Most of you have heard of mutual funds as a popular investment option. But exchange traded funds, or ETFs, are the new kid on the financial planning block. So how much do you know about these investment options? This episode is full of “insider knowledge” that could really take your savings and investment plan to the next level.

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready - Mutual Funds vs ETFs

Weekly market commentary brought to you by Tony Drake, CFP® of Drake & Associates, LLC in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Find us at WealthWisconsin.com and weekly on WTMJ 620AM Saturdays at 1:00 pm on the Retirement Ready radio show.

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products.

S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896. The Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and growth companies. The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that serves as a benchmark of the performance in major international equity markets as represented by 21 major MSCI indices from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

You cannot directly invest in an index. Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Diversification does not guarantee profit nor is it guaranteed to protect assets. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inflation risk, market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors. Drake & Associates does not offer tax or legal advice.

Weekly Market Insights - 03/8/2021

Are you worried about making a mistake with your retirement dollars? Most people are. Moving from “paycheck” mode to “retired” is a stressful thing, and it should be. You are moving from one phase of your financial life to the next. And with it comes a slew of changes to your life and how you should handle your money. For example, have you thought about how your health care might change? Or how about what you might do with your Social Security benefit decision? You need to make sure that you don’t “whiff” on some of the hard-financial decisions that you could need to make when it comes to retiring. In this episode, we’re going to cover 3 big mistakes we see people make when they retire. Of course, there are more than 3 items we could cover. However, for now, let’s focus on three big ones, and what you can do to avoid a major blunder.

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready - 3 Big Mistakes

Annuities have been a hot topic for quite some time now. These complex products carry many shapes and sizes, and the level of understanding at the media and consumer level could be fairly low. Because of this, the information that you find on annuities tends to be skewed and/or negative. So, are annuities good? Or are they bad? Should you own one, or should you stay away? Annuities are financial vehicles that are designed to produce secure income streams for the client who owns it, and if you are a retiree or pre-retiree that will need stable income to add to your income scenario, than you absolutely should consider annuities for a part of your portfolio. But what do you need to know? Here are 8 key facts about annuities that should help you out!

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready -8 Facts About Annuities For Retirees

Retirement is certainly challenging. What a life-changing event it truly is. You’ve worked a lifetime, and now you have chosen to retire to hopefully live another lifetime. How prepared are you? Have you crossed all the “T’s” and dotted all of the “I’s”? When comparing your working career and the investments that go with it to that of the retirement life and the investments that go with it, there are some things that will always remain the same. However, so much of how you always handled your investments and your money is going to change when you decide to retire. Specifically, we have defined 7 different risks that you could now face in retirement that weren’t as important to worry about when you were still working and accumulating money. In this episode, we will define the 7 different risks so that we can help you develop a game plan to address each and every one of them!

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready - 7 Retirement Risks

Weekly Market Update - 3/29/2021

Retirement can be a big decision, one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You’ve probably thought about it on more than one occasion. Thousands of Baby Boomers are turning 65 every single day, which means that thousands of people a day consider their retirement prospects, and how well off they might be. If you are still working and you have decided that you are ready to submit your resignation and set your retirement date, stop right there. We want you to ask yourself some important questions before you pull the trigger. Are you sure you are ready? Do you know with certainty that you could make it? Have you considered a contingency plan? Do you have a retirement budget and financial plan created? Don’t wing this one! We promise you, if you take just a little bit more time and plan the right way, you will feel a whole heck of a lot better about the decision you are about to make. Today’s show is all about the four questions you need to ask yourself before you set your retirement date! 

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready - 4 Retirement Questions You Need to Ask

Weekly Market Update: 04/12/2021

Weekly Market Update: 02/22/21

Today’s retirement landscape differs greatly from generations past. Pensions have gone by the wayside. Government’s “gone wild” approach to spending and stimulus has changed the economic picture. In this episode, we examine four choices every retiree will face. 

The Retirement Ready radio show is featured every Saturday on WTMJ 620 AM at 1:00 pm. We will bring you information on: Social Security options, retirement trends, options to retire with life changes and achieving a secure financial future. Listen live: www.wtmj.com/listen-live

Investment advisory services provided by Drake & Associates, LLC, a State of Wisconsin registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered through a separate company, LOFT Financial Advisory Group, LLC, a Wisconsin Insurance agency, clients are under no obligation to purchase any recommended insurance products. Advice and opinions expressed during Retirement Ready are solely that of the hosts or guests of Drake & Associates, LLC and not WTMJ Radio or Good Karma Brands Milwaukee, LLC.

Retirement Ready - Four Choices for Retirees

Proudly providing wealth management, retirement planning, asset protection  and estate planning. We bring you information on retirement trends, taxes, inflation, social security benefits and achieving a more secure financial future. The financial advisors of Drake & Associates are the voices of the Retirement Ready radio show.

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