My Comments: social media is alive with people retiring early, whatever that actually means. Most of my generation considered age 65 as the logical time to retire, given that age 65 was written into the financial code in the 1930’s when Social Security was introduced and became the financial saving grace for millions of Americans. …
Category: Retirement Planning
Ideas to help preserve and grow your money
“I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?”
My Comments: Please note the author’s comments below are typical of someone well versed in the stock and bond markets, making a valiant effort to be relevant and helpful. However, as someone who has worked with soon-to-be-retired persons for decades, there are often more palatable solutions that cost less and offer more flexibility to the …
5 Commonly Held Beliefs About Retirement That Are Simply Wrong
My Comments: Where are you today in your life’s trajectory? If you’ve already reached 25 years, or can remember that far back, was there ever a thought in your brain the day might arrive when you celebrate your 65th birthday? Probably not. But millions of us do reach that milestone, and for better or worse, …
Continue reading 5 Commonly Held Beliefs About Retirement That Are Simply Wrong
The 4% Rule Might Not Work Says This Retirement Expert
My Comments: This 4% rule has seemed problematical for some time now. It surfaced years ago as a way to decide how much to withdraw every year from retirement assets to make sure you didn’t run out of money before you ran out of life. The idea here is in response to the observation that …
Continue reading The 4% Rule Might Not Work Says This Retirement Expert
“When I Turn 65, What’s the Best Insurance for My Family?”
My Comments: Turning 65 triggers an important event in the lives of millions of Americans. While it’s no longer the default age at which someone stops working for money and instead has money working for them, it’s the point in time when everyone becomes eligible to sign up for Medicare. Medicare is the fundamental source …
Continue reading “When I Turn 65, What’s the Best Insurance for My Family?”
Something Unusual to Help Pay for Retirement
My Comments: The inspiration for this post came from a recent email to me from Don Graves. He’s a published thought leader on the idea behind this post. What follows is essentially my efforts to paraphrase his comments and to present to you an idea that has significant merit. As a retirement planner for longer …
Continue reading Something Unusual to Help Pay for Retirement
Everyone Has Been Brainwashed Into Buying The Dip, Now The Pain Comes
My Comments: I’ve had roughly 75% of my investable money in cash for some months now. I have no idea if I’m right or wrong, just that it seems to make sense as I think there’s risk out there I don’t want to confront. These comments from a group I’ve known about for years tend …
Continue reading Everyone Has Been Brainwashed Into Buying The Dip, Now The Pain Comes
Planning for Health Care Costs in Retirement
My Comments: Chances are once you’re old enough to file for Social Security benefits, among the financial threats you face going forward is paying for the health care costs you’ll likely have to deal with for the rest of your life. The following points to consider come from a Vanguard Funds research report published in …
Continue reading Planning for Health Care Costs in Retirement
1-Minute Market Report – January 8, 2022
My Comments: Many of us are wondering about our short-term financial future these days. What follows is a relatively short and relatively clear outline from someone I follow. It helps me come to terms with what to do with my own money, mindful none of us can really see into the future. It’s well worth …
Housing Wealth and Long-Term Care
My Comments: 2022 is now here and among my resolutions is to talk about my latest “project”, becoming a licensed mortgage broker here in Florida. My "project" efforts will focus exclusively on reverse mortgages and how they can dramatically help your financial well-being in retirement. A prominent writer in this arena is Don Graves. Here …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 