WinCentral.org

There are no scheduled events.

Social Security: How Much Can You Expect?

When it comes to your retirement income, you may find that Social Security alone will not be sufficient. It is likely that you will be responsible for making up the difference between what Social Security will provide—and what you will need—for a financially secure retirement.
To gain a better understanding of the amount you can expect from Social Security, call the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 1-800-772-1213 and ask for Form SSA-7004, Request for Social Security Statement.
When you receive the form, fill it out and return it to the SSA. Shortly thereafter, you will receive a statement of the earnings credited to your Social Security account for the years you have worked thus far. You will also receive a projection of your Social Security retirement benefit based on what you’ve contributed so far and your future anticipated contributions until retirement.
Once you know what you can expect to receive, you can then begin a savings program to help close the gap. If you are more than ten years away from retirement, it might be wise to lower your expectations regarding the amount of Social Security benefits you may eventually receive.
You can download your Request for Social Security Statement directly from the Social Security Administration’s website. Log on to www.ssa.gov, and request your form today.

This material is provided by Liberty Publishing. Catherine Valega, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM Professional, and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst at Green Bridge Wealth Management LLC. Catherine works and resides in Winchester, MA with her husband and four daughters. She is an involved member of her community, including WinCentral, Family Action Network, and the EnKa society. She speaks French fluently, and enjoys running, playing soccer, and above all, spending time with her family. You can reach her at www.greenbridgewealth.com, phone: 617-407-3566, or catherine@greenbridgewealth.com. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

2nd Annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back Green Bridge Wealth Management LLC is pleased to announce our second annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back! This year, we are hopeful to collect over 100 pounds of candy, which will be shipped to Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to US military personnel. The event is taking place Tuesday, November 2, from 2pm – 4pm, at our office – 175 Washington Street, Suite C14, Winchester (next to St. Mary’s Church). Each (parent-accompanied) child will receive $1 per pound of candy donated. Children can also drop off letters to the troops, which will be included in the shipment. Business owner, Catherine Valega, initially learned about the Halloween candy buy-back from her sister, who is a dentist. She loved the idea, since the health of her clients plays such an important role in her business, showing up across the board in financial planning issues. Further, she strongly believes in the importance of teaching children to have a global, service outlook, helping others less fortunate, or risking their lives to keep us safe. She is also a big believer in teaching children about financial issues early, such as the concept of ‘spend, share, save’ a portion of everything earned. For more information on Operation Gratitude, go to www.operationgratitude.com. The organization is also happy to receive your letters for the troops. They can be mailed directly to: Operation Gratitude, 16444 Refugio Road, Encino, CA 91436.

Socially Responsible Investing Are you managing your resources based on your values? Socially responsible investing (SRI) is the process of matching your investments with your ethical criteria. Socially responsible investors generally choose one or more of the following strategies: screening, shareholder activism, or community investing. An investor who practices screening invests in companies that support his or her values and mission. Shareholders who practice shareholder activism use their rights as part owners of a company to advocate for their social issues. Finally, community investing involves supporting the development of low-income communities. There are a variety of socially responsible options that can help you meet your personal financial goals according to your code of ethics. This material is provided by Liberty Publishing. Catherine Valega, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM Professional, and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst at Green Bridge Wealth Management LLC. Catherine works and resides in Winchester, MA with her husband and four daughters. She is an involved member of her community, including WinCentral, Family Action Network, and the EnKa society. She speaks French fluently, and enjoys running, playing soccer, and above all, spending time with her family. You can reach her at www.greenbridgewealth.com, phone: 617-407-3566, or catherine@greenbridgewealth.com . Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Graduating with a Lighter Load Graduating with a Lighter Load Many families find they must borrow at least some money to help pay expenses for their college-bound teenagers. Student loans can provide a significant share of a student’s total financial aid package. Although many college graduates often find themselves entering the job market burdened with thousands of dollars in college loan debt, a Federal program may help ease that burden by offering attractive terms and rates. The Federal Direct Loan Program, which began in 1994, allows students to borrow directly from the Federal government. The direct loan program simplifies the process and offers a variety of repayment options. The repayment plans are open both to participants in the direct loan program and to students wishing to consolidate multiple loans from private lenders or other Federal programs. Here are the available repayment options: • Standard Repayment. Loans are generally repaid over ten years in 120 monthly payments, although a shorter repayment time may apply to small loan amounts. • Income Contingent Repayment. This plan bases repayment on the student’s income after graduation, limiting payments to 20% of the borrower’s monthly discretionary income. The attractiveness of this plan is that payments will rise along with rising income, but there is a potential danger for borrowers who find themselves in low-paying jobs for an extended period of time. Should payments be so low as to not cover all of the interest due, the unpaid interest will be added to the principal, increasing total costs. Any debt remaining after 25 years will be forgiven, but forgiven debt is considered taxable income, creating a potentially thorny tax problem. Nevertheless, income contingent repayment plans might make sense for graduates whose career paths have a high probability of rising income. • Graduated Repayment. Under this plan, a loan can extend up to 30 years with payments beginning low, but rising over time. The assumption behind the plan is similar to that with income contingent repayment: A person’s income will increase over time with their experience. However, the graduated repayments are structured to increase automatically over time, independent of income that could rise, fall, or generally remain the same. • Extended Repayment. The repayment schedule can be extended depending on the size of the loan, generally from 12 years to as long as 30 years for loan amounts over $60,000. One significant feature of the direct loan program is that borrowers are not locked into a repayment plan—switching among options is permitted, and prepayment can be made without penalty. This flexibility may help young adults who are just getting started in an uncertain work world and who may face job loss or career transitions. If you are currently dealing with college expenses or will be facing them shortly, you may want to take advantage of Federal incentives to save for post-secondary education, as well as Federal programs to assist in financing academic pursuits. For more information, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at www.studentaid.ed.gov or the College Board at www.collegeboard.com. This material is provided by Liberty Publishing. Catherine Valega, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM Professional, and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst at Green Bridge Wealth Management LLC. Catherine works and resides in Winchester, MA with her husband and four daughters. She is an involved member of her community, including WinCentral, Family Action Network, and the EnKa society. She speaks French fluently, and enjoys running, playing soccer, and above all, spending time with her family. You can reach her at www.greenbridgewealth.com, phone: 617-407-3566, or catherine@greenbridgewealth.com. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Green Bridge Wealth Management quoted in Journal of Financial Planning Check out my quote in May’s Journal of Financial Planning article: http://www.fpajournal.org/CurrentIssue/TableofContents/FindingAlternativeInvestments/