James A Moore - Advisory Services - Planning Alliance

09/08/2026

Last Tuesday, I kicked off Life Insurance Awareness Month with a post that posed 7 questions to help you figure out how much life insurance coverage you may need. Throughout the month I’ll answer each question with relatable scenarios to help you understand the impact of the death benefit on the lives of loved ones left behind.

Let's start with the first one.

Question 1: How much annual income would you like to provide, if you were no longer here?

Here’s a scenario: Sarah handles the mortgage, groceries, and her daughter's gymnastics fees every month from her paycheck. She is the primary breadwinner in her family and is a life insurance policy holder. Her coverage takes into consideration her current and future income, otherwise known as Human Life Value. If she were to pass away, her grief-stricken spouse wouldn’t be burdened with worrying about short-term and long-term financial concerns. They could be fully present as the primary emotional support system for their daughter.

That's exactly what life insurance is designed to prevent. The death benefit can replace your income, giving your family the breathing room to grieve without a financial emergency layered on top.

09/01/2026

September is one of my favorite months for two reasons:

1) It’s the start of the NFL season

2) It shines a critical light on life insurance as it is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM).

Successful football teams develop game plans to account for different in-game scenarios. They are constantly planning for the unexpected. They never want to think about losing but they know that a proactive plan puts them in a better position to win. Life insurance planning is similar. Thinking about what happens to your loved ones or business after you have passed isn’t many people’s idea of a good time but it’s important for them and for you.

As we kickoff LIAM, here are 7 questions I’d like for you to answer, which will help you determine how much coverage you may need:

✅ How much annual income would you like to provide, if you were no longer here?

✅ How many years should income be provided after you’re gone?

✅ How much debt would you like to pay off immediately?

✅ How much would you like to provide for childcare?

✅ How many children require college funding?

✅ How much would you like to set aside for an emergency fund?

✅ How much personal life insurance do you already have?

In the days ahead, I’ll delve into each question and help you better understand the value of life insurance.

08/28/2026

Today’s retirees struggle to balance the need for with the risk of locking in low interest rates. That’s where laddering comes in, which is discussed in this MoneyRates.com article.

Learn how an annuity ladder creates predictable retirement income while managing interest rate risk. Get expert advice on building and managing a ladder strategy.

08/25/2026

Longevity rate increases are great to see. They mean we all have more time to devote to the people and things that matter most. There is a side effect to living longer that could have major implications to your . The following graphic addresses two of those.

08/20/2026

Let’s wrap up our debunking myths of retirement planning series with the following:

Myth: "Protection against market losses means giving up on growth."

Fact: It's not all-or-nothing.

Here’s an analogy: A business might hedge a major expense while leaving room to benefit if the market moves in their favor elsewhere. Giving up on growth? More like trading some of the extreme upside for real downside protection.

Are you starting to wonder if the common knowledge you’ve held about is, in fact, a myth to debunk? Share in the comments.

08/17/2026

Let’s get back into our debunking retirement myths series. This is a good one.

Myth: "Market downturns are rare, so I probably won't hit one early in retirement."

Fact: The S&P 500 has posted losses in roughly 1 out of every 4 rolling 1-year periods since 1957.

That kind of market performance is a normal part of the cycle. The business owners I work with have come to understand this by comparing it to expecting a slow season or two, not a straight line of growth every year. When the individual investor or pre-retiree listens to common advice from media pundits and influencers, they are often unprepared for such a cycle. I cannot stress it enough to my clients.

Takeaway: There will be a market downturn. Hoping to avoid one is not a sound financial plan.

08/13/2026

When it comes to retirement distribution, diversification of assets is key. Annuities and 401(k)s play an important role in a sound retirement income plan. This article featured in Due and in my newsletter discusses what they are, why they matter, and why having both in your retirement portfolio is worth considering.

Annuities and 401(k)s both fund retirement, but they work very differently. Compare taxes, fees, contribution limits, and guaranteed income to decide which belongs in your plan for 2026 — and why many people use both.

08/11/2026

Myth: "If I average an 8% return over time, I'll be prepared for retirement"

Fact: The order in which your returns occur matters as much as the average itself.

I've worked with retirees who assumed a solid long-term average return meant a solid outcome. The problem with this thinking is that it doesn’t account for sequence of returns risk. Two people with the exact same average return can end up in very different places, depending on whether the down years hit early or late.

From a business perspective, it's a bit like a business that has two rough opening quarters versus one that has two rough quarters five years in, after it's built-up reserves and a customer base. There would be a much different total performance over time, with very little survival odds for the business off to a rough start.

Sequence of returns is a complicated and nuanced topic. Comment or send me a message if you would like to discuss it further.

08/07/2026

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to debunk some common retirement-based and market-based myths. These myths can negatively impact your long-term financial plans. Let’s get started:

Myth: "I need to avoid market downturns to protect my retirement."
Fact: You don't need to avoid downturns. You need a plan that can absorb them.

Think of it like a household emergency fund. The reasoning behind growing an emergency fund is to have the liquidity to cover an unexpected event so that you aren’t forced to pay for it with a high-interest credit card or withdraw from a retirement account.

A market downturn during retirement works the same way. The goal is to have a buffer in your portfolio that takes in part of the dip, so you're not forced into a bad decision at the worst possible time.

08/05/2026

Note: This is a 5-minute read worth your time. I've shared content on sequence-of-returns risk before, but it's a topic important enough that it's worth revisiting.

Long story short: two people can retire with the exact same average return over 25 years and end up in completely different financial positions simply because of when the market losses hit. A downturn in your first few years of retirement can do damage that a downturn later likely wouldn’t, even with identical numbers on paper.

Here’s the part I want to keep emphasizing:

This isn't a risk you have to live with. When your essential expenses are covered by guaranteed income, market timing stops being the thing that determines how long your money lasts.

I found a good breakdown of how annuities can serve as that buffer.

Usually, entrepreneurs think of "risks" as failed product launches, disruptive competitors, or sudden dips in revenue. As growth professionals, we're