Retirement Mailbag – Living on a Budget, Company Stock, and Spending in Retirement
The topics we’ll cover are anxiety about living on a fixed income, investing in company stock, and shifting your mindset to spending in retirement. These
The topics we’ll cover are anxiety about living on a fixed income, investing in company stock, and shifting your mindset to spending in retirement. These
On this episode, we’ll try to separate sensationalism from reality by covering the top financial concerns that people have. Should you worry that these apocalyptic predictions will eventually come true? Let’s talk about why or why not these fears are warranted
Navigating the world of long-term care insurance can be daunting, especially if you're single and without children. In today’s video, we’ll explore why long-term care insurance might be a crucial part of your retirement planning.
When the Studebaker car company ceased production in 1966, it wasn't just their business that failed. Auditors found that the company's pension fund also had serious problems, leaving thousands of workers with reduced benefits or none at all. The Studebaker employees' retirement was completely reliant on the success of a single company. Sadly, all their eggs were in the wrong basket. In response to this and other pension disasters, congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). One of its key components was the individual [...]
Recently, a number of folks have asked me: So… we know you’re a pretty optimistic person. But what’s the most bearish or worst-case scenario for the stock market right now? There is a lot of bad news despite the media attempting to paint things in a good light. In truth, you have to balance being optimistic with being realistic. I’m a long-term optimist with an understanding that things can and will get really bad on occasion. See history. It’s just how things work when humans [...]
Do You Know How Your TSP Dollars Are Being Invested? What is Blackrock you ask? In January 2022, West Virginia Republican State Treasurer Riley Moore announced that the state would no longer be using BlackRock Inc. for banking transactions due to the company’s involvement in China and its policies related to coal and natural gas. Well, in June 2021, Tucker Carlson exposed how BlackRock and other investment firms like it, are "killing the dream of home ownership." Journalist Pedro Gonzalez reiterated [...]
You’ve probably heard a number of good reasons to continue working longer than you may have to. The most prominent are financial. For example, qualifying for higher Social Security benefits. Every year you delay claiming your benefits from age 62 to 70, your monthly check can increase by about 8%. By continuing to work past what’s commonly regarded as retirement age, you can also maintain the continuity of your peak earning years’ income. And of course, by delaying retirement you delay withdrawing from your retirement savings, [...]
If you don't keep up with financial news, you may have missed this story about a new bill The House has recently passed. It's called Secure 2.0, and, as the name implies, the goal is to help secure a better retirement for US citizens. As luck would have it, the Senate is also on the case and has its version of the bill in the works (Retirement Security and Savings Act). There's a similar end game, with some differences. For example, both plans: Allow some part-time [...]
No, we’re not counting sheep or bottles of beer on the wall today. We’re talking about retirement age! Most Americans, according to CNBC, are hoping to retire by the age of 62. Wishful thinking? Maybe. 62 is also the age at which people can first claim Social Security retirement benefits, so long as they are eligible based on their work records. However, you should know that the age you start claiming benefits can affect how much you get! If you wait until full retirement age [...]
We’re used to assessing our wellbeing through metrics. Newborns are immediately given a numbered assessment for things like skin tone, breathing, and reflexes. School children regularly take standardized tests to determine their grade level in reading and math. High schoolers focus on their GPA and SAT scores. And as adults our routine check-ups involve tests with dozens of data points—our health by the numbers. In each case the metric comes with the question: How does this compare with others? We want to know that our kids [...]