The Financial Content Architect

?? It's Thriving Thursdays! Do You Know Your Retirement Number? ???? Maybe you've resolved in 2025 to save as much for retirement as you can. But how much do you need to retire? While Americans estimate they need an average of $1.46 million to retire comfortably, the average amount in retirement accounts is only $88,400. This substantial gap shows the need to plan and start saving for retirement much earlier to reach that average. If you're already mid-career or later, you'll need to put more away to retire with few concerns. This Chime blog post breaks down what you need to know to calculate your retirement savings goal. We recognize everyone's situation is different, but here’s where to start. ? Consider your desired retirement lifestyle and your expected annual expenses for that lifestyle. ? Factor in healthcare costs in retirement, which can be substantial. ? Account for inflation over time, since it can erode your savings' purchasing power. ? Determine your Social Security benefits based on your income history and retirement age. ? Estimate investment growth and returns over decades from your retirement accounts. ? Adjust for life expectancy and potential long-term care costs in later years. The post provides helpful tips and calculations to ensure you're financially prepared for your future retirement goals. ?? Have you created a target retirement number and are you on track to reach it by your desired age? If not, what's holding you back from increasing your savings rate more substantially right now? ?? Check out the full post (linked in the first comment) for a strategy for determining your retirement savings number. __________________________________ Personal finance or blog managing editors, connect here with Dahna M. C. about collaborating to craft well-researched, strategic content for your financial institution blog or top publication. [Image credit: Chime]

I'm excited to announce the launch of "Thriving Thursdays"—my new weekly personal finance series. Each Thursday, I'll share practical blog posts I've written that cover topics like budgeting basics, maximizing your income, retirement planning, reducing money stress, and more. The goal is to help educate you on ways to manage your money and achieve your financial goals. Learn how you can thrive, not just survive! This week's story? My Chime blog post, "Make Your Costs Go Down: A Guide to Lower Cost Living" ?? See the link in the first comment below. ?? What other tips would you add? Let's talk about those in the comments! ?? Oh, and share the wealth by sharing this post. ____________________________ Personal finance or blog managing editors, connect with me here to learn how I can bring my strategic finance content writing expertise to your blog or publication.

Avoid These 5 Common Pitfalls in Wealth Transfer Wealth transfer can be complex and challenging, and it’s essential to get it right to ensure your wishes are honored and your legacy is protected. This latest blog post for Synovus covers these 5 common pitfalls?in the process and offers practical strategies to navigate them: 1. Failing to Plan Early: Start early to minimize tax liabilities and ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes. 2. Not Considering Tax Implications: Strategic tax planning is key to reducing wealth transfer costs. 3. Overlooking Family Communication: Clear communication fosters trust and prevents disputes. 4. Not Updating Documents: Life changes; so should your estate plan. 5. Relying Too Much on One Advisor: You need a team of advisors to help you with this enormous task. Diversify your expertise to ensure comprehensive planning. As a wealth education authority, The Financial Communicator helps wealth management firms craft strategic content that educates and drives impact. Need help brainstorming ideas for your wealth management content? Send a DM to discuss how we can collaborate. ?? Read the full post for more insights (link in first comment). #WealthTransfer #FinancialPlanning #WealthManagement #EstatePlanning

Are you considering diversifying beyond traditional assets? Read this Synovus blog post to explore the potential benefits and risks of adding real estate to your portfolio mix. It can provide you with an informed perspective about seeking this alternative path to growing your net worth strategically. This in-depth piece examines how investing in residential properties can generate rental income, leverage appreciation, provide tax advantages, and hedge against inflation. It also covers crucial drawbacks like liquidity constraints, maintenance costs, vacancy risks, and concentration risk. As the blog post suggests, get an objective analysis from your financial and legal advisors before considering real estate investment. Your professional advisors can help you determine if venturing into real estate aligns with your wealth goals and risk tolerance. https://bit.ly/3A4V5Jb

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Are you protecting your wealth by reinforcing your online security? This timely story for Synovus provides mass affluent and emerging HNW readers with essential tips to fortify their digital defenses and safeguard financial assets from ever-evolving cyber threats. Adopting the proactive stance of sophisticated fraudsters, the post outlines a multi-layered cybersecurity strategy—from promptly installing software updates and leveraging secure password managers, to hardening home networks with encryption and firewalls. It advocates engaging financial monitoring services, using AI-driven cybersecurity programs, and promoting continuous family education on emerging risks. With cybercriminals using advanced tactics like AI-generated voice scams, the insights here empower readers to implement robust protective measures. Guarding personal wealth requires remaining vigilant and employing individualized security practices in every area of your digital life. This is an essential read for wealth-minded people seeking to harden their cybersecurity. https://bit.ly/4dOPXqo

Fraud warning for other paid content developers: Someone calling herself "Annette Haynes" is emailing content writers, copywriters, and other content development creatives to offer high-paying work. But it's a "cash my check and refund me," scam, and it could cost you thousands of dollars and the trust of your bank if you fall for it. Copywriter Susan Greene details the scam in her blog post (linked below in the comments). Read it, share it, and be careful out there. And, remember, just as this fraudster uses different names to have money "refunded", she can change her 'name' and contact information and continue scamming people. So, pay close attention to the *details* of the scam in case you get the same offer from someone identifying them differently. (Special thanks to Wendy Haaf for sharing this with other writers.)