H. Adam Holt

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It's not too late to start working on these key business goals. Whether you’re new to business or a seasoned entrepreneur, setting goals for you and your business at the start of the year can give your team direction and a sense of purpose that they can use to motivate them throughout the year. Improving customer engagement, increasing sales or fine-tuning operational systems are all worthwhile goals to set, and will likely have a positive impact on your company; however, there are several other financially focused goals that could have a similar impact. According to the experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective, implementing one or more of the following seven goals can help ensure your business is functioning at its best and ready for any hurdles it may face. No matter whether you set these goals at the start of the new year or a few months down the line, your business can benefit from better financial preparedness.

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Drawing up an intentional plan can ease your fears about not having enough. One of the biggest fears soon-to-be retirees have is that they won’t have enough money to last them throughout their retirement. And rightly so — with concerns surrounding inflation, recessions and a volatile stock market, over half of Americans feel behind on their retirement savings. These fears may keep them from taking the plunge and quitting their jobs once they hit retirement age, delaying retirement for years or perhaps even indefinitely.  However, with an intentional plan and the right support in place, you can retire comfortably — and confidently — at the age you choose. To provide some guidance on how to prepare, seven financial experts from Kiplinger Advisor Collective discuss their top tips for soon-to-be retirees looking for ways to make their savings last throughout their retirement and banish their fears of not being able to survive financially.

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It’s important to deal with the emotional aspect first before tackling the financial one. Inheritance can often feel like a double-edged sword. While a large influx of money can be a welcome blessing to those who may be in debt, are looking to purchase a home or a business or are wanting to start investing toward retirement, inheritance also often means the passing of a loved one and a period of emotional turmoil and grief. When paired together, these two major life changes can cause even the most financially savvy person to make a few mistakes. While emotions are high, it’s unwise to make any major financial moves. Instead, allow time for grief and healing before moving forward. Once you feel ready to take action, consider the following advice from the financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective. Below, they discuss the next steps you should take after inheriting money from a loved one and some of the mistakes they’ve witnessed others make along the way.

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Would you have made different decisions with the knowledge you have now? There’s certainly no shortage of financial advice out there — from family, friends, colleagues, experts and pseudo-experts alike. Some advice is born out of experience while other tips are based on the latest data or trends. Regardless of where it comes from, however, good financial advice at the right time can be critical to how well you succeed with money throughout your life. Unfortunately, good advice can sometimes come later than you’d like it to, which means you sometimes may reflect back, thinking about how your life could be different had you known then what you know now. The financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective are no different, and here, they each discuss the one piece of financial advice they wish someone had given them a long time ago and why.

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You don’t want to leave planning your legacy until the last minute. It can be difficult to put a value on a lifetime of accumulation — your money, your home, its furnishings, souvenirs from vacations, treasured gifts from your family. It’s a joy to collect these items over the years, but too few consider what will happen to it all when they’re no longer around.  From your life savings, to your digital assets, to what will happen to any beloved pets — all these things must be considered when estate planning. And while a qualified professional can help guide you through the process, there are still some mistakes people commonly make along the way. As leaders in the financial space, the members of Kiplinger Advisor Collective have seen numerous mistakes made by well-intentioned people who maybe just didn’t have the right information at their disposal. So here, they discuss those common mistakes and the advice they would give instead to ensure the estate planning process is a smooth one for all involved.

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There’s more to this decision than simply when you want to retire. An important player in your overall retirement plan, Social Security can help fund your living expenses when you’re no longer able to work or are working reduced hours. However, as the payments you receive while drawing from Social Security only replace a partial percentage of the income you received while working, Social Security benefits should be considered supplemental rather than your only source of income. And while you can apply for your benefits at any time between the ages of 62 and 70, there may be reasons why you would want to delay receiving your benefits until a later date. So when should you plan to start collecting these benefits? While the answer can vary based on each individual person’s situation, the financial experts of Kiplinger Advisor Collective recommend considering these factors first before determining your goal age to begin collecting Social Security.