You know you need to do some estate planning to properly protect yourself, your assets, and your loved ones. But is your plan complete, or did you leave a few key assets out of those documents by mistake? Most people are unaware that retirement accounts are an important estate plan component. Fewer still understand the…
Steven C. Johnson, ChFC®
Follow on: 
Steve is a Chartered Financial Consultant, designee (ChFC) and a veteran of the investment and financial planning industries who began his career in 1989 with a large national financial services firm as a Financial Advisor and Investment Management professional. In 2001, Steve joined Finivi and has served on their executive and investment committees since that time.
For over 27 years, he has been guiding individuals and families in helping achieve the retirement lifestyles they desire, through comprehensive retirement income planning, a keen understanding of the myriad of Social Security claiming strategies available to help maximize one's benefits, and by suitably aligning their retirement investment portfolios with their income and lifestyle goals.
Steve also serves as the Director of the firm's Financial Education and Corporate Financial Wellness Programs that deliver financial education workshops and webinars to individuals, public and private corporations, colleges and universities, and social and fraternal organizations throughout the country.
Steve's ability to take complex financial and investing topics and break them down into easy to understand and actionable ideas for both clients and workshop participants have made him a sought-after advisor and speaker on the topics of social security, retirement planning, and investment management.
Steve is also active in the industry having served as the Past President of the Worcester, MA Chapter of The Society of Financial Services Professionals (SFSP) and is an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA).
Steve and his wife Robin have three children and live in the beautiful Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts.
Steve Has Been Featured In:
Recent Articles by Steven:
Low Average Retirement Savings By Age: What To Do About It
If you look at the average retirement savings by age, you might find them alarming. You may even come to the conclusion that Americans are facing a pretty dire situation. Just take a look at the median retirement savings of families by age, reported by CNBC: 44 to 49: $6,200 50 to 55: $8,000 56 to…
What to Do if You Receive Incorrect Information from Your Local Social Security Office
The Social Security system is notoriously frustrating. For example, did you know that it is not the job of the Social Security Administration to advise beneficiaries how best to take their benefits? This means staffers at your local Social Security office may not understand every arcane rule or unusual circumstance you may face. Some beneficiaries…
How Remarrying Late in Life Could Affect Your Social Security
The Social Security Administration uses many factors to calculate benefit amounts for beneficiaries, including marital status. For long-married couples who are lucky enough to grow old together, calculations for spousal and survivor benefits are fairly straightforward. However, widowed or divorced Social Security beneficiaries can run into complications if they decide to remarry later in life….
How Social Security Calculates Widow and Widower Benefits
Social Security offers several different types of benefits to the survivors of deceased beneficiaries, but widow and widower benefits are the type of survivor benefits that affect the most beneficiaries. Though it can be unpleasant to think about you or your spouse dying, it’s a good idea for married couples to include widow or widower…
4 Big Ways Your Social Security Benefits are Getting Smaller
This year marked a rather significant increase in benefits for those receiving Social Security. The 2018 COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) was one of the largest in the past decade, giving retirement beneficiaries an extra 2% on their checks (the most significant jump since 2012.) Unfortunately, there are forces at work that can easily chip…
