Yes, I sometimes sound like a broken record, but… I’m doing all I can to persuade a younger generation that thinking about a future retirement is important. And then actually do something to make success more likely. In terms of reform, I see an initial effort by Congress to move the goal posts. This is …
Continue reading Lawmakers Are Talking About Comprehensive Retirement Reform
My Comments: I’ve lived my entire adult life in the State of Florida, far from the Keys, which is where this article by Rawaha Haile is focused. My part of Florida is very different. For one thing my house is 75 feet above sea level, it’s surrounded by large oak trees, there’s a cow pasture …
Continue reading How a Shifting Climate Is Transforming Florida
My Comments: I’ve lived on this planet long enough to know that when pundits declare “It’s different this time!”, they are wrong. The timing is always different, but the outcome is never in doubt. I will admit to being wrong about when the next market crash will happen. I’ve been expecting one for a few …
Continue reading A Recession Is Coming, And Maybe a Bear Market, Too
My Comments: There’s a reason the term ‘mid-life crisis’ is in common use among everyday people. Many of us have had one. And then there is the ‘end-of-mid-life crisis’ that is yet to rear it’s ugly head. It happens when someone is about to retire and discover to their horror they are completely unprepared. For …
Continue reading Why This Popular Retirement Advice Actually Makes It Harder to Save
My Comments: My professional focus these days is helping people retire with more money. Headlines like these don’t help much. If your focus is just growing a larger pile of money so when you do retire, your pile is large enough to finance what could be a 30 year time span, an existential threat to …
Continue reading Lower Your Expectations for Returns Over the Next Decade
Just 10? Nah, there’s lots more but let's start with these. If you’ve been paying FICA taxes ( see #3 below ), and have done so for at least 40 quarters, then you can expect to qualify for retirement benefits at some point. None of these 10 tell you when to claim benefits, or what …
Continue reading Confused? 10 Social Security Terms You Need to Understand
If you, or your spouse, are employed by a public school district, or a charity, or a foundation, or a church based enterprise, you need to read this. First, a 403(b) plan is a defined contribution retirement plan established and maintained for employees of certain governmental employers (hospitals, public schools, etc.), churches, and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt …
Continue reading 403(b) Retirement Plans and Fiduciary Standards
My Comments: Chances are you’ve heard of ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund). They are not to be confused with EFTs (Electronic Fund Transfers). Though I suppose it’s possible to have both involved in a given transaction. Given that most of us now realize that fees imposed by Wall Street firms, and non-Wall Street Firms, can be, …
Continue reading What are ETFs? Are They Different Than Mutual Funds?
The risk of non-performance, ie running out of money, has been shifted from the employer to the employee. (That's YOU...) My Comments: There are two basic types of pension income: Defined Benefit (DB) and Defined Contribution (DC). For most of the 20th Century, the DB option was most common across the United States in the …
Continue reading There’s An Estimated $210 TRILLION Shortfall Waiting For You
My Comments: How much money do you need for a successful retirement? It depends… Unless you already KNOW how your life is going to play out, you can only play the odds. And the odds say that if you are now 65, there’s a 70% chance, based on current statistics, that you’ll need some kind …
Continue reading Health costs in retirement: 5 things you should know and plan for
Helping Define Your Financial Future 