My next three posts will be about financial advisors. I know what you’re thinking: Oh, fun…another blogger is going to bash my friendly broker or insurance guy. Well, I’m not out to malign anyone, but I do want you to be on guard against the very small percentage of advisors who are greedy and unethical … Read more
I remember when I was a teenager and could buy a gallon of gas for less than 50 cents. (I think I remember paying 35 cents at a Hess station near my home.) That may surprise you, but consider that the minimum wage at the time was around $1.50/hour. Now, in NC where I live, … Read more
As I wrote in my last article, wise saving is an essential part of biblical stewardship (Prov.13:11; Prov.21:20). We save for needs that we are aware of in the near term (such as car repairs, insurance payments, etc.) and anticipated future needs (such as college expenses and retirement). We also try to be wise regarding … Read more
The subtitle of this blog is, “save diligently, invest wisely, give generously, live abundantly.” I included investing in the mix because it is a very important part of retirement stewardship. It is wise to invest, especially for the long term, for things like college and retirement. Investing is actually condoned in Scripture (Ecc.11:1-2; Prov.21:20; Matt.25:14-20), … Read more
This article is the fourth and final one in a series about the most important thing you can do in different stages of life to be able to “retire with dignity.” Well, you’re finally there. You’re getting into your 60s, or maybe you’ve been there for a while. You’ve been working, saving, and investing for 30 … Read more
On this blog, I provide a checklist of things you can do during different stages of life to “retire with dignity.” In this article – the first in a series of four with each focused on a different stage of life – I will discuss the most important thing you can do when you’re in … Read more
In my last article on annuities, I discussed the different types of annuities and their use inside retirement accounts. As you could probably tell, I’m not a huge fan of variable or indexed annuities, especially when used for retirement saving and investing inside an IRA. My biggest concerns have to do with their complexity and high costs relative … Read more
As a financial coach, I often work with folks who are in the accumulation/growth phase of planning for retirement (i.e., 5 to 10 years or more away). Sometimes I come across someone who has either: 1) received a recommendation from their stock broker or insurance salesperson to purchase a fixed-rate, indexed, or variable annuity product … Read more
This is the third and final article in a three-part series about the most important financial decisions that affect retirement stewardship. Our saving and investing decisions, especially early on, dramatically affect what we will have when we retire. In fact, when you save (timing) may actually be more important than how much you save (amount) or … Read more
