Retirement

There is a ton of information online about when to take social security. While many conclude that it makes better fiscal sense to wait until full-retirement-age (67 for me) or 70, when we can get the largest benefit payment, I decided to take it as soon as possible. ssa.gov The Social Security Administration has lots […]

I seem to read a bit lately about angry old men (hey wait, that’s me) ranting about social security. “I’ve paid into social security my whole working life. That’s my money and you can’t take it away.” As a retiree, more sympathetic I could not be (het wait, that rhymes). ssa.gov If you haven’t already

If you are the average American, the answer is simple. Not enough. Why is this? Well, with many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it’s hard to put money away. This is a common answer, but it’s not the whole story. Many wealthy families are also significantly behind in their retirement saving. So what gives? Are

Most of my buddies are in retirement, or are getting close. We spend a lot of time chatting about how to enjoy our retirement, and how we might have planned differently. I thought it would be worthwhile to gather some of that info here. Read on to learn about preparing for retirement. What Do I

Two of my lunch buddies have recently gone through the harrowing experience of signing up for Medicare. Medicare is a nice benefit, but there are some important things to know before signing up. We’ll go through some key terms and decision points. Health Insurance Annual health insurance enrollment has always been a stressful time for

OK. that’s a horrible title, but I felt horrible after reading this article today on CNBC. Here’s a snippet: Just 4% of today’s retirees said they are “living the dream,” according to a new survey from asset management company Schroders. And just as many — 4% — said they are “living the nightmare.” Most of the respondents

Earlier this week, I posted some info on social security planning. This is a follow-up to answer a reader’s question about the impacts of delaying social security benefits until 67, and drawing down his 401k instead to cover living expenses. See original post with comments here. An Important Note About Projections The projections here are

For all my friends who are either close to, or in retirement, this is a common topic of discussion. While social security alone will not likely be enough to fund our retirement, the monthly check from the government may be an important piece of our retirement strategy. What is Social Security? The US government instituted