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

My New Book, “Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God,” Has Been Released!

Well, folks, I have great news: as of today, my new book, Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God, has been released by B&H Publishing (LifeWay)! It is a project I have been working on for about 18 months, and I am thrilled to announce that it is available to order from LifeWay.com, Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, … Read more

All You Need to Know About Personal Finance on a 3 x 5 Inch Index Card – Really?

A few years ago, a University of Chicago college professor named Harold Pollack remarked that everything you really needed to know about personal finance could be fit on a single 3×5 inch index card. Someone asked him to prove it, the result went viral, and Pollack actually ended up co-writing a book about it called … Read more

Some Thoughts on “Key Retirement Planning Birthday Milestones”

A friend recently sent me this link to a chart on PNC Bank’s website titled “A Timeline for Achievement” that provided a helpful list of age-based retirement planning milestones. (Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement for PNC, although I am sure they are a good bank, I just found the chart interesting. This kind of … Read more

New Year Retirement Stewardship 10-Point Check-Up

Happy New Year! Planning is a wise part of retirement stewardship. But no matter how well we plan, we must always remember that “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). And now that we are closing out 2018 and looking out ahead to 2019, I thought I would share some thoughts … Read more

The New Tax Law and Retirement Stewardship

You know the old saying, “The only things that are certain in life are death and taxes.” Yes, taxes are a reality – before, during, and even after retirement. But honestly, I don’t think or worry too much about taxes until tax time. Then I download a copy of TurboTax and go to work. My … Read more