Will Your Social Security Benefits be Taxed (and if so, how much)?

This article is part of the Retirement Financial Life Equation (RFLE) series. It was initially published on November 3, 2021, and updated in April 2026. Most people don’t think too much about income taxes in retirement. They assume they’ll pay less since their income will likely be lower. For many, that’s a reasonable assumption (at … Read more

Do Advisor and Investment Fees Really Matter?

A Dave Ramsey (Ramsey Solutions) article on investment fees opens with this: Just like airline fees, investment fees are also a fact of life. The difference is, investment fees aren’t always as clear as an extra baggage fee. Many folks we talk to are confused or blindsided by them. And sometimes, that confusion keeps people from making … Read more

Giving by Leaving a Financial Legacy

In the previous article on giving in retirement, I touched on leaving a legacy as a form of giving. This article addresses the mechanics: the legal and tax considerations involved in conveying financial assets to families and organizations, updated for 2026. Many people will want to leave a financial legacy for their family, church, or … Read more

Giving in Retirement

This article is part of the Biblically Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. It was originally published in September of 2021 and updated in May of 2026. I was recently working at our church’s welcome desk on a Sunday morning. An elderly woman, well into her seventies or eighties, came up, handed me a … Read more

Choosing a Medicare Plan

This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. It was originally published on August 18, 2021, and updated in April 2026. When I first wrote this article in 2021, my wife and I had been on Medicare for almost three years. We’d chosen Original Medicare with Medigap Plan F, and … Read more

Minimizing Regret in Retirement

Regret. Webster defines it as “Feeling sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity).” We all have regrets. Why? Mainly because we are fallen people living in a fallen world (Rom. 5:12). Our regrets may be over something we did or did not do or … Read more

Overcoming Retirement Fears

My church has started summer book study groups for men and women. Each group is doing one of three books: I’m leading one of the men’s groups, and we’re studying Rejoice and Tremble. As you might conclude from the book’s title, it’s about “fear”—specifically, the fear of God. But Reeves also discusses other kinds of fears … Read more