Numerous articles make the case that the average American is not saving enough for retirement and may be underestimating their future retirement spending. Wouldn’t it be great to find that the opposite was true? Don’t get me wrong. The more you save, the better. A big nest egg is likely to make you feel happy …View Article
Category: Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
Planned vs. Actual Retirement Age
One of the questions on every pre-retiree’s mind is: “When should I (or can I) retire?” The average reported retirement age for Americans who are already retired is 61. This is lower than the age at which people are retiring today. A recent poll from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the average age of …View Article
Relocating in Retirement: What to consider?
Many people consider relocating in retirement. Deciding where you want to live can be one of the toughest decisions of your adult life. Many people save for retirement their entire career, but they never really stop to consider the lifestyle they want once they no longer need to work for a living. Everyone wants to …View Article
Retirement Happiness: Is Achievement the Missing Ingredient?
You certainly see recurring themes when you read articles about “how to have a happy retirement.” The most important factors are generally accepted to be health and relationships. Other important items on the list include exercise, hobbies, and financial security. However, one of the most overlooked determinants of happiness is achievement. Retirees no longer have …View Article
Decisions That Minimize Regret
Have you asked yourself what you would regret (not having done) if you were to get hit by a bus tomorrow? Each of us may end up rich or poor, single or married, relatively young or well past the average life expectancy at the time of our death. However, I recently read an article written …View Article
Managing Stress in Retirement
I have been reading a lot over the past year about the leading causes of stress in retirement and how stress directly affects your health. One thing that has become clear is that stress is not just a young person’s problem. Although financial stress peaks for most people in their 40s, other types of stress …View Article
Life Planning: The Key to Great Financial Planning?
Life planning should be the cornerstone of any financial planning engagement. I believe that, which is why I have been receiving world-class training to become a Registered Life Planner®, and reinventing how we deliver financial planning services. Here’s why…if you asked me what I want for my clients, I would tell you that I genuinely …View Article
Depression: How Retirement Increases the Likelihood
We all look forward to being “free” in retirement. Free to pursue our hobbies, interests, and relationships on our own schedule. Many people have a vision of retirement shaped by the pictures they see in magazines of happy couples walking on the beach or laughing with friends at a backyard BBQ. This is the type …View Article
Early Retirement – Is It Possible For You?
Some people never want to retire. In fact, some research shows that the happiest seniors are those who continue to work, at least part-time, as long as they can. Nevertheless, others cannot wait to retire and are focused on achieving financial independence as soon as possible. Few things give you a greater sense of freedom …View Article
Safe Withdrawal Rate in Retirement
Occasionally, I teach a retirement planning course at local community colleges, in which the question of a safe withdrawal rate in retirement always comes up. I pose this scenario to the attendees: Consider an investor with two accounts that each average an 8% rate of return over a 25-year period: Account (A) had good years …View Article