GFT Wealth Strategies

GFT Wealth Strategies At GFT Wealth Strategies, we believe you deserve to live the retirement of your dreams.

08/17/2023

GFT Wealth Strategies is an Investment Advisory practice that offers products and services through AE Wealth Management, LLC (AEWM), a Registered Investment Adviser. AEWM does not offer insurance products. The insurance products offered by Global Financial Trust are not subject to Investment Advisor requirements. AEWM and Global Financial Trust are not affiliated companies. 1932165 - 8/23

12/21/2022

Yesterday, James and I had the pleasure of welcoming the West Michigan Better Business Bureau into our office to interview us on what we do here at Global Financial Trust.

We are proud to have this opportunity to share our passion for taking the unique goals our clients have for their futures and working closely with them to develop a plan that makes sense for them as individuals.

Stay tuned for the link to our featured article!

10/06/2022

I want you to close your eyes and picture yourself on the first day of your retirement.

👉🏼You spent the last 30+ years working to achieve this
👉🏼You’ve given up time with your family
👉🏼You’ve put in extra hours even when you were burnt out and overworked
👉🏼You climbed the ladder
👉🏼You earned promotions
👉🏼You saved and invested
👉🏼You’ve spent at least the last 5 years dreaming about this day

Now, you’ve finally made it. 🎉

When you close your eyes and think about this day..
What’s the first thought you have?
What does this day feel like?
What’s the first thing you want to do?
How are you going to spend your morning?

Your retirement is SO much more than the amount of money you have saved or invested.

Your retirement is a feeling, an accomplishment, a new chapter.

In order for all the answers to those questions to align, you have to have a plan in place.

I understand that the quality of life you experience in retirement is a number one priority. That the way your life feels when you’re living in your retirement is at the top of the list.

If you know what you want your retirement to look like, but you aren’t sure if you’re on the right track to making that a reality for yourself and your family, reach out today and let’s have a conversation!

A recent survey found that 72% of women don’t feel confident investing their money.Why is it that we, as women, have fal...
09/15/2022

A recent survey found that 72% of women don’t feel confident investing their money.

Why is it that we, as women, have fallen so far behind in this area?

Generally speaking, women tend to lack confidence in the realm of investing. Talking about money and investing may feel uncomfortable for a few reasons

👉🏼You don’t feel like you know everything you should about your finances
👉🏼You feel like you haven’t saved enough

Let me offer a few ways that you can build confidence when dealing with your finances so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming👇🏼

✔Get Organized
Find out how much you make, spend and save every month. Factor in student loans and mortgage payment and the interest amounts that are figured into those payments. Determine when these loans will be paid off! Start by sitting down and putting together a comprehensive budget so you know where every dollar that is earned goes on a monthly basis.

✔Knowledge is Power
In today’s world, there’s so much information available to us in an instant. Take advantage of that! Subscribe to a newsletter, find a blog, download a podcast. Begin to expose yourself to the wealth of knowledge that exists.

✔Start a Conversation
The great thing is that you don’t have to do this alone. Contact a financial professional who has the experience and the tools to help you create, implement and maintain a financial plan that’s designed specifically for you. This may be the help you need to get on track toward your investing and retirement goals.

If you have any questions or would like to start a conversation, give me a call or send me a message!

09/01/2022

“Retirement planning is like architecture; it must start with a solid foundation.”

With that quote in mind… I want to paint you a scenario👇

Imagine that your neighbor wants to build a house at some point in the future.

So, every month when he gets paid, he starts to load up on the supplies he would need for a new house, such as:
👉Lumber
👉Plywood
👉Windows

After years and years of doing this, he wakes up one day and decides that this is the day he wants to start building his new house.

He then contacts a builder, opens up his garage to reveal all of his supplies and tells the builder to build him that new house!

I think we can all agree that this is not how it works!

There are steps involved when going about such a big task that allows you to effectively reach the outcome you desire.

The same principle goes for your retirement savings.

If you have the mindset that you are just going to put money away every month when you get paid and then someday, you’ll be able to retire, I invite you to rethink that strategy.

Be intentional and understand what it will take for you to live the retirement you want.

If you need help planning, reach out to me today and let’s have a conversation!

08/25/2022

When considering social security benefits, you may be sifting through several questions all at the same time.

One of which most certainly will be, “at what age should I start taking my social security benefits?”

As with most topics in financial planning and retirement, there is not a clear cut answer for every person.

Here are a few considerations you should take into a account when investigating this question for yourself⬇

1️⃣Does longevity run in my family?
If Longevity does run in your family, you may want to consider waiting longer to take your social security benefit so that you can increase the amount that you’re receiving each month for more years.

2️⃣Do I have other income sources?
As we age, inflation continues to rise. If you don’t have an additional income source built into your plan to cover that rise in inflation, it may make sense to wait longer to file.

These are just a few of the things to consider when making decisions based on your social security benefits.

If you have other questions or concerns about navigating this topic, please reach out!

08/04/2022

Time never stops, but memories will last for a lifetime.

If you’ve been to our office, you most likely have read the quotes on our quote wall; a wall that I walk past 100’s of times during the week.

While passing this wall the other day, one of the quotes referring to “memories” caught my eye and took me down a rabbit hole of my own memories as a child spending my summer days with my grandparents on their farm.

As a financial advisor, we are constantly talking about things such as

✔Investments

✔Planning

✔Contributions

✔Retirement Dates

✔Strategies

✔Allocations

✔Risk Profiles

All of which are imperative to ensure that our clients are able to reach a healthy and sustainable retirement.

But… what about the other piece to retirement? The memories.

This part is one that we must not forget. When speaking on this topic, you probably fall into one of two categories

1️⃣Retirement has not been planned intentionally in advance

If you fall in this category you could get to retirement and become so stressed out about where you fall financially, that the relationships in your life get overshadowed.

2️⃣Planning has overshadowed enjoyment of life

These folks may have found themselves so invested in their retirement planning that they forgo taking advantage of the time they have to grow their relationships and make memories while they can.

My Challenge to you:👇🏼

Stay intentional with the planning and strategies required to develop a healthy and sustainable retirement for yourself, but still make room for that balance so that you can nurture the relationships you have and the memories that will last you a lifetime.

As always, if you need assistance in your retirement questions or have questions on where to get started, please feel free to reach out!

07/21/2022

Fun Fact: Knowing how you should be invested is not always an easy answer. Let me explain👇🏼

One of the questions you should always start with is:

“What stage of the investment life cycle am I currently in?”

There are 5 stages in this life cycle, so let’s break them down⬇

1️⃣Accumulation
This stage is where you’re just getting started in contributing to your 401(k) or 403(b).

2️⃣Growth & Management
After contributing for a while, you’re now at a place where you’re more intentional about how much you’re actually contributing on a monthly basis. This is where investors tend to be a little more aggressive with their investment style.

3️⃣Preservation
This stage falls about 5-10 years before you retire. This is investors tend to move away from the aggressive growth model and more toward a conservative approach.

4️⃣Distribution
Once retired is when investors begin pulling money out of their investments. During this stage, moving to a more conservative investment stye may be more appropriate.

5️⃣Legacy
The importance of this stage is on an individual basis and should be something that you decide for yourself.

You’ll also want to think about RISK! Ask yourself how much risk you’d be comfortable with when investing. This can be a major determinant on how you move forward.

If you’re not currently working with a financial advisor and have questions about this process, feel free to reach out to me today!

07/14/2022

Have you ever heard of a QCD?

Maybe you have.. but you aren’t exactly sure how it can benefit you in your retirement planning.

You most likely know that at age 72 you have to start taking annual distributions known as your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

However, what if you don’t need the entire amount from the RMD?

A QCD or Qualified Charitable Distribution, can be of benefit to you if you want to stay away from higher Medicare premiums or being pushed into a higher tax bracket.

👉🏼A QCD is essentially a withdrawal made from an IRA and sent directly to an eligible charity.

Through this process, you are able to avoid an increase to your individual taxable income on an annual basis.

If this is something that you want to learn more about, send us a message to set up a 15 minute call today!

Even as your household's breadwinner, today’s tumultuous economy may have you feeling uneasy when it comes to your finan...
07/07/2022

Even as your household's breadwinner, today’s tumultuous economy may have you feeling uneasy when it comes to your finances.

As a financial advisor, I understand the implications that come along with feeling unsettled toward your financial situation during a time when the world around us is constantly changing. If you’re in retirement or nearing that age, you may have concerns about what your retirement income might look like if a recession were to take place.

That’s why I am offering you this FREE 12-page guide on how female breadwinners, such as yourself, can recession proof your retirement in four simple steps. In this guide we go over how to manage your expenses and assets, determine your individual risk level and the ways in which you can navigate an income gap.

You don’t want to miss out on these tips! Click the link below to download your guide today!👇🏼
https://relentless-writer-7787.ck.page/cc2b94335c

06/30/2022

When the Covid-19 Pandemic rocked our world, many of you decided you needed to switch the script on your lives.

For some of you this looked like supplementing your income with an in-home business. But what impact does that have on the type of insurance you need?

We invited Kate Landis from The Landis Agency back into our office to answer just that! In this conversation Kate explained how homeowner’s insurance affects an at-home business and how to go about dealing with workmen’s compensation.

To get in touch with Kate for your insurance needs you can contact her through the information below!

Kate Landis, Owner & Insurance Agent
The Landis Agency
616.301.3146
[email protected]
https://thelandisagency.com/

06/23/2022

Navigating your life’s journey doesn’t have to be hard and you don’t have to do it alone…

That’s why we’ve focused on working with industry professionals to bring you conversations that pertain to the very real obstacles we hear about from clients on a daily basis.

In our most recent conversation with Grand Rapids Attorney, Tara Velting, we covered the topic of POAs, or Power of Attorneys.

Tara describes what a POA is and how it is relevant to your retirement planning. She does a great job on breaking down the different attributes that are included in a POA document so that you are taken care of in case you are unable to make certain financial or medical decisions for yourself.

Listen to this informative conversation below and if you have any more questions about POA planning, reach out to Tara!👇🏼

Tara Velting, Attorney
Garan Lucow Miller P.C.
616.742.5500
[email protected]
https://www.garanlucow.com/

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770 Kenmoor Avenue SE, Suite 203
Grand Rapids, MI
49546

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