cjcagle
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Retirement Framework (BIFRS) series. It was initially published in September 2019 and updated in December 2025. Current Social Security figures: Full retirement age is now 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later; 2025 earnings limits are $23,400 (under FRA) and $62,160 (year reaching FRA); recent COLAs were … Read more
In case you haven’t noticed, after a relatively “quiet” stretch through most of 2024, volatility has returned to the financial markets in a big way. The stock market was down sharply just the other day. As I understand it, uneasiness about tariff and trade policy, stretched valuations in AI-related stocks, and uncertainty around Federal Reserve … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS). It was originally published in 2019, but had minor updates in 2026. One of the hard realities of life in our fallen world is aging. Although we live in a culture that celebrates—and sometimes idolizes—youthfulness, ironically, everyone is getting old. Some are just … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Retirement Framework (BIFRS) series. It was initially published on July 31, 2019, and updated in January 2026. In this, the third and final article in this series on annuities, I examine variable annuities. The 2025 landscape: Although sales of fixed index annuities have significantly outpaced variable annuities in … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship series. It was Originally published July 24, 2019 and updated December 2025. In my last article, I looked at immediate fixed-income annuities and discussed whether I might want to include them as a part of my overall retirement income plan. Guaranteed payments for life … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Retirement Framework (BIFRS) series. It was initially published on July 10, 2019, and updated in December 2025 I recently helped a friend evaluate an annuity product he was considering for part of his retirement savings. Like many of us, he wanted to protect some of his assets from … Read more
You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I posted an article on this blog. That’s because my wife and I have been away on an extended vacation out west visiting the “Big 5” National Parks in Utah: Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef. We also spent several days at the Lake … Read more
As a reader of this blog, you know that we hold to the position that the Bible teaches that it’s good to wisely save and invest for the future, including a time in “retirement” (Prov. 6-11, Prov. 21:20), and also to be “rich toward God” by “storing up treasures in heaven” (Luke 12:21; Matt. 6:19–21). … Read more
I occasionally get the opportunity to talk about stewardship and money with young people (high school and college age). I am always grateful to get the chance and I always enjoy the interactions. We are near the end of the school year, a time when many will be graduating from high school or college. So … Read more
