I recently realized that I’ve been retired for five years. (My wife says that I’m not really retired, but you know what I mean.) Wow, time flies! I retired in late 2018 at age 66, my ”full retirement age” (FRA) as defined by Social Security. It was a little earlier than I’d planned, as I … Read more
I recently came across a little book about Christmas titled Christmas Uncut: What Really Happened and Why It Really Matters by Carl Laferton. The title caught my attention. Did the author uncover some unknown historical account of the birth of Jesus? Did one of the magi take notes, and someone found them stashed and preserved … Read more
A sustainable withdrawal rate is integral to a wise retiree’s financial stewardship plan. Your withdrawal rate determines how much money you’ll take from your retirement savings to add to other sources of income to meet your spending needs. I became aware of a video of one of Dave’s recent shows in which he discussed retiree … Read more
In a previous article, I touched on the risk that rising interest rates present to retirees. There are risks—the negative impacts of rising rates—but there are also benefits, especially for savers and retirees. But to the extent that higher rates are usually associated with inflation, the scale tips toward the negatives and less toward the … Read more
In the last article, we looked at what I believe to be the greatest risk in retirement: retiring without a clear sense of calling and purpose. But I also mentioned some other risks—the financial ones. The Bible encourages us to take wise precautions as part of good stewardship to protect ourselves from the adverse effects … Read more
If you’re young, the most critical retirement risk you face right now is that you may be hoping to retire someday, but you haven’t given much thought to retirement planning. Or maybe you’re counting on Social Security and Medicare for your financial security in retirement; after all, you’re paying taxes, right? In fact, not saving … Read more
I recently had the opportunity to do a seminar on a Christian’s retirement at a church that’s part of our denomination. It’s a large church with a sizeable number of older folks. The seminar wasn’t only about the financial aspects (it was one of three sessions), but a recent study that I used to frame … Read more
In the last article, we examined the first of two main types of systematic withdrawal strategies for sustainable retirement income: fixed withdrawals. In this article, we look at variable strategies. A variable strategy may be a better fit for some retirees, as financial advisors often suggest you adjust your spending based on your portfolio’s value. … Read more
In a recent article, I discussed spending in retirement and whether our costs go down as we age. In this article and the next, we’ll look at the other side of the equation: generating income, specifically the different ways to withdraw from savings to fund your spending, hopefully for as long as you live. This … Read more
