need to Retire?
How much money will it take for you to retire from the lab in style? Will $1 million do the trick? How about $5 million? Or perhaps you can get by on less.... (continued)

Protecting Against the OTHER Tax
Everyone prepares for the income tax, but there's another tax you and many of your lab colleagues may not be thinking about - the federal estate tax, which can take a significant toll.... (continued)

Investing in a Down Market
With the dust from the lab's transition still settling, it's important to make sure your savings and investments (outside of your pension) are properly positioned.... (continued)

What do the Layoffs Mean for My Retirement?
Apparently not enough lab employees accepted the voluntary buyout, and a round of involuntary terminations has hit the lab as a result. If you're one of the 500+ affected by the latest layoffs....(continued)

Retirement Planning - Scared or Prepared?
If you are planning on winning the lottery, don't bother reading this. For the rest of you, however, it is never too early to begin planning for a comfortable retirement.... (continued)

You Chose TCP2 - Now What?
We are already two months into the new year, and with the new year come new decisions. The deadline for choosing a compensation package has long passed, but.... (continued)

Asset Allocation - A Guide to Balancing Risk and Return
Asset allocation, how an investor distributes his investments among various classes of investment vehicles (e.g., stocks and bonds), is a long-term strategy.... (continued)

How Your UC Retirement Accounts Fit Into Your Overall Financial Plan
When people change jobs, or transition from one company to another, they often wonder what to do with the money in their previous.... (continued)