Bloggers
Affording Our Lifestyle
It’s no secret that we have been living on around $30,000 per year. Now into our 31st year of financial independence we see no need to lower our spending. In fact, we are trying to increase it. Some people do not believe we can have such a fulfilling lifestyle on this small annual amount, so in this article, we thought to explain how we do it. Let ...Read More
Breaking Down 5 Common Retirement Myths
When planning for retirement, it’s important to have the right information. And it’s important to be able to discern fact from myth. Here are five common myths dispelled: Myth #1: I don’t need to revisit my withdrawal rate Planning a retirement income stream to last several decades can be challenging. Historically, a rule of thumb has been that a p...Read More
US Living at One-Third of the Cost
Mexico, that constantly media-bashed country to the south of the US, might be your better option for retirement. One million Americans already call Mexico their home and its amazingly easy to obtain your residency visa for full-time living, most receiving theirs in a matter of days. Snowbirds could easily add another million visitors to this number...Read More
Social Security: 6 Commonly Asked Questions
Social Security income is an important discussion to have with your financial advisor before you stop working. Below are commonly asked questions and answers to help you prepare for the conversation. 1. When should I collect Social Security benefits? The answer is different for every individual, as it depends on several personal factors. Her...Read More
8 Risk Factors for Bone Fracture
Fact: More than half of all bone fractures are in people with osteopenia rather than osteoporosis. Right now may be the perfect time to bone up on your potential fracture risk. If you haven’t heard of FRAX, it stands for Fracture Risk Assessment Tool. It was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to estimate a person’s risk of bone fractu...Read More
Are You Sure?
“This is the best cheesecake ever,” you say. “Without doubt.” Your friends watch as you take a bite and then you wince. “It’s not as good as usual,” you growl. “I’ll have to try it on another day.” Certainty. It’s the unshakable belief that something is true and irrefutable. David Rock in Psychology Today writes that “your brain craves certainty an...Read More
Are You Woke? Taking Baby Steps into the “New Normal”
You have arrived! You took your Covid shot and waited the required weeks for full immunity. Now it’s time to step out into the New Normal and take a look around. But . . . Some experts call it pandemic trauma. Joel Achenbuck in the Washington Post refers to “increased risk, residual risk, potential risk, higher risk . . .” Coming out of your Covid ...Read More
Are You Woke? Embracing the New Normal!
Are you woke? Have you been zoom bombed? Who is canceling culture and body shaming? Welcome to the newspeak of the New Normal. It’s not easy to define (and embrace) the New Normal. The only thing we know is that life has changed in so many ways that it’s hard to decide what to do next. “People have difficulty with change,” says New York Psychologis...Read More
Amazon is Forever!
1994 was a hallmark year. Stephen Spielberg won his first directing Oscar for Schindler’s List. Friends aired for the first of ten seasons. Baseball went on strike. Nothing compared to the bald computer guy from Wall Street who quit his job and launched Amazon from his garage. The world would never be the same. “Help,” Fern called me from Californi...Read More
Letting Go Can Lead Us to Genius
Often, we have the idea that letting go means the loss of something valued. This implies that there might be grief and pain involved. Out of fear we envision ourselves in some barren emotional wilderness, with nothing around that is familiar so there has to be that dreaded chaos, right? And who wants that? But what if letting go lead us to brillia...Read More
The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow….
It feels like a time warp. The days are short and the nights are long. You can’t find anything interesting on Netflix. It takes hours to walk to the kitchen and by the time you get there the best cookies are gone. Even Stephen Colbert isn’t funny anymore. There’s an unescapable diagnosis out there – Covid Fatigue. And we all have it. Take a deep br...Read More
Your Retirement Income – 5 Factors To Know
Financial decisions may impact your income and taxes at certain retirement milestones. A key milestone is the window between your retirement date and the year you begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs). Strategic planning for this window may extend your retirement dollars, so continued support from your financial advisor is essen...Read More