One of the most unsettling aspects of retirement can be the idea that there will no longer be a regular paycheck. This shift can be scary but does not have to be a traumatic event. Retirement is the part of life when you shift from a single income source that...
Although we think of retirement as a specific point in time, it is really a process. This process has key retirement dates that begin just before age 60 and end just after you turn 70. Understanding what those milestones are is vital in determining when you can...
I’ve written about retirement income planning before, and at first glance it should be pretty simple. The idea of figuring out what expenses you’ll have and then lining up your sources of income and funds seems straightforward. In many instances though, it’s not, and...
When it comes to our own personal financial plans, we tend to think of risk as a bad thing. You avoid things that are risky, and the safer a plan is, the better. But risk is foundational to finance. Risk is a key driver of interest rates and investment returns and...
A pretty common stereotype when it comes to retirement is the overworked, underpaid worker who would retire immediately and pursue the Island Life if they only could. And while I have worked with some clients whose immediate answer was “tomorrow” when I asked when...
In a previous post, I took a look at Medicare Parts A & B, which cover many types of inpatient care along with what are generally defined as medically necessary services. In this post, I’ll examine Part D, which is the portion of Medicare that covers prescription...
The IRS not only wants you to pay what you owe but in many instances, they don’t want you to wait until the end of the year to do so. If your primary income is a salary from an employer, this is pretty simple. Just make sure you get your withholding correct, and you...
Early on in my career, clients would ask where I thought the market was headed, and I felt obliged to answer these questions on market movements. Valuations were high, I would explain, or I might point to the most obvious risks in China, or with U.S. interest rates or...
Several weeks ago, I worked with a couple who wanted to retire early. At first glance, they seemed well situated to do so, as they had both worked as teachers for decades and they would thus both have a healthy pension. However, when I put together the plan, I found...
