Retirement planning usually starts with fear: housing, healthcare, and outliving the portfolio. Yet many of the moments people remember most have little to do with those necessities. Anniversary dinners. Birthday gifts for children and…
She is 75, retired, and looking at a brokerage statement she would rather not open. The market sold off hard this spring, with the VIX, also known as the stock market’s “fear index,” soaring…
Florida’s Gulf Coast remains one of America’s most popular retirement destinations. Warm winters, no state income tax, and communities such as Sarasota, Venice, and Punta Gorda continue to attract retirees from across the country.…
A 73-year-old logs into the 401(k) on a quiet Tuesday and sees the balance still north of $1.6 million after a steady market year. They retired at 67, kept withdrawals modest, and the account…
On ChooseFI episode 605, “Retire in Less Than 10 Years,” Cody Berman described what he called “a financial freedom sprint from 22 to 25.” He scaled his entrepreneurial income from $96,000 in year one…
A savings account with a sign-up bonus pays a one-time cash reward for opening the account and meeting specific conditions. These usually include a minimum deposit that has to remain in the account for…
A 67-year-old software engineer plans to work until 70. Her employer’s high-deductible health plan remains the cheapest coverage she has found, so she maxes her Health Savings Account every January. In May, she files…
She is 64, divorced after a marriage that lasted well over a decade, and never remarried. For years she had been doing the mental math on retirement the same way: her own Social Security…
At 67, an American reaches full retirement age for Social Security. The check is available, indexed for inflation, and guaranteed for life. Yet a growing number of financial planners argue that the smartest move…
Portugal’s Algarve region appears on almost every list of affordable European retirement destinations. The combination of mild winters, Atlantic beaches, walkable towns, and comparatively low living costs has attracted retirees from across Europe and…
Real estate investor Pace Morby recently sat down with the hosts of The Iced Coffee Hour and dropped a line that cuts to the core of the argument for whether it’s best to buy…
A 52-year-old engineering director earning $250,000 with $900,000 in her 401(k) has maxed the elective deferral every year since her early 40s. She, like almost everyone at her income level, has skipped the after-tax…
Colorado Springs sits in a sweet spot that attracts many retirees. It offers mountain views, four distinct seasons, extensive trail systems, and a lower cost structure than Aspen, Boulder, or many Denver suburbs. The…
A 62-year-old with a traditional IRA has been reading the same warnings everyone else has: the RMD tax bomb is coming. Required withdrawals will push him into a higher bracket, make more of his…
A 72-year-old in Phoenix opens a letter from her Medicare Advantage insurer in July. Her cardiologist, the one she has seen for six years, is leaving the network on September 1. Open enrollment does…
