Everyday cooperative employees retire. Some of these retirees take the lump sum option and "rollover" that money to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or they "rollover" that money into their NRECA 401k. They may be working with a financial advisor or they may have decided that they don't want to pay an advisor and they want to do it themselves. This blog is speaking to the do it yourselfers.
What if you're age 55 or older and you just don't want to wait until age 62 to retire? Many of you are stuck in that 50-58 age range where the thought of retirement can be a little scary. Let's look at some options.
Before making a Roth IRA withdrawal, keep in mind the following rules to avoid a potential 10% early withdrawal penalty
I started this firm to help people, specifically electric cooperative employees, with retirement planning. I worked for an electric cooperative for over 11 years and during that time I saw a need for retirement planning above and beyond what NRECA is capable of providing you.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduces sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code that could impact how you plan for taxes and manage your finances.
Did you know that the S&P 500 Index Mutual Fund available to you through your NRECA 401k options has historically averaged a return of approximately 10 percent? Did you know over that same period of time the average cooperative employee in the 401k plan has averaged a return of only 3.9 percent?
Well according to my television and the financial "news" media the economy was on the verge of collapse this past April. The financial "news" media seemed excited about that and also excited to mention that gold had broken through to new all-time highs! And while that is sort of true because gold recorded a new nominal high price, that's not the whole truth. Nominal in this context means unadjusted as it pertains to inflation which, in the end, is all that really matters. They tend to leave the adjusted for inflation part out because it's not as sexy and doesn't excite people as much.
If you are eligible for the NRECA R&S Plan, you MUST consider the tax scenarios when deciding whether to take the lump sum option or the annuity option. You essentially have a winning lottery ticket and just like a real lottery ticket, the IRS is waiting for their piece of the action.
Today I want to discuss, what I feel, is the single most important benefit the co-op offers you. And that is your NRECA 401k plan. It’s important because it’s the fastest and simplest way for you to grow your wealth over time.
Companies and what's referred to as the "stock market" are two different things. Companies are rational. The "stock market" is irrational. When you begin to realize that we are long-term goal-focused investors and we are owners of successful companies rather than just investors in the "stock market" you can change how you perceive the panic that the financial "news" media assaults us with on a 24/7 basis.
I created this list as an education piece for any electric cooperative employee to use as they interview different financial advisors. My goal isn't that everyone who visits my site decides to work with me. My goal is to help you make an educated decision as you work through this process. If you are retiring soon or just exploring a relationship with a financial advisor, be sure to ask these 11 questions during the interview process. And interview at least three advisors. That should give you a good idea of whom you want to work with and why.
Everyday the financial “news” tells us the status of the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite because these are the three most followed indexes by media and investors. I’ve found through the years that many people have no idea what an index is or specifically what these three indexes represent. Today I’m going to give you a Cliffs Notes version of what an index is as it relates to the stock market, a brief explanation of the three major indexes
The impulse to get out of the market before something bad happens is an impulse in all of us but it's at best only half of a strategy. What impulse would you listen to for re-entry to the market? Impulses don't make a strategy, but they can totally destroy a strategy.
It depends on your goals, your long term financial plan, your age even factors into things here. Let's just run through these options real quick.
As your advisor we are a walking talking insurance plan hired to protect one of the largest assets you own, your retirement nest egg. The difference being that unlike most insurance plans we protect you before a disaster strikes, not after the damage has been done.
Today I want to discuss why you should actually embrace temporary market declines rather than fear them. I said temporary because they all are temporary and always have been temporary and will always be temporary.
