My Comments: As you approach phase two of your adult life, please understand that the economic and financial dynamics can change dramatically. Retirement is when you have effectively turned off the ‘work for money’ switch and have turned on the ‘money works for you’ switch. That implies you have money and credits in place to …
Category: Retirement Planning
Ideas to help preserve and grow your money
The Stark Reality of Social Security: Someone Has to Take a Pay Cut
My Comments: As a financial planner focused on retirement, I counsel people about where the money is going to come from when they’re 85 and still have bills to pay. And 85 is simply a symbolic number. A critical source for most of us is Social Security. And it’s under attack by those we’ve elected …
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7 Myths About Variable Annuities: Exposing Their Dark Side
My Comments: Anyone now retired or thinking about retirement spends time and energy coming to terms with how to manage their money. Increasingly, fees charged by advisors and/or their companies are perceived as a threat somewhere along the way. However, unless you have the skills to do it all yourself, you are necessarily going to …
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3 Myths About Your Social Security Filing Age
My Comments: Social Security benefit payments are critical for millions of Americans. When you apply and the amount of money you are entitled to is a decision fraught with uncertainty. Since none of know how our life is going to play out, all we can do is develop an understanding of our choices so that …
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Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally
My Comments: Little is said these days about those who are investing for the future and are still working vs those investing for the future who are no longer working. Think of it as being defined as the accumulation phase of your life vs the distribution phase of your life. Different rules apply. Vanguard Funds …
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The market will crash this year — and there’s a good reason why
My Comments: Frankly, I have no idea if it will or not, but I tend to pay attention when people smarter than I start talking about stuff that is clearly an existential threat to my financial well being and that of my clients, family and friends. If the money you have saved is critical in …
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The 1 Retirement Expense We’re Still Not Preparing For
My Comments: Those of us who live long enough to enter the final stages of our lives get to confront something that rarely happens to those not retired. I often refer to this as ‘becoming goofy’, though it’s not always a mental affliction. (My mother had Alzheimer's and needed constant attention for over nine years.) …
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7 Social Security “did you know” moments to consider
My Comments: For millions of us, Social Security is a critical component and source of income as we attempt to flourish and enjoy our retirement. For those of you who decry the idea of ‘socialism’, I encourage you to attempt to finish your life without every cashing one of your monthly checks. Yes, you might …
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12 Retirement Investment Factors That Are Frequently Overlooked
My Comments: They say money is the root of all evil. While that may be a fundamental truth, it’s also true that in our 21st Century society, having more money is better than having less money. As I develop my online course focused on helping people achieve a successful retirement, the idea behind having more …
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Filing for Social Security Benefits
My Comments: For millions of us, a predictable monthly income from Social Security has become critical for sustaining our standard of living. For many reasons, we should be increasingly worried about it. But that story is for another day. Right now, I’m sharing with you what I hope is a simple overview if you have …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 