Let’s start off with a direct quote for how the October 2021 version of this blog started: “I guess it’s a good year in the stock market when the worst performing sectors (so far, as of writing this blog on September 13th) aren’t negative, just not up as high as the best performers. My sage…
Ugh, September is one of those months with FIVE Thursdays. That’s a lot of blogs to write so I’m taking a breather this week and re-running a Blog from July 2022 about risk tolerance and stock market drops. The financial services industry has for years been collectively handwringing about how to measure clients’ real…
You may have heard of Bill Bengen’s 4% rule for retirement withdrawal. Through back testing and calculating and thinking really hard, Mr. Bengen concluded that a retiree could start taking 4% out of investments and have his/her nest egg last through a 25-year retirement. This assumes the retiree will need to increase withdrawals over time…
Having just signed up for AARP (saved me $80 on a hotel reservation!), I got to wondering, what do other countries offer their seniors to make life healthier, happier, and more affordable? If you get a retirement visa in Panama, look forward to big discounts on entertainment, local transportation, airfare, power bills, medication, movie…
I bonds are getting a lot of interest because inflation is finally up. Over the past 10 years, the return has been around 2%-3% average over the long term. Consider these things about I Bonds: You can only put $10,000/year per Social Security number in them per year. You must hold them for 1…
Do you feel like the financial services industry is plotting to sell you yet a new way to invest your money? Do you wonder if investment companies are constantly looking for a way to make themselves seem smarter than you and justify charging you fees? You are right! Enter the idea of Direct Indexing. …
As financial advisors, we can be worried about offending our clients. We may not tell you the hard truths when you are dithering about your accounts going down. The tendency to handle clients with kid gloves could be harmful because we don’t just tell it like it is. I think you can handle it.…
Anxiety. We’ve all got it. Germs, jobs, raising kids, Russian invasions; the reasons for sleepless nights are endless. I can’t cure them all, but here are some ideas if your worry set is centered on being retired. Fear #1: Running out of money. Pretty much all other worries fall under this one. Solution: Meet…
What do different sized nest eggs mean your financial security? Having several hundred thousand dollars saved is a huge accomplishment, but do you know the sustainable annual income those savings will support? Let’s take Abimelech: He is aged 66 ish, eligible for his full Social Security benefit. The average Social Security payment in 2021…
In last week’s blog, I referenced a study that says more money = more retirement happiness up to $4,000,000. That seems like a huge goal, and truly, it’s not for everyone, but I thought I’d use that statistic to run some numbers. First, what does $4,000,000 mean in terms of retirement income? See the…
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