Speaking to her and over 60 other FIREers in the past two years has taught me that this increasingly popular four-letter acronym is a dream come true for many, but it needs to be done right. Otherwise, being untethered to a job or stream of income can lead to loneliness, anxiety, and feeling like you lack purpose.
while 90% of policies are sold through financial advisors, these professionals navigate a fragmented ecosystem of over 10 disconnected legacy tools, each handling separate aspects of quoting, underwriting, and case management. This operational complexity translates into a six-month average policy cycle time for permanent life insurance, creating friction at every stage of the client journey and limiting advisors' capacity to serve their clients effectively. Modern Life addresses this systemic inefficiency by consolidating the entire life insurance workflow into a single AI-powered platform that enables advisors to instantly quote across 30+ carriers, receive underwriting decisions in minutes rather than weeks through its Express Decision capability.
Possibly advisors don't prioritize Gen Xers because they carry more credit card debt than any other generation. Or maybe it's because they are struggling to raise their children and put them through college while simultaneously taking care of aging parents. Younger Gen Xers are in mid-career, still paying off their student loans. As they age, many will have adult children returning to the nest.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is one of the gold standards as far as dividend-focused ETFs are concerned. With a nearly 4% yield, the American equity basket delivers on the income front while also allowing for a good amount of growth.
The flat fee advisor's charge remains $10,000 regardless of portfolio growth, while the AUM advisor's fee increases with the portfolio, costing $25,000 for a $5 million estate.
When working with a financial advisor, it's essential to understand the potential benefits; they can optimize investment strategies and introduce alternative opportunities that could enhance your portfolio returns.