Category: Lifestyle

  • Our Greatest Risk In Retirement

    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…

  • What Condition is Your (Retirement Financial) Condition In?

    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…

  • Sustainable Retirement Income—Part Two: Variable Withdrawals

    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.…

  • Does Retirement Cost Less As We Age?

    There are two prevalent assumptions about the cost of living in retirement. One is that most retirees can live on 70% to 90% of their pre-retirement income. Another is that that percentage will decrease (net of inflation) as we grow older. Both offer some comfort when we look at the cost of a long retirement.…

  • Stewarding Your Digital Assets–Part 4: Phishing

    I recently assisted the wife of a good friend in unwinding one aspect of a set of problems they had due to a phishing attack. She was pretty distraught over what had happened, and rightfully so—it’s nasty stuff. Thankfully, they were able to remedy the situation. And I was grateful to be of help. The…

  • The Majesty of Simplicity

    Perhaps like many of you, I recently filed my 2022 tax returns. I always try to itemize my deductions, and this year, as I was working on them, I was struck by how simple it was to do that. I use Intuit’s Turbotax product and have for many years. That enables me to import all…

  • Back to Work

    Did the title of this article (or the image above) surprise you? Perhaps you think I may have rejoined the workforce in a full or part-time paid position? Well, that’s not the case, and I’ll explain later in this article. But before I go there, you may be surprised to know that, according to a…

  • Back to Basics

    Many books and articles have been written about Christians and money, and some about retirement. This blog is about Christians and retirement, and I often write about money and stewardship. There’s much to say about these topics, but the Bible tells us what is most essential for us to know—not every practical detail about personal…

  • Received an Inheritance, Now What?

    An increasing number of boomer-aged families are receiving inheritances; it’s all part of a trillion-dollar transfer of wealth that will happen over the next several decades. Gen. Xers are next in line. Many families near or in retirement have aging parents, so an inheritance may be in their future. They can come in different forms—possessions,…

  • The Four Paths of Retirement

    I recently read an interesting study on retirement from A.G. Edwards and AgeWave. It was published earlier this year. The study covered a lot of ground and was only partially focused on the financial aspects. You may want to read the study in its entirety, but in this article, I’ll touch on its most significant…