Winding Down 2017 and Gearing Up for 2018

As we wind down an eventful and interesting 2017, I wanted to say that 2018 will be a bit more active on The Educator's Retirement site.

First, I have continued to receive emails from various educators and others over the last few years asking numerous questions. I know most of the items on the site are a bit older, but most are still very relevant - but I will be reopening the discussions and updating the information as needed.

Also, the new tax reform bill will dramatically change numerous items for most Americans, so as the law becomes more concrete, I will try to discuss it more. What I can tell you is that approximately 35-40% of Americans itemized in years past, and with the new tax reform bill, this number will drop to approximately 5-8% based on one estimate. This could dramatically change a number of items, so I will try to comment as we move forward.

Additionally, while I will try to continue to focus on educators, I have been receiving more and more emails asking about the spouses of educators and what they should be doing. I will dig into that subject because today "we" cannot just base everything on one spouse and hope it all works out. If both spouses are working, they both need to be contributing to retirement accounts/pensions to make sure that the family potentially has the best retirement possible.

Finally, many people have asked me to include a photo or two and/or chat more about my life. I will try to do that as well. I think the photo below will tell you what I have been up to for the past few years, and how busy life outside the office truly is!

Robby, Caroline (3.5), Danielle, and Reid (2)

As always, I look forward to hearing from you and trying to help guide you toward your retirement.

I wish all of you continued success and a happy and healthy 2018!

Robby

An Update on What I Have Been Doing

First, thank you for all of the emails. I always enjoy hearing from my readers whether it is a question, some news or an update, or simply to say hello. When you write a blog and post it, sometimes you have no idea if people actually read it, or if you are just posting something that no one ever sees – so thank you.

I was surprised by the number of emails that I received that simply wanted to know how I was doing. Really surprised.

I am doing very, very well and feel fortunate to have a great professional and personal life. I believe the last “personal” update from me was part of a post I wrote in August 2014 (Are You Ready for Life’s Changes?). I will not rehash everything told in that post, so since then, Danielle and I were blessed to have another child – Patrick Reid (September 28, 2015). I can hear the chuckles already… a 24 month old and a 4 month old… Sleep is a very rare commodity.

Below are some pictures from Caroline’s birthday two weeks ago, so please enjoy.

The Birthday Girl - Caroline

Reid and Dad

Happy Parents - Danielle and Robby

I hope all of you are doing just as well, so please let me know - rschultz@rollinsfinancial.com.

All the best,
Robby

Are Teachers Being Targeted by Financial Firms?

I am constantly reading numerous publications to stay abreast of the happenings in the financial world. In the last two days, I have received two articles talking about "teachers" and how they handle their financial lives. Interesting...

One was written by an author that discussed how teachers have "a complex financial picture that includes pensions, 403(b)s, flexible-spending accounts and more. Financial advisors who specialize in supporting educators emphasize that teachers need guidance and sometimes even protection from bad choices, to ensure they get the most from their salaries and benefits." The article went on to quote 3 advisors with differing backgrounds and gave various quotes from each about educators as clients.

The second was written by one of the three advisors in the first article pushing a product to advisors to essentially reach more educators. I was a bit astounded to read that the product being pushed to advisors would charge monthly fees of up to $1,000 per month. By the way, the advisor is an advisor of educators and promotes the firm as such.

I guess I was just early to the game...

Over seven years ago (mid-2008), I started this blog as a way to answer questions that numerous educator friends of mine were asking me. If you will remember, things were all over the place in 2008, and financial markets, accounts, pensions, etc. were all being questioned and wondering if we would all make it. I wrote a ton back then because there was a bunch of misinformation and numerous subjects I had never even touched on - 403(b)s, various pensions, PLOPs, Social Security, WEP, GPO, etc., etc. I have tried to tackle each one, and when something has changed, I have tried to update everyone. Looking back, living/working in Georgia I have more knowledge of the Georgia pensions, but I have researched and answered hundreds of emails from just about every single state. Honestly, I have learned a great deal too, and I really do enjoy some of the challenges y'all have thrown at me over the years. This blog and posts have now been viewed more than 100,000 times, and that is pretty impressive for something that started as a simple way to update friends.

Which brings me to today...

• I wish that I could say that there are not groups preying on educators and suggesting products and investments that benefit the advisor more than the educator, but there are. The vast majority of 403(b) accounts still sit at institutions that eventually try to push the educators into annuity products locking up their money and/or costing them ridiculous fees. After they sign up though, how often do the advisors even reach back out to those clients?
• I wish more educators - both starting and experienced - contributed to their own retirement accounts. Whatever pensions the educators may have are great, but the flexibility of having additional funds to tap into when needed can make all the difference in the world.
• I have seen school systems start to make real efforts to try and educate their educators, but unfortunately, it needs to be more prevalent and even more far reaching. From the first year educator to the soon-to-retire educator/administrator, if educators knew more and pushed more, the community as a whole would greatly benefit.

My question to all of you is what changes have y'all seen? Are more people saving? Do your friends understand the positives and negatives of their investments?

I setup this blog to help, so "help me help..." I want educators to make informed financial decisions, and if needed, get advice from those that have your best interest at heart. I do not want to educators be misguided into products and services that are unnecessary or riddled with fees to help the advisor/firm. Please email me (rschultz@rollinsfinancial.com) to suggest subjects, answer questions, or even just say hello.

To me, educators are a critical part of our society that have chosen to serve our communities and educate our children. When they spend so much time trying to help our children, shouldn't they know that they are also being helped?

Some Unexpected Very Good News...

I generally do not put too much information on this blog about my firm, Rollins Financial, Inc., but I have received several emails regarding the news, and some things are simply too good not to pass along.

On June 3rd, Rollins Financial was ranked #20 by CNBC on its list of "Top 100 Fee-Only Wealth Management Firms in the U.S. for 2015."

Firms were ranked by the CNBC Digital editorial team, along with Meridian-IQ, using a formula which evaluates assets under management; having staff with professional designations; working with CPAs, attorneys or other third-party professionals; average account size; growth of assets; years in business; number of advisory clients; and providing advice on insurance solutions. Rollins Financial, Inc. achieved the highest rating of any firm based in the state of Georgia.

Thank you for allowing me a few moments to boast. If you have any questions or if there is anything I can do for you, please email me at rschultz@rollinsfinancial.com.

About Rollins Financial, Inc.
Rollins Financial, Inc. is an Atlanta-based registered investment advisory (RIA) firm with more than 25 years of unparalleled service. Rollins offers fee-only independent investment management services for individuals, small businesses and corporations nationwide. The firm holds a strong commitment to objectivity, transparency and disciplined investing, and offers a wide variety of services including asset management, financial planning, and coordinated tax planning and preparation (through its affiliated certified public accounting firm, Rollins & Van Lear, P.C.). More information about Rollins Financial, its partners, and the services the firm provides can be found at www.rollinsfinancial.com.