I have an outstanding collection of resources this month. We’ll start with two always popular topics among readers of the blog, shifting from saver to spender and creating retirement income. I have a resource that gives details on new legislation that ...
Retirement planning requires making our best effort to project far into the future. That is hard, if not impossible. The reality is that we are constantly changing as is the world around us. We need to plan, but understand that our plans need to be ada...
This blog has traditionally focused on early retirement. As such, we haven’t given Social Security the attention it probably deserves. Social Security benefits are crucial for most retirees. Even for early retirees with sizable portfolios, Social...
This time last year I wrote, “Markets are unpredictable. Sometimes the surprises are good ones. But we’ve had a lot of those the last few years, so be prepared for some inevitable bad surprises ahead.” Well, here we are. It’s been a s...
A reader recently asked the following question about retirement withdrawals: I am approaching 72, and for the life of me I do not know the difference between setting a safe withdrawal rate (SWR) and how that relates to my required minimum distributions...
It’s been a wild ride this year. All asset classes took a beating. Financial scams dominated the news. A new law is being finalized at the end of 2022 that will substantially impact our financial planning in years and decades ahead. In this last post o...
A specific narrative pervades our society. There are many powerful interests that perpetuate it. Get a “good education” (at any cost). Get a “good (i.e. high paying) job.” Be a good consumer, buying the biggest house and nicest car you can afford (defi...
A common question among readers of this blog is “How Much Money Do I Need to Retire?”. In fact, for many people that is the question they are trying to answer when they ask “Can I Retire Yet?”. Bill Bengen was a financial planner trying to answer that ...
Itemized deductions are an area of significant confusion for many people. We are often encouraged to buy a bigger house or make a donation to a charity because property taxes, interest on a mortgage, and charitable contributions are all “deductible.”&#...
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! It was a wild month in the finance world and I had a hard time narrowing down my selections. Resources cover topics that are always important to readers of this blog including better understanding your bond inve...
Investors love to talk about their winners, but you rarely if ever hear about their bad decisions. This selective memory is true across all levels of investors, from people you and I may meet at a dinner party to the most prestigious venture capital fu...
In January, I announced that I was undertaking the challenge of completing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) education and exam. I’ve recently successfully completed both. Since making the announcement, I’ve been surprised by the number of people ...
Happy Halloween! Volatile investment markets, rising interest rates, and high inflation continue to dominate financial news and be scary for many investors. I have some great resources to help you navigate these challenging times. This month’s re...
Before jumping into this week’s post, I want to provide a quick update on what is going on at Can I Retire Yet?. Life has been hectic in my world. So publishing has been sparse and will continue to be over the next couple of weeks. I am in the home str...
The year long trend of high inflation and rising interest rates continued this month. As much as we would all like the magic bullet to fix these issues, there is not a lot that we can do. These systemic issues continue to impact all asset classes and t...
Risk management fascinates me. I shared my intuitive approach for managing risks in the insurance chapter of the Choose FI book. The approach I describe classifies risks into four quadrants to evaluate insurance needs. Each quadrant is based on the pro...
Can I Retire Yet? It is pretty safe to assume that if you are reading this blog you have an interest in answering that question. There are common themes that cause people to start asking. Many of us feel the tension of never having enough time...
This month, I have some fantastic resources to help you save more, invest smarter and retire sooner. More importantly, they include valuable wisdom to use those tools to live your best life. We’ll learn from the mistakes of others, examine the su...
Before diving into the selections, I want to take a moment to thank all of the readers who left such thoughtful and respectful comments the past two weeks. I normally try to respond to every comment on the blog. The number and depth of the comments the...
I recently received an anonymous email from someone who identified themself as a 70+ year-old long-time blog reader who is well past the point of financial independence. He wrote: “I agree with the FI part of FIRE but I have no interest in the RE. I’m ...