Financial Reports
Make Better Informed Decisions About Your Financial Future
At Carter Financial Group, we strive to keep our clients informed about the issues that could impact their quality of life in retirement. Through financial education, we believe you can make better-informed decisions about your financial future.
By reading our financial reports, you’ll gain access to a wealth of information that can help guide you toward the retirement you’ve always envisioned.
Whether you want to learn how to help reduce your exposure to stock market risk or how fixed income investments can help you generate consistent and renewable streams of income for retirement, our financial reports are a great way to get started.

The Income Generation Report
For every American born in or before 1970, there’s what many consider a more secure, less stressful, and perhaps even...
For every American born in or before 1970, there’s what many consider a more secure, less stressful, and perhaps even more lucrative method of providing for yourself in retirement. If...

Why Investing in Mutual Funds Could Jeopardize Your Plans for Retirement
Unfortunately, since many advisors who serve clients in the Baby Boomer demographic entered the business during the 1980s and 90s,...
Unfortunately, since many advisors who serve clients in the Baby Boomer demographic entered the business during the 1980s and 90s, in what was the best stock market in US history,...

Introduction to the Universe of Non-Stock Market Income-Generating Alternatives
More than 30 years ago, conservative financial investment options such as certificate of deposit, government bonds, fixed annuities, and insured...
More than 30 years ago, conservative financial investment options such as certificate of deposit, government bonds, fixed annuities, and insured municipal bonds were extremely popular with retirees and those approaching...

Understanding Required Minimum Distributions
The idea behind Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs, is that the government wants to give us a tax incentive to...
The idea behind Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs, is that the government wants to give us a tax incentive to save for retirement – but they also want to make...

The Case For Fixed Income
Since life expectancy has increased and people can now expect to enjoy 30 years or more of retirement, it is...
Since life expectancy has increased and people can now expect to enjoy 30 years or more of retirement, it is imperative for anyone over the age of 50 to establish...

Surviving Child Financial Checklist
The loss of a parent is difficult enough, but it can be made worse when grief is compounded by worry...
The loss of a parent is difficult enough, but it can be made worse when grief is compounded by worry and confusion over the prospect of dealing with their financial...

Secure Act 2020 Report
President Trump signed The SECURE Act into law on December 20, 2019—with many of its new provisions taking effect January...
President Trump signed The SECURE Act into law on December 20, 2019—with many of its new provisions taking effect January 1, 2020. The SECURE Act, which stand for “Setting Every...

Real Life Challenges: Resetting Your Retirement
Traditionally, the key to a financially solid retirement plan has been to save early – from the day you start...
Traditionally, the key to a financially solid retirement plan has been to save early – from the day you start working. It’s always been good advice to live by, but...

Help Protect Your Finances in the Age of Cybercrime
Few inventions in recorded history have revolutionized the way we live like the Internet. It has changed the way we...
Few inventions in recorded history have revolutionized the way we live like the Internet. It has changed the way we communicate and has made thousands of previously slow, complex processes...

Passive Income for Retirement
Passive income has become a hot topic, and for good reason. Who wouldn’t like to generate income without putting in...
Passive income has become a hot topic, and for good reason. Who wouldn’t like to generate income without putting in a hard day’s work? From teenagers seeking recurring revenue from...

Pandemics and the Stock Market
To say March 2020 was a volatile month for the stock market would be an understatement. During the course of...
To say March 2020 was a volatile month for the stock market would be an understatement. During the course of the month, the market’s fluctuations have resulted in substantial losses....

Negative Spin on Annuities
Everyone understands that the mass media has changed drastically in the last 10 to 15 years. Not so long ago,...
Everyone understands that the mass media has changed drastically in the last 10 to 15 years. Not so long ago, we relied on daily newspapers, TV, and radio for all...

Investing for Income in the Stock Market
When people think of Investing for Income, the first thing that might come to mind is investing in non-stock market...
When people think of Investing for Income, the first thing that might come to mind is investing in non-stock market investments, like bonds. Yes, bonds and bond-like instruments are an...

How to Give and Receive with Charitable Contributions
Most people are aware that charitable contributions to qualified recipients are tax-deductible, provided they are made by December 31 of...
Most people are aware that charitable contributions to qualified recipients are tax-deductible, provided they are made by December 31 of the tax year for which you are filing. It’s a...

How Much Do You Need to Retire?
One of the first things people do once they get serious about planning and saving for retirement is look to...
One of the first things people do once they get serious about planning and saving for retirement is look to a retirement calculator to find out how much they need...

The Hard Lessons of Stock Market History
If you’re like most people, you believe there’s a great deal of truth in the old adage that history tends...
If you’re like most people, you believe there’s a great deal of truth in the old adage that history tends to repeat itself more often than not. That’s an important...

Guide to Aging: 7 Milestone Ages to Remember
Working Americans at or approaching retirement age today face many unprecedented challenges unique to their generation. That’s why it’s important...
Working Americans at or approaching retirement age today face many unprecedented challenges unique to their generation. That’s why it’s important to have a retirement plan that addresses these challenges and...

The Importance of Financial Defense
How can you get started on building a financial strategy with a solid defense? Simple: by contacting a qualified financial...
How can you get started on building a financial strategy with a solid defense? Simple: by contacting a qualified financial advisor who specializes in the universe of non-stock market investments...

The Essentials of What You Need to know about Retirement Income
Income is not a new concept. It’s been around for centuries, as a way for people to get paid for...
Income is not a new concept. It’s been around for centuries, as a way for people to get paid for some form of labor or capital. However, after decades spent...

Don't Let Long-Term Care Be Your Financial 'Blind Spot'
It’s no secret that Americans are living longer than ever. While that’s great news, it also creates a number of...
It’s no secret that Americans are living longer than ever. While that’s great news, it also creates a number of personal and social challenges. According to the Centers for Disease...

Building Multi-Generational Relationships
Are the current marketing strategies your practice uses positioning you as the “family” financial advisor? Do the members in your...
Are the current marketing strategies your practice uses positioning you as the “family” financial advisor? Do the members in your clients’ households know you by name? Would your clients’ kids...

Are Your Allocations Right for Social Security
Nothing exists in a vacuum, meaning that even if you’ve determined the best time and method of taking your Social...
Nothing exists in a vacuum, meaning that even if you’ve determined the best time and method of taking your Social Security benefits based on your age, objectives, and lifelong earnings,...

11 Signs You are Working with the Wrong Financial Advisor
Does is feel like your Financial Advisor doesn’t listen to your temperament? Have you ever felt like your advisor doesn’t...
Does is feel like your Financial Advisor doesn’t listen to your temperament? Have you ever felt like your advisor doesn’t put your interests ahead of theirs? Possibly your advisor is...

Year End Checklist
Americans are notorious for overspending when the holiday season rolls around, and while that may be good for the economy...
Americans are notorious for overspending when the holiday season rolls around, and while that may be good for the economy in the short-term, it often ends up being bad for...

The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income
When it comes to retirement, a good way to avoid outliving your savings is to have your investments generate enough...
When it comes to retirement, a good way to avoid outliving your savings is to have your investments generate enough income to cover your expenses—so you can avoid tapping into...

Proactive Tax Saving Strategies
Tax laws and regulations are constantly changing, that’s why it’s imperative that you meet with your CPA or financial advisor...
Tax laws and regulations are constantly changing, that’s why it’s imperative that you meet with your CPA or financial advisor every year, to talk about potential tax savings strategies as...

7 Risks to Your Retirement
As many Americans get ready to transition into full retirement, they don’t realize they’re crossing the threshold into a new...
As many Americans get ready to transition into full retirement, they don’t realize they’re crossing the threshold into a new way of living—one in which they’re vulnerable to risks that...

10 Signs You’re Working with a True Retirement Income Specialist
Not all financial advisors are the same. And as you near retirement, the stakes are too high to work with...
Not all financial advisors are the same. And as you near retirement, the stakes are too high to work with the wrong advisor. Read this report to find out if...

Are Your Allocations Right for RMDs?
It takes a well-planned strategy to ensure your investments are generating enough in interest and dividends to cover IRS-mandated RMDs....
It takes a well-planned strategy to ensure your investments are generating enough in interest and dividends to cover IRS-mandated RMDs. Because if they’re not, then your RMDs will likely have...

Bonds vs Bond Mutual Funds
Bond mutual funds carry risks, costs, and tax implications that can be significantly reduced by investing in a portfolio of...
Bond mutual funds carry risks, costs, and tax implications that can be significantly reduced by investing in a portfolio of individual bonds, and bond-like instruments. Our Bonds vs Bond Mutual...

Estate Planning
Although estate planning can be a complex task, a well-constructed plan can make a big difference in what is left...
Although estate planning can be a complex task, a well-constructed plan can make a big difference in what is left for your loved ones. Our report explains the essentials of...

Income for Life: Your Guide to Annuities
With the potential for tax-deferred growth and a guaranteed income stream, annuities can play an important role in helping meet...
With the potential for tax-deferred growth and a guaranteed income stream, annuities can play an important role in helping meet your retirement objectives. But not all annuities are the same....

Understanding Social Security Benefits
Even if you’ve determined the best time and method for taking your Social Security benefits, it won’t matter much unless...
Even if you’ve determined the best time and method for taking your Social Security benefits, it won’t matter much unless you properly coordinate your benefits with your overall retirement income...

The Power of Women
Women are earning, controlling, and inheriting more wealth than ever before. With this wealth comes more financial responsibility, complexity, and...
Women are earning, controlling, and inheriting more wealth than ever before. With this wealth comes more financial responsibility, complexity, and opportunities. Our Women and Wealth report identifies steps women, and...