Curated articles and podcasts from trusted financial experts and real retirees.
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Are you winging your retirement spending? Financial expert Jean Chatzky explains why a lack of a concrete plan is preventing retirees from living their best lives.
Today's retirement planning has a fundamental flaw: It focuses on how much money you need while ignoring the more important question — what you'll do with it.
Contemplating a gray divorce? Before calling in the lawyers, take time to understand your financial situation and the impact of dividing assets later in life.
If you hold money in a non-qualified annuity, the IRS will eventually come calling for its share of any gains. It pays to explore tax efficiency ahead of time.
After working for 27 years for the same organization, I found out in late April that my job was being eliminated as of July 1st (a story for another post) I am 64, divorced with two grown children. My...
My last day was Friday, and this is the first weekend in which I don’t have to cram every chore and errand into these two days. I’m also ignoring the Sunday scaries, because Mondays no longer exist. T...
I am getting closer to retirement, (61 yo M)thinking of things to try out as I am happiest when active. So I was wondering what would be some activities you recently retired folks have taken up that t...
In anticipation of investing in some YC Demo Day startups, I transferred $50,000 from my Fidelity brokerage account to my Citibank checking account. This was right after I'd already wired $56,100 to m...
Six Essential Tips for Any IRS Letter Before diving into the specifics of the five most common letters, we share six universal tips to ground your response: Don't Panic – IRS notices are routine, and ...
Let's consider a case study of somebody who barely has enough and how they deploy those assets to ensure a comfortable retirement. The post Deploying Your Assets in Retirement appeared first on The Wh...
You'd assume retiring with $10 million is a hundred times better than retiring with $100,000. It isn't. And the reason is stranger than you'd think. Because the size of your portfolio barely tells you...
"I'm a wealthy saver, he's a lavish spender with a mortgage. Am I crazy to consider marriage?" Kiplinger's Wealth Wise team answers a reader's financial dilemma.
To ensure a fulfilling retirement, view longevity as an opportunity and maintain a balanced portfolio that accepts some risk while planning for substantial costs.
The 60/40 split could leave substantial portfolios exposed if stocks and bonds decline simultaneously. Accredited investors must take a new approach.
A few surveys have shown that physician burnout is beginning to decline. Is this the start of a hopeful new trend for doctors? The post Is Physician Burnout Declining (and Other Random Thoughts)? appe...
Stop pricing trusts like products—estate planning is a strategic design process where goals, complexity, and protection drive value far more than upfront cost.
Did you know that Medicare Premiums are income based? The more you make the more you pay. How to avoid IRMAA jacking up your Medicare premiums in retirement.
How does your Thrift Savings Plan compare? Discover the average TSP balance by age in 2026, explore new contribution limits, and see if you are on track.
Hi all. I'm retiring in Feb 2027 and thinking about the how big the change from decades of everyday professional work life to the forever weekend. There's quite a few hobbies, physical activities and ...
Heard of the hedonic treadmill? It's the reason why feelings of happiness can be short-lived. How you manage it can be the key to a successful retirement.
Retirees worry about outliving their money, burdening their children, or making the wrong market move. But the right kind of fear can lead to better planning — and more peace of mind.
If nothing is done, Social Security benefits will need to be cut by 22% in 2033.
Rather than fixating on a savings goal, pre-retirees should focus on building an income strategy that accounts for actual expenses and can adapt to changes.
I recently met with a 71-year-old retiree who relies on Social Security for a sizable share of her retirement spending. She’s concerned about recent news that the Social Security retirement trust fund...
Here's what you need to know about how to withdraw your RMDs from Vanguard. It's not as difficult as you might think. The post How to Take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) at Vanguard appeared fi...
Could AI be the force preventing a recession, and are today's biggest AI winners only the beginning of a much larger economic transformation? As part of our "By the Numbers" series, topics covered in ...
An updated model pushes the projected fund depletion back by a few months, but financial experts warn that core concerns remain unchanged.
Don't raid your nest egg for unexpected bills. From brokerage accounts to underutilized lifestyle vehicles, here is how to unlock cash without jeopardizing your future.
Multi-year guarantee annuities can outperform bonds and bank CDs — but before you buy, here's how they work.
I just read on another subreddit where someone was asking for advice about their father's estate. It seems they were appointed executor and the will leaves nothing to the father's long term (17 years)...
As I (71m) age, my routines get more eccentric. “It’s to be comfortable,” I tell myself, but really?” At 5:30 a.m. I kiss my sleeping wife and get out of bed without wretching my back. I think, “I am ...
We have an annual spend of about $70k, but that includes some travel, a fair amount of entertainment, and not really managing things too closely. We know we could also get by in reasonable comfort on ...
Qualified charitable distributions are the best way for those 70 1/2 and older to donate. But people often do not maximize the benefits or fall into some traps.
This past Father's Day, June 21, 2026, I had a choice to make. I could play pickleball from 9am to 12noon at an indoor club called Flyte, a 30-minute drive north. Or I could take my kids 30 minutes so...
We have recently received inquiries as to how to use Copilot to implement the Actuarial Approach. Copilot can use different data sources to provide reasonable results, but we recommend that you provid...
If you don't pay enough in quarterly estimated taxes, the IRS could penalize you. Here are some ways to reduce those penalty payments. The post Estimated Tax Penalties Aren’t Always Final — Here’s How...
Amazon Prime Day is back, and this year it showed up early. Instead of the usual July slot, Prime Day ... Read more
I am currently navigating the transition into a new chapter of life, and I have been processing these shifts through my art. I recently completed this acrylic on canvas board piece, which I’ve titled ...
2 months ago, I didn't think this day would ever come. but I only have a week to go! I'm so excited and so anxious at the same time...lol! it's a big transition after 55+ years of working, but until I...
There is a difference between aging and sage-ing. Between getting older and becoming an elder. Learn practices to shift your mindset and extend your life.
Episode 524 00:00 Introduction 00:21 Market two steps forward one step back 01:33 Google glass half empty or half full 06:16 IPO pullbacks 07:25 Google In DOW Verizon Out 09:07 Honeywell Future 12:05 ...
Many older savers are breaking the "golden rule" of retirement investing. Is your 401(k) taking on too much risk?
Kiplinger readers selected UBS Wealth Management as their top wealth management firm in 2026.
Estate plans don't need to be complicated, but trusts can help when your family needs protection and your will and beneficiary designations aren't quite enough.
It seems like retiring enables people to finally live the way we want without forces pushing us to center. For example, we have all day to decide our own activities instead of being corraled in by wor...
I’m 70 years old and I retired 3 years ago after working since I was 11. I have had some truly hard,sweaty and dangerous jobs. I was also lucky to spend my last 25 years sitting at a desk. I never min...
Here's a dispatch from the USA Today personal finance beat: Do you need to amass a specific sum of savings to retire comfortably? Northwestern Mutual now puts the retirement "magic number" at $1.46 mi...
See what Vanguard's data says the median 401(k) balance is at every age — and why the average number may not represent most savers. The post Average 401(k) Balance by Age in 2026: How Do You Compare? ...
The middle class spans roughly $55,000 to $167,000 nationally. It varies by area, and says less about financial security than most expect. The post What Is Middle Class in America? Beyond the Income R...
Your kids are already inheriting your financial habits, whether you know it or not. Here's why, and how you can be more intentional about it. The post If Your Kids Inherited Only Your Financial Habits...