There’s an old school of thought that says you should take social security as early as you can so that you can get the most out of it. But this is another one of those retirement rules gone awry that we enjoy picking apart on the podcast. Kevin will tell us why this retirement “rule” needs to be scraped and give us the proper lens through which to view the social security problem. Continue reading
Walter was being nosy recently and asking his mom about her retirement plans. When she told him she was planning on living off of 80% of her current income during her retirement years, it raised a red flag. How did she come to that figure? You guessed it, she didn’t really have an exact answer for why she picked that number. So Walter turns to Kevin on this week’s podcast to understand how that “80% Rule” worked its way into the retirement planning vernacular and why we’d all be wiser to ignore it. Continue reading
There is a lot of obsessing over creating a stress-free experience in retirement. But life doesn’t really work that way. We can still experience happiness and joy in retirement, even if there’s still a few stressful moments along the way. Don’t buy into another one of those retirement rules gone awry, that a truly stress-free retirement is attainable. Kevin will show us how to root your financial plan in realistic terms. Continue reading
Unfortunately, many financial advisors fall into one camp or another. They’re either a great relationship person or they’re extremely focused on planning details. Kevin will tell us about a couple who called him recently after experiencing one of those scenarios and how it cost them a lot of money. Listen to this episode of “Retire Smarter” to find out why you should work with an advisor who respects the unique details of your situation, while also developing a strong working relationship with you. Only having both will lead to clarity and confidence in your decision making about your financial future. Continue reading
We often have a lot of unrealistic expectations about retirement. And there’s nothing wrong with that if we reel ourselves back toward reality before making major decisions. Let’s talk about some of the ways our retirement expectations get out of whack and what more realistic scenarios should look like. Continue reading
