Over the past few months (and years, actually), I’ve written several articles about taxes in retirement. You can read all of the Retirement Stewardship articles → HERE. If you’re younger, you might want to start with the Tax series on NextGenSteward → HERE. Honestly, when I retired, I was just as concerned about this as … Read more
Many of you, if you’re retired or nearing retirement, are probably already using strategies like Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), donating appreciated assets, or perhaps Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) as part of your giving strategy. If so, you may be wondering how the new ”One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) affects your giving—in these ways, or … Read more
As you’ve most likely heard, there is big news coming out of D.C.: The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed just before the July 4th holiday. This is big news for many reasons (some good and some not-so-good, depending on your fiscal conservatism; i.e., the increasing federal deficit), but I’m going to focus on the positive … Read more
Trump’s tariffs are very much in the news right now. While the downsides of tariffs often get more attention, rightly so due to their broad and frequently unintended consequences, there are potential benefits, at least in theory. That said, lots of questions and uncertainty remain. We have to deal with that as well. What is … Read more
Well, it’s baaaaack…and you know what: stock market volatility. And it came back with a vengeance a few weeks ago, moderating some in recent days. Presidential administration transitions ordinarily create uncertainty and instability, but wars, tariffs, and deportations are stirring the pot a little more than usual. I occasionally get asked how I think a … Read more
The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines worry as “A sense of uneasiness and anxiety about the future. Scripture indicates that such anxiety is ultimately grounded in a lack of trust in God and his purposes.” Perhaps because worry tends to focus on the future, it’s something that retirees, or near-retirees, can quickly fall into. We … Read more
Generally speaking, there are two “camps” (or schools of thought) for investing for and creating an income stream in retirement. The first could be called the “probability-based approach,” and the second the “safety-first approach.” These “camps” share some things in common but are often at odds with each other. The key difference is that the … Read more
I’ve written previously about withdrawing from my Traditional IRA to help fund our retirement. I’ve also described how I started making Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) in early 2023 after I turned 70 1/2. In a recent article, I explained how I might optimize my income tax withholding schedule while fully complying with IRS rules. My … Read more
There are many retirement financial milestones to pay attention to: your penalty-free early distribution age from an IRA (59/12), eligibility for Social Security (early filer at 62 and full retirement age at 66–67), Medicare eligibility (age 65, for most), and your RMD age (currently 73; 75 beginning in 2033). I’ve already hit all those milestones … Read more
