Americans in their late fifties and early sixties often ask whether Canada works financially for retirement. The answer can be yes, but only if the legal residency question is solved first. Canada does not…
On the Retire SMART Podcast episode “Year-Round Tax Planning,” the guest drew a line most business owners never think about: “owning your own home is not necessarily a tax strategy. A tax strategy is…
On a recent episode of the Talking Real Money podcast titled “You’re Right, Of Course.”, co-host Don McDonald addressed a listener correction about SECURE 2.0. James from Fort Lauderdale had pointed out that since…
A California couple in their late 50s with $4 million in retirement accounts and a closely held LLC interest worth $1.8 million faced a decision that would shape their financial lives. A buyer offered…
Retirees can choose from a number of different Social Security filing ages. Age 62 is the earliest age to file for Social Security. Age 67 is full retirement age (FRA) for retirees born in…
A $720,000 annual income is the kind of figure most people associate with a senior consultant’s billing target rather than a passive portfolio output. Yet for a 62-year-old weighing part-time work against living off…
A 65-year-old retiree with $400,000 in a rollover IRA and no pension faces a pitch. Hand over the money today and receive $2,500 monthly for life, guaranteed. This is the single-premium immediate annuity, or SPIA,…
Congratulations! You retired last month at age 65 with a paid-off house and a steady $12,000 a month coming in. On paper that is $144,000 a year, which sits at roughly 2.1 times the…
On a recent highlights replay of Ask KT & Suze Anything, Suze Orman pulled Pat’s question back into the spotlight for anyone with a big real estate sale on the horizon. Pat and her…
A woman turns 64, starts mapping out when to claim Social Security, and discovers a rule she had never heard of. Her marriage ended in 1998 after 14 years. She never remarried. Her own…
A 64-year-old widow with $2.4 million in assets has a 35-year-old son with a developmental disability who depends on SSI and Medicaid. Like many parents in her position, she assumes her estate plan will…
A $66,000 annual income is roughly in line with the median U.S. household income and represents a common retirement target for investors who want meaningful cash flow from their portfolio. The challenge is determining…
You’re 61 with a portfolio in the low seven figures, eyeing retirement in a small Western town with a good fishing river. Livingston, Montana sits at the top of that list. The Yellowstone River…
A 68-year-old couple with $2.5 million in savings and a monthly spending goal of $14,500 faces a straightforward income challenge. To support that lifestyle entirely from their portfolio, they would need approximately $174,000 per…
A surprising number of Americans reach retirement with a simple question: can Social Security alone support a comfortable life overseas? The Dominican Republic often lands near the top of the list because it combines…
