Criterion Financial

Welcome to our Web site, where you’ll find a wealth of information in the form of newsletter articles, calculators, and research reports.

We hope your visit will help you understand the opportunities and potential rewards that are available when you take a proactive approach to your personal financial situation. We have created this Web site to help you gain a better understanding of the financial concepts behind insurance, investing, retirement, estate planning, and wealth preservation. Most important, we hope you see the value of working with skilled professionals to pursue your financial goals.

We’re here to help educate you about the basic concepts of financial management; to help you learn more about who we are; and to give you fast, easy access to market performance data. We hope you take advantage of this resource and visit us often. Be sure to add our site to your list of "favorites" in your Internet browser. We frequently update our information, and we wouldn’t want you to miss any developments in the area of personal finance.
Calculators

Personal Inflation Rate

Is your personal inflation rate higher or lower than the CPI?

Loan Payoff

How much will it cost to pay off a loan over its lifetime?

Savings Goals

How much do you need to save each year to meet your long-term financial goals?

Taxable Equivalent Yield

Calculate the rate of return you would have to receive from a taxable investment to realize an equivalent tax-exempt yield.

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Newsletters

Using Living Benefits for Retirement Income

Many Americans are finding it difficult to predict how much they can save by retirement. Because traditional pensions are available to just one out of three workers today, a potential way of creating a guaranteed income stream in retirement is to purchase the guaranteed living benefits that are available with some variable annuities.

Averaging Ups and Downs

Stock market volatility was the norm in 2011, and that can be hard on an investor’s nerves. Utilizing a dollar-cost averaging strategy may help even out your portfolio’s ups and downs, as explained in this article.

Tax Changes for 2012

Mandatory annual inflation adjustments generally affect federal income tax brackets, retirement plan contribution limits, and estate tax exemption levels. Here are some of the major changes that could affect readers in 2012, with a table showing 2012 income thresholds for the six federal income tax brackets.

Retaining MVPs with Executive Bonus Life Insurance

An economic recovery is likely to bring more job opportunities to top performers, but it could prove costly for businesses to replace productive employees who decide to leave. An executive bonus plan funded with cash-value life insurance can be used to reward and retain an organization's most valuable employees.

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