Daily Archives: September 14, 2021

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly been left utterly perplexed by the true meaning of financial freedom after going through Megxit.

This claim has been brought forward by royal author Daniela Elser.

In her new column for News.com.au, she wrote, Despite the Sussexes having laudably pronounced they wanted to work towards becoming financially independent, facing what that meant, in reality, would appear to have come as something of a shock to the duo.

Since launching in October last year, Archewell has not held a single fundraiser, as far has been made publicly known.

Now, a year or two down the road, things might look very different with Covid and the pandemic relics of the past (fingers and toes crossed here) and with the world reopened.

Harry and Meghan will be able to focus on cosying up to their AAA+-list chums to raise cash to support their ambitious and exciting philanthropic efforts.

But for the time being, the Cambridges and the Sussexes are operating on totally separate, far from equal, playing fields, one fully established, well-funded, and helmed by two people able to dedicate their days to it.

Original post:

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle left shocked by the meaning of financial independence - The News International

In the last few years, advisors have faced a new push bysome youngclients who want to retire early very early. The phenomenon is calledFIRE, which stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early.

The idea is to save as much as possible in ones early working years, spend little, and retire as early as their 30s or 40s. This idea certainly puts a twist into financial planning for retirement, especially whenthe typical30-yeardrawdown period could be stretched out to 50 years or more.

In early February2021, advisory firms began to see an increased focus on retirement planning and career changing within the client base, Angie Herbers, CEO and senior consultant of Angie Herbers & Co. told ThinkAdvisor. Much of these trends are driven by the reassessment of values clients are having post pandemic; missing family members, changes in how people work, desire to move to lower cost of living areas, etc. We are seeing many advisory firms double down on financial planning and psychologytools to help clients reassess their values.

Butissues arise, such as limited time working means any Social Security benefits are severely reduced. Perhaps its the younger generations way of showing they arent relying on the government program to help them as they age.

Other considerations: There will be less time to actually invest for retirement. And theamount of income to be saved, which is estimated around 15% for most workers, is pumped up to as much as 75%.

Further, spending has to be reduced dramatically. This is all the more difficult for investorswho face five- to six-digit school loan debt.

In the end,as one advisor noted,a FIRE disciple needsto learn to live like a monk.

We asked advisors through the Financial Planning Association and the XY Planning Network how they respond to clients who come to them with FIRE in their belly. Their responses were filled with caution as well aspromise that is, clients should focus on the FI part and learn how they can attain financial independenceand better habits when it comes to money and savings.

Scroll though the gallery above for their responses.

Related on ThinkAdvisor:

See the article here:

What to Tell Young Clients on FIRE to Retire: Advisors' Advice - ThinkAdvisor

We are at a crossroad moment now, Stella Avramopoulos, CEO of Good Shepherd told Neos Kosmos, in an interview about the Summit on Womens Safety and what we need to focus on, as we prepare for the next 10-year National Plan to end the violence against women and children.

Last week, more than 400 people took part in the virtual discussions, of the summit that was announced earlier in the year, after women took to the streets demanding change. The tipping point had been the public allegations of former Liberal staffer, Britanny Higgins, that she had been raped in Parliament House, and that the Morrison government was treating her complaint as a political problem.

If were serious about ending family and domestic violence, womens economic security has to be a major prevention strategy. Stella Avramopoulos said in the statement released by Good Shepherd, ahead of the Summit on womens safety. She sees these issues daily, and understands deeply the problems women face when they become victims of violence.

A parliamentary inquiry earlier this year found that the rates of family, domestic and sexual violence has not decreased over the life of the current National Plan. On the contrary, it has increased.

It is unprecedented. The numbers are startling. COVID has exacerbated the situation, with the various lockdowns. We have high incidents of neighbours calling because they are hearing the family violence happening next door, which is adding to the numbers that are getting reported.

Going into the summit I certainly feel that we are at a crossroad moment now. The pressure on the government, and on us, as a society, to really start making a fundamental shift to the numbers, must happen. And I think everyone who participated, had a very strong sense that there has to be a plan that really activates a change. Because everyone has had enough.

READ MORE:The crisis of Domestic Violence on the agenda of the Greek Community

In your statement you propose investing in the financial security of women so they can exit abusive relationships before violence escalates without financial fears.

Yes, and also investing in crisis housing for women fleeing family violence. We know that one of the highest presenting issues for women, apart from the family violence, is financial abuse and financial stress.It is the reason the women dont leave, and sometimes, unfortunately, it is the reason women feel forced to go back.Significant investment and a multifaceted approach needs to go into supporting women to leave, and into their long-term recovery. When we talk about giving refuge in crisis housing, the time is too short. Women need to stay there for four- to- five months to be able to understand properly what is happening to them and build a road map. Certainly for us we want to see economic abuse as a priority in the next national plan.

Isnt the government and states already providing financial assistance. Crisis housing and financial support through Centrelink. Or is the support just not enough?

Women can only stay eight to 12 weeks in crisis housing. It is very short term. That is why financial security is so important. Imagine having to run out of your house, change everything from your Medicare card to your bank account and the forms for your kids, and keep yourself safe. That is a massive task. And on top of that you are dealing with the trauma that the abuse has caused, and making sure your children are okay.There are more women needing refuge, than houses available and there is a long waiting list. Last year during the pandemic we were getting calls from women who were sleeping in their cars. The only thing they could take was their car, their children and a few things.

Doesnt Centrelink provide some financial assistance for women escaping domestic abuse?

Centrelink have some funding for women. There are now 100,000 more women on Jobseeker since the pandemic started. However, these programmes do not help women in their long-term recovery. They also have got to go to court for custody, and about the assets. And women give up, the whole system is re-traumatising them and making the recovery, and their sustainable financial position, impossible.

I will never forget what one woman told me after she gave up fighting her husband in court. She had spent $50,000 in the family court fighting her husband who was a very successful rich businessman. And she gave up. She said I wish I was with child protection because at least then, the government would have to help me.

READ MORE:Banks adopt new guidelines to counter family and elder abuse issues

So there is really no justice in the end, in the way the system works.

If this was a child, the system would not allow services to re-traumatise a child in a counselling programme. But unfortunately, the journey for a woman leaving family violence constantly re-traumatises her and it is one of those rare scenarios where a victim is re-abused, as she herself is trying to seek help. And the perpetrators yes, the perpetrator gets intervention orders but they get to stay in the house often. It is the woman that has to leave her house with her children. She has to re-establish her whole identity, she has to constantly worry about whether she is being stalked on her mobile phone, she has to worry about where her ex-partner is. All of the onus of the recovery and her safety is on her.

I understand that many agree that the family court is broken, and sometimes it may take years for a victim to get their case heard.

Certainly. At the summit, the head of the family court presenters, gave us some good news. There seems to be significant reform in the family court to help expedite separation matters. It is early days and we will be watching closely to see how that plays out, if it is more efficient, safer and more respectful for people to navigate.

But I think we all agree that family violence is a multidimensional and multifaceted issue. No one sector, not the government alone, not the services alone can do it. We all have to have a cross-sector collaborative approach to this, at both prevention (when men are children), and also all the way through to recovery and post-family violence and how we facilitate the recovery for women, and at every life stage.

There were presentations about senior women, who are now the greatest at-risk cohort of homelessness in Australian. There are some very, very sad stories of Greek women, where there has been elder abuse. Women who came to Australia, and in their lifetime owned 2-3 houses through the work they did in the factories. They give the houses to their children, or and when their husband dies, they go bankrupt, as their children have put them as a guarantor on a failed business or a car loan. And we have women in their seventies, without superannuation, living on couches.

It is very difficult for me to hear that as a Greek person, and having been raised in the same house with my grandparents. I find those stories about senior women and elder abuse very difficult and confronting, because as Greeks, we pride ourselves on how we respect and care for our elders and especially those elders who came and worked in factories so that we can have a better education and a better life. It is a shame on us, and as a community, I believe we need to look at that specifically.

Women usually become dependent from the moment they decide to start a family. I know many women who at 45 struggle to get back into the workforce after taking a break for 10 years to raise their children.

And that is why our superannuation is so low. Women have lower super at the same age as men. That is why we asked at the summit that women should have access to free childcare. That is why family payments from Centrelink are so important. We need a social protections law about basic income that supports women, some of those basic economic security blankets and policies. We need the superannuation funds to look at women differently. We are raising children at home. We actually should have double the points on our superannuation in that period, for all that.I am very proud of being Greek, but in our culture, in our patriarchal approach, there is a lack of equality for women and we have to address that as Greek people and as a society. I think that there is a little work to do in that regard. We have a long way to go actually.

READ MORE:Greek mothers desperate plea for help, after fleeing domestic violence

Are you optimistic?

I started off in my twenties as a corrections officers in the jail and I used to supervise men who were perpetrators. Even though I knew they were perpetrators there was not much I could do with the violence that was going on at home.

Now, as a CEO in 400-year-old womens organisation, I can see the impact it has on women. This is an organisation that has been doing this in Australia since 1863.

I do have hope because this is the first time I am hearing all sectors demanding change. I am hearing it from different government departments, I am hearing it from the corporate sector who invite Good Shepherd to help them develop family violence policies. I am hearing it from the community.

And most importantly, I dont believe that the young women of the next generation are going to accept this in the future. And that gives me a lot of hope.

I know we are not going to go backwards, I know there is a shift, but we have to stay vigilant. That is why we are so adamant about womens independence. Womens financial security, which is the key for their independence.

Read the original here:

Women's financial independence is crucial if we want to keep them safe - Neos Kosmos

The Alabama State Treasurers Office and the Alabama Savings Board awarded the first 101 qualified Alabama ABLE Savings Plan account owners with a $101 contribution into their newly opened Alabama ABLE account.

The official Alabama ABLE Savings Plan launched on May 17, 2021, to provide those in the disability community with a savings tool that makes gaining financial independence achievable without impacting their public benefits. Individuals are able to save up to $100,000 in an ABLE account and still keep their benefits such as SSI and Medicaid.

We want to encourage individuals to take a look at the benefits of the newly launched Alabama ABLE Savings Plan designed specifically for Alabamians. The promotion helped with this, and highlighted the new state tax deduction on contributions, explained Alabama Savings Plan Director Anita Kelley.

ABLE participants may use the savings for a wide range of qualified disability expenses from medical costs to education, assistive technology, service animals, housing, transportation, basic living expenses and more.

For more information about the Alabama ABLE Savings plan or to enroll, visit alabamaable.gov or call 833-711-2253.

See the original post here:

Alabama ABLE Savings Plan awards the first 101 accounts with $101 - alreporter.com

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2020, a record number of Americans retired, adding to the 46 million already retired. According to Pew Research Center, the number of Baby Boomers retiring doubled over the previous year.

"Retiring is a complex and difficult task today, even more challenging with the global economic unrest. Very different than even a decade or two ago. There are major obstacles that retired business owners, executives and professionals must overcome to enjoy a lifestyle of freedom and preserve, protect and pass on their hard-earned wealth," saidMarc Goldstein, RICP, AIF a nationally known financial educator, author, speaker and wealth planner.

"Retire Abundantly", a new book co-authored with Marc Goldstein, offers business owners, executives and professionals, wisdom, advice and principles on how to reduce income taxes and estatetaxes to enjoy a greater lifestyle and legacy.

The new book educates and equips successful individuals and families against the little-known mistakes and costly missteps that can derail their lifestyle in retirement.

Goldstein said, "As a result of widely-held myths about investing and protecting money, many retirees are unknowingly making some costly mistakes. It is my professional responsibility to provide leadership and guidance in helping successful individuals and families cut through all the misleading, conflicting information that causes so much confusion."

For example, Goldstein says, running afoul of IRS retirement account rules can cost a bundle, according to Fehr. The Wall Street Journal reported that, "Uncle Sam is about to get a lot tougher on individual retirement account mistakesand that could trip up investors who aren't careful." The IRS levied over half a billion dollars in fines in just a two-year period for missed retirement plan withdrawals and contributions that break the rules.

The easy to read book is not laden with technical jargon but is filled with real world wisdom on wealth preservation and protection. It begins by exposing how and why the wealth and retirement planning industry has left many adrift, along with the myths that many have been led to believe. It also details the three major retirement mistakes that many are making.

The book details the twelve biggest wealth obstacles that hinder those who have successfully accumulated wealth from preserving, protecting and passing on that wealth to future generations and causes they care about deeply. The book concludes outlining the solutions, including an enlightening case study that illustrates the concepts detailed in the book. The book also includes a set of real-life stories of wealth failure and success, along with how to take the next step in your lifestyle and wealth planning.

"Financial independence in retirement is not once-size-fits-all. It means very different things to every single person, so the cookie-cutter approach being offered by so many advisors and financial firms will not do. Without proper planning and protection, life's uncertainties can derail peoples' lives and businesses. That's our mission. We help business owners, executives and professionals enjoy an abundant retirement by having their wealth protected against life's uncertainties and leave a lasting legacy to those they care about most." says Marc Goldstein, MBA.

AboutMarc Goldstein

Marc Goldstein, RICP, AIF is a nationally known Financial Educator, Author, Speaker and Wealth Planner. As the Founder and CEO of Marc Goldstein Associates, Marc and his team have been helping successful business owners, executives and professionals preserve, protect and pass on their wealth, along with many fine non-profit organizations, since 1992. Their commitment to their clients is, "Knowledge you can count on. Advice you can trust." Marc lives in Harrison, New York with his wife, Beatriz, their daughters, Julia and Sofia, and their dog, Kai. He enjoys coaching his daughters' soccer teams, playing golf and donating his time to enrich the lives of those less fortunate.

ContactMarc Goldstein(212) 989-5700[emailprotected]

SOURCE Marc Goldstein

Read more here:

One of New York's Top Wealth Planners, Marc Goldstein, Co-Authors New Book to Cut Taxes and Avoid Retirement Mistakes - PRNewswire

Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

The information provided in Item 7.01 below is incorporated by reference intothis Item 2.02.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

The slide presentation attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, and incorporated hereinby reference, may be used by Independence Realty Trust, Inc. ("IRT") in variouspresentations to investors beginning September 13, 2021.

The information in this Current Report, including Exhibit 99.1, is beingfurnished and shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of theSecurities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to theliabilities of that Section. The information in this Current Report shall not beincorporated by reference into any registration statement or other documentpursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Independence Realty Trust, Inc.

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trustthat owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S.markets, including Atlanta, Dallas, Louisville, Memphis, Raleigh and Tampa.IRT's investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity richsubmarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and majoremployment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjustedreturns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance,and a consistent return of capital through distributions and capitalappreciation.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements within themeaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-lookingstatements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminologysuch as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe,""seek," "outlook," "assumption," "projected," "strategy", "guidance" or other,similar words. Because such forward-looking statements involve significantrisks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are not within IRT'scontrol, actual results may differ materially from the expectations, intentions,beliefs, plans or predictions of the future expressed or implied by suchstatements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the currentjudgments and expectations of IRT's management. These risks include, but are notlimited to the risk that we may not complete any potential acquisitions, otherinvestment opportunities or other transactions in a timely fashion or at all andthose risks and uncertainties associated with IRT's business that are discussedin IRT's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including thoseunder the heading "Risk Factors" in IRT's Annual Report on Form 10-K for itsfiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and IRT's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q forthe quarter ended June 30, 2021. Dividends are subject to the discretion ofIRT's Board of Directors, and will depend on IRT's financial condition, resultsof operations, capital requirements, compliance with applicable laws andagreements and any other factors deemed relevant by IRT's Board. IRT undertakesno obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events orcircumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence ofunanticipated events, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with its announced merger transaction with Steadfast ApartmentREIT, Inc. ("STAR"), on August 17, 2021 IRT filed with the SEC a registrationstatement on Form S-4 (which has not yet been declared effective) to registerthe shares of IRT Common Stock to be issued in connection with the proposedmerger transaction. The registration statement includes a preliminary jointproxy statement of IRT and STAR that also constitutes a prospectus of IRT, whichpreliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, after being filed in definitiveform by IRT, will be mailed or otherwise disseminated to IRT stockholders andSTAR stockholders when it becomes available. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OFIRT AND STAR ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 AND THERELATED JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS ORSUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THESEC IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED MERGERBECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holderswill be able to obtain free copies of these documents and other documents filedwith the SEC by IRT and/or STAR through the website maintained by the SEC athttp://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by IRT will beavailable free of charge on IRT's internet website at http://www.irtliving.comor by contacting IRT's Investor Relations Department by email at IRT@edelman.comor by phone at +1-917-365-7979. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC bySTAR will be available free of charge on STAR's internet website athttp://www.steadfastliving.com or by contacting STAR's Investor RelationsDepartment by phone at +1-888-223-9951.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Participants in Solicitation

IRT, STAR, their respective directors and certain of their respective executiveofficers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies inconnection with the announced merger transaction. Information about thedirectors and executive officers of IRT is set forth in its Annual Report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC onFebruary 18, 2021, and its proxy statement for its 2021 annual meeting ofstockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 29, 2021. Information aboutthe directors and executive officers of STAR is set forth in its Annual Reporton Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SECon March 12, 2021, and in its proxy statement for its 2021 annual meeting ofstockholders, which was filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021. These documents canbe obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additionalinformation regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and adescription of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings orotherwise, is contained in the preliminary joint proxy statement of IRT and STARthat also constitutes a prospectus of IRT and other relevant materials to befiled with the SEC when they become available.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation ofan offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in anyjurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful priorto registration or qualification under the securities laws of any suchjurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of aprospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edgar Online, source Glimpses

Read the rest here:

INDEPENDENCE REALTY TRUST, INC. : Results of Operations and Financial Condition, Regulation FD Disclosure, Financial Statements and Exhibits (form...