Fully embracing retirement requires some serious mental gymnastics. For most of us, reaching retirement represents the culmination of years–often decades–of diligent saving. Then, almost overnight, we’re expected to switch gears entirely, and seamlessly transition to a mindset of spending. As a result, retirement brings about two equally painful ironies that need confronting. Our ability to …
Ah retirement–the period in life best known for some well-deserved leisure and relaxation. At some point we’ve all caught ourselves thinking about the flexibility and adventures we’ll have once we’ve stepped away from working life. The million dollar question (sometimes quite literally) is how much flexibility will we have, and how extravagant will our adventures …
How Much Can I Safely Spend In Retirement – A $1 Million Case Study Read More »
Choosing when to retire stands as one of the more significant financial decisions we’ll ever make. Despite meticulous planning, outside forces will inevitably play a role in determining our retirement experience. Take, for instance, two couples: one choosing to retire at the dawn of 1974, while the other opts for one year later, at the start …
2024 Could Be One Of The Best Years To Retire – Here’s Why Read More »
Most people don’t give themselves enough credit in being able to positively influence their portfolio’s performance. Sure, the world of investments is nuanced, but embracing one of the basic principles of personal finance can tilt the scales in your favor tremendously. The principle I’m referring to is lower costs means more money in your pocket. …
The Surprising Value Behind Trimming Investment Fees Read More »
Whether you’re already working with a financial planner or about to begin your search, there are a couple of questions that can quickly help determine whether the advisor sitting across from you is a good fit or not. Asking a few of these uncommon questions can essentially serve as a “cheat code” in your objective …
3 “Cheat Codes” For Finding Your Ideal Financial Advisor Read More »
If you’re in the fortunate position to be considering retirement, chances are you have a long track record of good financial decisions. Perhaps there’s a few you wish you had back as well. But, nonetheless, you’ve gotten yourself to the doorstep of financial independence. Now that you’re here, making this next leap may feel a …
I’m not under any illusions. I realize that most people would prefer to think about taxes as little as possible. It’s simply not a subject that brings us to the edge of our seat. Nonetheless, I consistently find myself writing about retirement tax strategy more than any other planning topic for two reasons. First, because …
When it comes to saving for retirement, conventional wisdom would lead us to believe that 403b’s are essentially the same as 401k’s. In fact, even the financial planning community tends to think of these accounts as interchangeable. Both these plans provide employees with the opportunity to invest for retirement in a very tax-efficient manner. This …
When the Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August of 1935, the intention was to provide an economic safety net for aging Americans. Over the years, as the original law was expanded upon, Social Security became a truly viable source of substantial retirement income for many citizens. After …
Americans are coming off more than a decade of lackluster returns on their cash accounts, and it’s caused a lot of us to get a little too relaxed in our cash management strategy. Starting in the midst of the 2008 Financial Crisis, interest rates were cut to nearly zero, and held to historically low levels …
