Say NO To Your Fears

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A friend mentioned over the weekend that she wanted to do more adventurous things with her husband. She didn’t want to wake up 20 years from now, and look back at all the things they talked about doing but never did. Our conversation made me think of a recent experience of my own. I crossed the finish line of Grandma’s Marathon in just over 4 hours and 23 minutes. After a volunteer put my finisher’s metal around my neck I took a few more steps, and my lower body completely cramped up. I could barely move my legs, any step […] Read more »

Millennials should skip the 401(k) and go ROTH all the way

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When I was a young adult there were only two options to prepare for retirement: Pensions and 401(k)s. Well, there was also Social Security – but we won’t go there! The investing landscape has changed dramatically. The government has created other venues for tax favored accounts – and all of them are better than doing nothing. Everyone’s situation is different. I’m not a Financial Advisor so you need to seek the advice of a trained professional but I do think Millennials have the best opportunities to become investors and get complete control over their financial destinies if they skip the […] Read more »

Is Investing in Gold A Good Retirement Strategy?

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I was recently reminded of Duck Tales, one of my favorite cartoons from when I was a kid. If you’re not familiar with the cartoon, the opening theme song sports a very rich duck in his vault diving into and swimming in a sea of gold coins and jewels. As a kid, cartoons pounded into into my heads the image of a stack of gold bricks being the pinnacle of wealth. How freaking cool would it be to have a room filled with gold to show off to your friends? I don’t know anyone that has such a room, or […] Read more »

Review and Give Away: How Much Money Do I Need To Retire?

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The book had been sitting on my desk in my home office for months, staring at me in plain sight as a reminder that I needed to read it. Someday. I had received How Much Money Do I Need To Retire from the author, Todd Tresidder, at the Financial Blogger Conference back in October, but I just couldn’t seem to find the time or the motivation to read it. Looking back, my mind just wasn’t in the right place. At the time, getting back on track with our retirement planning was just a twinkle in my eye. We only had […] Read more »

Why do so Many Americans Rely on Social Security?

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As I checked up on Twitter Thursday morning I noticed that “social security” was a trending topic. Very rarely do you see a trending topic that has any real life value, so it was for this reason I decided to see what all the fuss was about. You don’t have to be Democrat or Republican to know that Social Security is bankrupt. This is a non-partisan issue, or at least it should be. Some seem to believe that reform is not only needed but necessary, while others think it should just be left alone. Regardless of which side you tend […] Read more »

Debt Free Checklist: Plan a Special Meeting

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Back in May I wrote a post called Your Debt Free Checklist, which listed steps you would take action on and complete to become debt free. I also mentioned in that post that I would break down each step on the list into a series of articles. This is the first post of that series and it covers setting up a special meeting with your spouse. Some have asked me why I haven’t left it open to anyone in a relationship. Why did I specifically mention “spouse”? That’s actually very simple. I know some people that aren’t married that combine […] Read more »

Financial Planning for Retirement – Be Conservative, Responsible, Realistic, and be Successful

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Not long ago I had the good fortune to gain insight with respect to one family’s financial planning that was centered around retirement. This had been a young couple with children, with both the husband and wife having lived through the Great Depression and bleak economic times surrounding World War II. Talk about a life lesson in stretching a dollar! What struck me as unusual was the constant focus, from the very beginning, on retirement and taking care of their children. It was unusual in a very good way. This couple knew that the future was coming. They knew that […] Read more »

Mortgage Free – Why This is Essential for Traditional Retirement

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Who in their right mind would argue that being mortgage free is the only way to be if you expect to retire in some traditional way, with a house of your own? That would be me. As they say, "opinions vary" and "results vary." But, if you pay off the mortgage before you retire, that eliminates a large financial obligation essential for living - someplace to live. That's one of the big reasons it makes sense to me. From my vantage point, as an early self-retired individual, I see being 100% debt free as an essential part of having peace of mind when you retire, and I'm up on my soapbox to explain why. Gather 'round my financially fit friends and lend me your ears. Read more »

Should You Take Care of Your Parents Regardless?

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Should you feel obligated to support your parents at or before retirement — regardless of circumstances? That is the question a caller asked Dave Ramsey on the radio last week. Here was his situation. His spouse’s family wanted to put together a fund that would support their parents for the next 25 years. He and his spouse were obviously affected differently by this question but ultimately agreed that it was not their responsibility to totally care for them financially, especially since the parents said they weren’t willing to go to work. They weren’t unable to work, they just didn’t want […] Read more »

Top 10 Dumbest AND Smartest Things You Can Do With Your Tax Refund

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Photo Credit: JD Hancock Top 10 Dumbest Things You Can Do With Your Tax Refund Pay for a refund anticipation loan – Pay hundreds of dollars to get your refund faster? Hmmm. You may as well pay the Government to cash out your retirement fund while you’re at it? Buy lottery tickets – Instead just give it to me. I’ll give you 30% back, while making you believe there is a chance you could win big. Waste it on a new car – New cars lose value as soon as you drive them off the lot…duh! NOT use it to […] Read more »

Investing For Retirement – Do It Your Way!

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Funding Your Retirement Should Be Exciting You have climbed the mountain and are at the top!  You have eliminated your debt and now have your fully funded emergency fund in place.  When life happens to you, you will be ready!  I am proud of your persistence and determination because most people either cut corners, or decide to do nothing at all.  Not you though!  You are on a roll, and since momentum is on your side, there are some things you need to start doing to be ready for retirement. As some of you know, Dave Ramsey suggests that you […] Read more »