The Road Less Retired Legend has it that news anchor Barbara Walters once asked author Isaac Asimov what he would do if a doctor told him he had only six months to live. “Type faster,” he replied. Are you one of the fortunate few whose career completes you, as Asimov’s did? As I introduced in last week’s post, full retirement isn’t for everyone. To spin off of Robert Frost’s classic poem, I...

Even without seeing the official stats, you’ve probably noticed an increasing number of so-called senior citizens who are no longer behaving like proper old people. In an homage to the new senior lifestyle, I’d like to focus on the “not-retirement” model I mentioned in my last post: Working (or playing) straight through Some people avoid retirement entirely. If you find meaning in your work – maybe you don’t even consider it “work”...

Welcome back! In my last post, I launched this year’s SAGEbroadview summer blog series, “Sheri’s Summer Retirement Summary.” When it comes to retiring, there is no one best way for everyone. That’s what makes the subject so fascinating. That said, most people’s retirement planning falls into these five broad categories, depending on how you slice and dice the possibilities. Beyond the (1) traditional model of working most of your adult life until...

Hey everyone, happy first official day of summer! Is the pool open? Before you head out, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the launch of our fourth annual summer blog series. It all started in 2014, when we shared a summer series of Evidence-Based Investment Insights, followed by a 2015 collection of Investment Basics and a 2016 serving of Sheri’s Summer Refreshers. What’s on the agenda for this summer?...

Let us count the ways that we still love this post about the benefits of youthful investing in a Roth IRA. First, there are few investment lessons more powerful than the importance of starting to save and invest when you’re young, with time, compound returns and tax sheltering opportunities on your side. Second, it’s been heartening to see how far guest author Chris Annello and Sheri’s niece Jessica (who inspired the...

The power of elegant simplicity is certainly nothing new. When explaining the Tao of the universe back in fifth or sixth century BC, Lao Tze is said to have said, “A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.” But when it comes to financial planning, we have a way of making things complicated, fast. Fortunately, we have noticed a movement afoot to redirect our efforts back toward that...

As consecutive blizzards continue to weigh heavy on the Eastern seaboard, it can be tempting to dream of the days that you don’t care if another foot or two comes down … because you’re RETIRED. Throw on an extra sweater, hire the neighbor boy to shovel, and pour that second cup of coffee. Better yet, escape to where 55 degrees and overcast qualifies as inclement weather. But before you surrender to...

Part II: The 403(b) Plan: Pocket Change or Life’s Savings? As touched on in Part 1 of our two-part series on 403(b) plans, “A Call for 403(b) Plan “Higher Education,” it was initially assumed that the 403(b) would serve as a supplement – not a replacement – for participants’ traditional pension plan benefits. This may have made sense in the 1950's when the 403(b) plan was introduced and pension plans ruled...

Part I: A Call for 403(b) Plan “Higher Education” When seeking financial advice for managing your retirement plan assets, it seems the 401(k) receives a lot more press than the similar, but different 403(b) plans used by government and tax-exempt groups such as schools, hospitals and churches. Some sound advice does cover all retirement plan ground – and all investing, for that matter. But if anyone in your family participates in...