In our last article, we looked at some of the causes of the “Great Recession” of 2008 and suggested that there are signs that we could be headed toward a market correction or even a recession based on an over-valued stock market, increasing household and government debt, and rising interest rates. There are differences between 2018 … Read more
This month could be considered the ten year anniversary of the start of the “Great Recession.” Most of us will remember the trials and tribulations of the financial upheaval that worked its way through the U.S., Canada, and Europe in 2007-2009. Only in the last few years have we seen a significant recovery in all … Read more
Owning a house is a great thing. Mostly because we all need a place to live, and if you are fortunate enough to own your own home, you are truly blessed. Actually, among the developed countries in the world, a relatively large percentage of people do own their homes. The most recent statistics for the … Read more
I published an article about a year ago titled “The 8 Questions I Need to Answer Before I Decide to Retire.” In it, I said that I did not know when I would “retire” and that I was taking it year by year. I had no idea that just one year later I would be … Read more
In a recent chat with a younger friend at church, he expressed a desire to find the right balance in his retirement stewardship. He didn’t use that phrase specifically, but that’s how I understood him. He was talking about his financial resources in general, but planning and saving for retirement is part of that equation. … Read more
I recently did a series of articles describing a simple process for deciding whether you can retire – from a financial perspective. One possible outcome is that you can’t, at least not yet. But even if you can, there is another dimension to consider before pulling the trigger: should you retire? The financial aspects are … Read more
In the first article in this three-part series on financial planning for retirement, I introduced an approach for answering the all-important question, “Can I retire?” The article focused on the first step: Calculating your essential living expenses in retirement. In this article, I am going to discuss the second major phase of the process: Identifying … Read more
Sooner or later, most of us will ask ourselves this question: “Can I retire?” Perhaps because of an unexpected layoff, a health issue, age, or some other factor, we will need to come up with an answer. No matter what the reason or when you decide to retire, you will need to have some idea of … Read more
2018 is here and the beginning of a new year is when a lot of people do some planning, and perhaps make a resolution or two. If you are five or ten years from retirement, you may be increasingly focused on that. Since my wife and I both reach “full retirement age” as defined by … Read more
