The amount of money you need to retire depends on a number of factors, including your desired standard of living in retirement, your projected retirement expenses, and the length of your retirement.
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Jeremy Keil walks through three critical questions future retirees can answer before their paycheck stops Most people spend decades preparing for retirement by focusing on one number: How much have I ...
June in Washington State is 62 with $2.5 million saved and a $350,000 pension on the table. Should she take the lump sum or the monthly check for life? Spoiler alert: there's a 3-to-1 vote in the stud...
Hi, all. Planning for retirement next year. Looks like my social security and pension (both inflation-adjusted, a bit less for the pension) will cover my basic budget without the need to tap the 401k,...
My IRA balance is constantly variable. It’s not the same today as it was last week, last month, last year. I see rules like the 4% rule and other calculations based on account balance used as a guide ...
A big single-stock win can feel like freedom one day and a tightrope the next. This plan walks through how a family holding ~$15M in NVIDIA shares can turn concentrated success into stable, low-stress...
Are you taking needless risks? It might be time for a financial check-in to see how much you really need to invest in the markets.
In this post, we discuss how you can use the Actuarial Approach and its funded status metric to help you feel more confident about your spending plan in retirement. It is a follow-up to our post of Ja...
Here's everything you need to know about pet insurance, how much it costs, and whether it's ultimately worth it for you to purchase. The post Pet Insurance: Worth It or Just Hype? A Practical Look for...
This is going to be a bit long. We are planning on getting LTC insurance, my wifes dad used his benefit and we have no kids. I am just not sure how to think about it. I conceptualize 3 different reaso...
I was a very active person and frequent hiker / backpacker. Then I was treated for cancer, and now I have lingering hip pain after relatively easy walks. I recently bought myself a lightweight electri...
Many plans focus on how much has been saved, but it's how much you spend that ultimately determines whether your plan works.
Roger Whitney explores one of the most overlooked variables in retirement planning: longevity, and how assuming you’ll live too long can quietly force you to save more, spend less, and potentially mis...
Jeremy Keil explains how 5 smart moves could impact your ability to claim $180,000 or more as a couple in Social Security. If you’re about to file for Social Security, there’s a real possibility you c...
Dr. Wade Pfau explains four ways to beat sequence of return risk and turn your retirement savings into retirement income. For most of your working life, retirement planning feels relatively straightfo...
Chris Orestis, founder & president of Retirement Genius, explains how to make more informed Social Security decisions. Social Security is one of the most important decisions in retirement. And yet, ma...
You can do everything right and still feel stuck. Save aggressively. Max out your 401k. Build a large portfolio. And then one day realize you can’t actually use it when you want to. In this episode, J...
As you get close to retirement, something unexpected starts to happen. The math looks good. The plan works. And yet, you hesitate. In this episode, James Conole explores the quiet mental traps that sh...
So many Americans are now responsible for not only building their retirement savings but also deciding how much they should ... Read more
I always put the maximum amount allowed into my 401K. Now I realize that I will be paying high taxes when I need to take RMDs. Now I realize how much lower my taxes would be if I only lived off of qua...
IDK how much I can share here. You never know if someone you know is also here. After 28 years, I'm done. If the work were not so horrible, and the company so greedy, I'd probably stay and make it a f...
A $0 state income tax bill doesn’t always mean a cheaper retirement. See which states stretch your dollar further.
"Chase and Ryder" are 56 and 55 with $5 million saved and huge pensions the day they retire. So why are they so nervous about pulling the trigger? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast numb...
Tuesday, April 07 - Monday, April 13, 2026 Most Commented score comments title & link 19 25 comments Retired folks: Best time of year to save money on home improvement projects? Top Comments score com...
We’ve all read the research about the “Go-go, slow-go and no-go” periods of retirement and decreased real-dollar spending as we age, but contrary to observed research, most decumulation strategies tod...
This post is a follow-up to our post of July 2, 2025. In that post, we talked about the possibility of future Social Security benefit cuts and how you can use the Actuarial Financial Planner to estima...
Are Roth conversions worth it? We'll find out, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 576. TJ in PA is gonna have huge capital gains. Joe and Big Al spitball on whether it's worth it for him...
The contribution order for retirement accounts can affect how much your money compounds tax-free. Here’s how to prioritize for tax efficiency. The post The Retirement Account Contribution Order: Get M...
Advances in predictive medicine are starting to raise a fascinating question: what if we could estimate our longevity with much greater accuracy? New blood tests and biomarkers are being developed tha...
“Only live off the dividends. Never touch the principal.” It sounds responsible. It feels safe. It may be one of the riskiest retirement strategies out there. In this episode, James breaks down why bu...
Once you pay all your monthly bills, how much money do you need, to be comfortable till the end of the month. This doesn't include cost of a vacation or special occasion. And what has been your bigges...
James Choi’s investing model suggests your stock allocation should depend on income, savings, and future earnings, not just age. The post How Much in Stocks? A Yale Formula Rethinks Allocation Rules a...
Jeremy Keil explains how putting your cash in the wrong spot could prevent you from earning thousands in interest during your retirement. Many retirees spend a lot of time thinking about how to get be...
Are you aware of just how much investing is costing you? Explore all the fees associated with your mutual funds and ETFs. The post Fees and Expenses on Mutual Funds and ETFs: A Complete Guide to the O...
Dr. Jim Dahle and Dr. Tyler Scott answer listener questions about 529 plans and Trump Accounts and how and if you should use them for your child's education. The post 529 Plans: How Much to Save and W...
Juan and Mary in Brooklyn are 49 and 48 with $2.2 million saved. Can Juan afford to retire early, or just walk away if he gets fired? And if they get divorced, yikes - but does the math still work? Th...
The Actuarial Approach: Employs an easy-to-understand and robust financial metric (Household Funded Status) Permits adoption of easy-to-implement guardrails that suggest future spending changes Uses b...
Jeremy Keil explains 3 smart ways to help your kids with money while avoiding IRS paperwork Early in the year, I received an email from a couple asking a question I hear all the time: “What’s the maxi...
See how your retirement savings stack up compared with this Wall Street guide, ranked by age and income.
In this episode, James walks through four of the most common income strategies retirees consider today and why many people are still using outdated math for a 2026 retirement. The question is not just...
So, hear me out. My husband and I could have retired sooner, but we were having a difficult time trusting that we were ready. We had a pretty good portfolio of investments and savings, but was it enou...
Thanks to the family maximum benefit, when a retiree starts collecting Social Security, certain family members may also receive support. Here's a complete guide.
The consulting firm Milliman recently published its 2025 Long-Term Care Index, calculating that – on average – 65-year-olds should set aside $135,000 for their future high-intensity long-term care nee...
My wife and I met with our CPA today to sign our 2025 tax forms. During our conversation, I asked him how much we could convert from my traditional IRA to my Roth IRA, without bumping us into a higher...
The retirement mindset mentor George Jerjian explains how a second chance at life inspires him to help coach people into retirement. When George Jerjian was 52 years old, he was diagnosed with a bone ...
Publishing a book is no joke, but publishing a book while trying to raise a kid is the next level of crazy. Before having kids, we had no idea how much sacrifice, time, and effort goes into parenting....
Your spouse wants to remodel your kitchen and several bathrooms in your house. You’ve received a quote for the work for about $100,000. Using a strategic withdrawal approach and a Monte Carlo modeling...
Jeremy Keil explains the 5 RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) mistakes in Retirement and how to avoid them. A retiree recently called for help. It was their first year taking Required Minimum Distrib...
Hana's mom is 92. Mom's husband is 74, and after years of trying to help a family member, nearly a million dollars is gone. How do they stop the bleeding before it's too late, and how much can they sp...
When planning for retirement a major question is how much money will you need per year to live on. For all you who have been through that and are retired, are you finding that you are spending more in...
Jeremy Keil explains the 5 steps you can take if you are planning to retire in 2026 or 2027. If you’ve been planning to retire in 2026 or 2027, it might feel like you still have plenty of time. But in...