My Comments: Yeah, I know. Retirement is far down the road and it's conceptually difficult to imagine yourself ever getting there. But unless you die first, you will get there. And when you do, you're still looking at another 25+ years of life with bills to pay. How will you handle that if you're broke? …
Continue reading 21% of Americans Risk Financial Struggles in Retirement for This Reason
My Comments: As a nation, we have three concurrent crises to deal with. The first and foremost is the pandemic. Nothing we accept as normal is going to return to normal until we find a way to control it. And that's complicated by the fact there is evidence it's mutating and becoming more easily spread …
Continue reading How To Prepare For The Greatest Wealth Transfer In History
My Comments: If you're not yet 50 years old, most of this may not resonate with you. On the other hand, you may realize that with the pandemic and other fundamental changes going on, the sooner you train your brain to pay at least some attention to your financial future, the better off you'll be. …
Continue reading 10 Things To Do Now If You’re A Decade Away From Retirement
My Comments: Life, by definition, evolves, and almost never moves in a straight line. I found the following article on the Forbes website and it confirms my expressed thoughts about our current circumstances. I wrote earlier that our nation is experiencing it's fourth major upheaval since it's inception. They happen about every 80 years or …
Continue reading 3 Reasons Why You Should Use This Crisis To Make A Change
My Comments: There are those who believe it's different this time. They are mystified some of us suggest the rules that govern economic activity are still valid. What is different is the current pandemic. It has the potential to kill you, especially if you're among the older cohort. Meanwhile we're looking at climate change, more …
Continue reading The Next Global Depression Is Coming and Optimism Won’t Slow It Down
My Comments: These words are self-serving. If that bothers you, stop reading. I've spent much of the past 4 years writing a book and creating an online course to help people come to terms with the idea that once you retire, you're looking at another 25 plus years with an uncertain financial future. People have …
Continue reading “I blame myself”: Retirement remains out of reach for millions of Americans
My Comments: I'm not a prophet of doom. Never have been and haven't changed my spots. But I am a realist when it comes to investing in the markets. I've been in cash since March and missed most of the 3 month rally since then. Disappointing but... Some readers of these blog posts have laughed …
My Comments: Please note this chart appeared four years ago in 2016. I share it here to create a context for us to consider as we struggle with the pandemic and the effect it's going to have on our economy and our way of life. We've become very accustomed to what might be called "the …
Continue reading The most important chart in economic history
This assumes you've been paying into the Social Security system for a while and will have a minimum of 40 credits in your name. Without 40 credits, you won't get any monthly retirement income. One credit per calendar quarter; 40 credits equals 10 years. If you're still reading this, and will have a minimum of …
Continue reading Deciding When to Claim Monthly Social Security Retirement Benefits
There's long been controversy about these two terms and how they should be applied. For millions of us already retired and for those of us with an expectation of eventual retirement, a basic understanding of their relationship might mean the difference between financial success and failure as the years pass. My objective with this post …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 