Wolf Retirement Navigation - October 2017

Wolf Retirement Navigation - October 2017

904-232-8760 www.wolfretirement.com MONTHLY October 2017 RET IREMENT NAV IGAT ION

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Investments and the Fear of Losing Money

Halloween is approaching, and we’ll soon start to see plenty of ghosts and goblins lurking around every corner. For a holiday supposedly about fear, we tend to overlook the things that scare people. Though, I guess it would be pretty hard to jump out and scare someone while dressed as the “existential dread of losing your financial security.” Losing money is a legitimate fear many people face. Even I’m afraid of losing money! Losing my college scholarship after I got injured playing high school football was one of the worst experiences of my life. In October, I can’t help but think about how easy it is to lose money with little to no warning. October 19 is the 30th anniversary of what the financial industry called “Black Monday.” On Monday, October 19, 1987, stock markets around the world crashed. It started in Hong Kong and rapidly spread across the world. By the end of the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.61 percent. This was the largest one-day percentage decline in the history of the DJIA. Dozens of economists from across the globe met in Washington, D.C., and predicted the coming years could be the most distressing since the 1930s. We’ve been in a bull market for almost nine years, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that days like Black Monday will come calling eventually.

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take a dive, but you can develop a plan for what you’ll do when it does, and, more importantly, limit losses through the use of tactical investment management and/or principal-protected strategies that are very helpful and beneficial. Being afraid to lose money can keep people from taking the necessary risks to earn more dollars. The amount of risk you should assume depends on your current financial situation and your goals for the future. A significant role of being a financial advisor is helping clients define and determine risks and then protecting against those risks that can be controlled. We look at the best methods to protect what you already have, make room for reasonable growth, and put a written plan in place to protect you from the worst-case scenario. History tends to repeat itself. When you know where we came from, it can help you plan for where you want to go. -Adam Wolf, CPA, CFP®

Of course, today, we know 1987 wasn’t the start of another Great Depression. In the United States, the overall economy didn’t see much backlash, and the DJIA returned to pre-crash closing highs in less than two years. While the economy recovered, Black Monday was a rough day for those with investments in the stock market. Many faced this type of loss again in 2008; only this time, the market would take much longer to recover. We’ve been in a bull market for almost nine years, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that significant market corrections and bear markets will come calling eventually. When they do, it’s a rough time, particularly for pre-retirees and retirees with significant savings in the stock market. In finances, having no game plan is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. There is money to be made in the stock market, but jumping in blind is a surefire way to lose it all. You can’t predict when the market is going to

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4 Ways You May Be Able to PREVENT DEMENTIA BEFORE IT STARTS

of dementia. Typically, as we age, we’re told that all we can do is hope for the best and bide our time until there’s a cure, but recent research by the Alzheimer’s Research Center paints a different picture. A set of simple lifestyle changes may be the key to staving off cognitive decline as we get older. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 50 percent, according to Help Guide, and it can even slow the onset of already- present cognitive decline. Walk or swim for about 150 minutes each week, along with two to three sessions of moderate resistance training, as well as balance and coordination exercises. Check out eldergym.com for more info on staying active as you age. Heart-healthy eating may also protect the brain. Limit your intake of sugar and saturated fats and eat plenty of fruits,

From the moment you wake up in the morning, it feels like a dense fog fills your head. When you

vegetables, and whole grains. Replace butter and margarine with olive or canola oil. Two diets that have been linked to heart health are the DASH diet (dashdiet.org) and the Mediterranean diet. Frequent social engagement may help keep your brain sharp. Make efforts to speak face to face with someone you’re close to as often as you can. Try to make new friends, volunteer, join a club or social group, get to know your neighbors, or connect with people over social media. Mental stimulation may also be important to brain health as we age. Study something new to you, such as a foreign language or a musical instrument. Make reading books and newspapers part of your regular routine. Try doing crossword or sudoku puzzles. It’s not difficult to find an activity you enjoy that will also help keep your brain active.

drag yourself out of bed and go to make yourself a plate of eggs and toast, it

suddenly seems like a much more complicated

task than before. You lose track of time, and the smell of smoke enters your

nostrils. Frantically turning the burner off, it occurs to you that you can’t

remember the day of the week.

According to Time Magazine, 47 million people around the world live with some type

Wolf Retirement Hits the AIRWAVES

HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT SUNDAY MORNING 1. Start your day with a fresh pot of coffee. 2. Add pancakes, waffles, or scrambled eggs. 3. Tune in to CBS Sunday Morning News for your weekly jolt of retirement tips and financial news! After a brief delay, “Adam’s Sunday Morning Money Report” is ready to debut this month! With the help of our friends at CBS and Channel 4, we’re excited to bring practical, bite-sized financial advice right to your television. You can catch Adam on Sunday mornings at 9:05 a.m. for this informative and engaging two-minute segment. Tune in to Channel 4 every week and learn something new about managing your money — all before you’ve finished your coffee!

Tune in every Monday from 11:00 a.m. – noon for “4 Your Money” on River City Live on Channel 4, the Local Station. Re-airs Mondays at noon on Channel 17, WCWJ (The CW), and again on Tuesdays at 7:00 a.m. on The CW.

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IN THE RED ZONE

Shifting Gears to Touchdown in Retirement

red zone with the same plan they’ve used during the last 80 yards. Likewise, you need to shift your focus from accumulating wealth to preserving and distributing your savings in a smart way throughout retirement. In the red zone, it’s important to know where you stand. The one thing everyone needs before retirement is a plan. You want to write down your goals, know how much you have, know where you savings will be invested, and have the appropriate amount of risk. Does this sound familiar? You might recognize this as the strategy a financial advisor may have gone over with you before, but remember, no matter your success during your accumulation phase, planning for your retirement demands a different mindset and skillset. What’s more, unlike football, where it’s all over when the ball reaches the end zone for a touchdown, retirement will require another 20-30 years of being successful. Once you retire, there is always room to revisit your plan to pinpoint ways to increase your benefits or reduce taxes, shift your plan as your life changes and better enjoy retirement. A retirement game plan can help you get through the red zone by outlining all of your income sources in retirement and determining how you can keep your taxes low while still getting the most out of your benefits. Get ahead of the ball so you don’t have to push back your retirement dreams. Call 904-232-8760 to get your retirement game plan today.

It’s football season, and what an incredible start. Some of our teams are winning, some are not, and many of us have stopped watching all together! Whether you’re sitting at the stadium or gathered around your flat screen, we can all agree nothing is more thrilling than when your team fights their way to and through the red zone. At that point, it’s make or break, and you’re waiting on the edge of your seat for the next play. This sense of anxious anticipation is how many people feel as they approach retirement, but it’s a lot easier to fumble the ball when you’re in the retirement red zone. When you’re five to seven years from retirement, it’s like being at the 20-yard line; whether or not you score depends on how you plan your next moves. A football team doesn’t go into the

Sudoku

Impress any dinner guest with this surprisingly quick and easy-to-make meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice • 8 (4-ounce) lamb rib chops, trimmed • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • Cooking spray • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large zip-top plastic bag, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, rind, and juice. Add lamb to bag; turn to coat well. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove lamb from bag and add salt and pepper. 2. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add lamb and cook 2 minutes each side. 3. Place vinegar in a small skillet over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until vinegar is syrupy. Drizzle vinegar and remaining teaspoon oil over lamb.

Solution

Recipe courtesy of CookingLight.com.

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904-232-3760 www.wolfretirement.com 4230 Pablo Professional Court Ste. 101 Jacksonville, FL 32224

INSIDE

• What Are You Afraid Of? PAGE 1

• Can You Prevent Dementia Before It Starts? PAGE 2

• The Perfect Sunday Morning PAGE 2

• Have You Reached the Retirement Red Zone? PAGE 3

• Orange-Balsamic Lamb Chops PAGE 3

• The Acropolis of Athens:

Tips for Your Trip Back in Time PAGE 4

The Acropolis of Athens: Tips for Your Trip Back in Time

Tips forYourTripBack inTime

structures in history, including the famous Parthenon. Today, the ruins of

When people think of a vacation to Greece, the first images that come to mind are often the picturesque beaches of Mykonos Island or plates of delicately layered moussaka. But no trip to the cradle of Western civilization would be complete without a visit to one of the most incredible historical sites in the world: the ancient Acropolis of Athens. Around 468 B.C., while Athens was enjoying its status as the greatest cultural hub of the era, Pericles initiated a robust reconstruction of the Acropolis. Almost half of the population was on the public payroll during the project, generating what would become many of the most memorable

once per pass. Due to the scorching heat that hits the area in the summer, you may want to visit during late winter or early spring. To absorb the incredible history of this ancient monument, it’s a good idea to either pay for the audio guide as you enter or go to the “Watch, Read, Listen” section of ricksteves.com and download his audio guide for free. You can also get a full tour from a local guide. Head to toursbylocals. com/Athens-Tours to find the perfect guide for your trip.

the Acropolis still stand, a testament to the ingenuity of one of the most advanced civilizations of the classical age. If you plan on exploring the breathtaking ruins and the Acropolis Museum, which houses over 4,000 artifacts from the site, it’s a good idea to avoid the Mediterranean cruise hordes and get there early, as close to 8 a.m. as possible. A four-day pass to peruse the Parthenon, the temples of Athena and Zeus, and many other world- famous sites costs around 12 euros, but keep in mind you can visit each site only

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