I try not to “preach” about spending in general or spending in retirement in particular. It’s not my place to tell anyone how much to spend or what to their money on. If you’re a responsible person, you certainly don’t need me to tell you that your essential living expenses and caring for your family … Read more
As we start 2021, the global pandemic continues to rage its economic fallout continues to be felt by families worldwide. Some were in a tenuous financial situation before the pandemic, and their situation has become worse. Others have found themselves there because of the pandemic (job and income loss, medical bills, etc.). In any case, … Read more
As you know, I don’t “get political” on this blog. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about politics; I do. I focus on other things here, but when the political winds change as dramatically as they have, it’s important to understand (and plan for) possible changes in the tax code and other policies and laws … Read more
This article is part of the Retirement Financial Life Equation (RFLE) series. It was initially published on November 27, 2020, and updated in March 2026. I think many retirees, especially those with fewer savings, should strongly consider the “cash bucket with income floor” strategy that I discussed in my earlier article. If you have a … Read more
This article is part of the Retirement Financial Life Equation (RFLE) series. It was initially published on November 11, 2020, and updated in March 2026. This article is the second in a three-part series on the “Bucket Strategy.” The bucket strategy is a good one, but it’s not perfect. I have been using a version … Read more
This article is part of the Retirement Financial Life Equation (RFLE). It was initially published on October 28, 2020, and updated in March 2026. The coronavirus pandemic and corresponding market crash in March 2020 validated what retirement researchers had been saying for years: the “Cash Bucket Strategy” isn’t just theoretical—it’s essential (or at least really, … Read more
I recently read this quote from a retirement expert in a MarketWatch article titled, “Opinion: Half of Americans Over 55 May Retire Poor”: Our data is showing that, because of the COVID recession, about 50% of workers over the age of 55 will be poor or near-poor adults when they reach 65. . . A person who’s … Read more
I started this blog over five years ago. Since that time, I have made very few design changes to the website so I decided it was time. I upgraded the WordPress theme and made changes to improve the layout and navigation. (I am a bit of a computer “nerd,” so I enjoyed doing the work … Read more
This article is part of the Retirement Financial Life Equation (RFLE) series. It was initially published on August 13, 2020, and was updated in January 2026. The original article focused primarily on the purchase of a retirement home. However, it has been updated within the RFLE to include rental real estate as Tier 2 income. … Read more
