Your guide for retirement news, insights, and resources
Featured In:
AARP, Bankrate, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNBC, ETF.com, Financial Planning, Fortune, Fox Business, Investor’s Business Daily, Investopedia, Kiplinger, MarketWatch, MSN Money, Reuters, TheStreet, ThinkAdvisor, U.S. News & World Report, and The Wall Street Journal
The Money Talk: Guiding Your Children Through Career and Education Choices
In today’s rapidly evolving job market, having honest conversations with your children about career choices and financial independence has never been more crucial. As parents, we want to set our kids up for success, but the traditional path of “go to college, get a good job” may not be the best advice for everyone. Let’s…
Continue ReadingUnderstanding Cryptocurrency: A Primer for Conservative Investors
After spending January exploring the fundamentals of financial planning – from estate planning to choosing your professional team, and diving deep into ETFs and mutual funds – we now face a topic we’ve been hesitant to address: cryptocurrency. As your guide to financial literacy, we believe it’s time to tackle this subject, not because we’re…
Continue ReadingInvestment Coaching Scams
Investing can feel overwhelming, which is why some turn to coaching programs for guidance. But not all offers are what they seem. Scammers often prey on your desire for financial success, promising secrets to wealth through investment strategies – only to leave you with empty pockets. Investment coaching scams have become increasingly prevalent in today’s…
Continue ReadingThe Art of Letting Go: How Simplifying Can Boost Your Retirement Well-Being
When it comes to retirement planning, most of the focus is on saving money, maximizing investments, and preparing for the future. But what about simplifying your life now? Decluttering both physical and mental spaces can significantly reduce stress and improve your focus, giving you the clarity to align your decisions with what truly matters for…
Continue ReadingDIY or Delegate? How to Decide Which Financial Tasks to Take On Yourself
There’s a lot of buzz about taking control of your finances – and for good reason. Knowledge is power, and being hands-on with your money can save you time and fees. But not everything should be a do-it-yourself project. Here’s how to decide what’s worth tackling solo and when it’s smarter to call in the…
Continue ReadingThe Emotional Side of Estate Planning: Passing Down Values Alongside Your Assets
By now, you’ve seen how estate planning can save your loved ones from unnecessary headaches and keep your hard-earned money where you want it. But let’s face it: while the financial side of things is critical estate planning is also about something bigger. It’s your chance to leave behind more than just money – it’s…
Continue ReadingThe Hidden Costs of Poor Planning: Titling of Assets and Avoiding Probate Pitfalls
So, you’ve got a will, maybe even a trust, and you’re feeling good about your estate plan. But here’s the thing: how your assets are titled can completely derail even the best-laid plans. This part of estate planning doesn’t get much attention, but it’s one of the most critical steps if you want to avoid…
Continue ReadingCharity Scams – Giving Safely as the Year Ends
The holiday season is a time of generosity, with many of us eager to support causes close to our hearts. Unfortunately, it’s also a prime time for scammers to exploit this goodwill. Fake charities and fraudulent campaigns spike at year-end, preying on the uptick in donations. Here’s how to protect yourself while ensuring your contributions…
Continue ReadingThe Science of Slow: Why Rushing Less Could Be Your Secret Superpower
For most of your life, rushing probably felt like the default. Deadlines, meetings, family obligations—it’s a constant sprint to keep up. But retirement offers something unique: the opportunity to slow down. The challenge? Many retirees find it surprisingly hard to shift gears. Consider the wisdom of the turtle: a creature celebrated across cultures for its…
Continue ReadingLearning to Say ‘No’ in Retirement: The Hidden Key to Happiness
Retirement is often seen as a time of endless freedom, but for many, it can quickly become a whirlwind of commitments. Babysit the grandkids? Sure. Volunteer for that committee? Of course. Help a friend move? Why not? The reality is that saying “yes” to everything can leave retirees drained, overwhelmed, and far from the happiness…
Continue ReadingWhy Smart People Still Get Bad Advice
Being intelligent isn’t a shield against bad financial decisions. In fact, it can sometimes have the opposite effect. Smart people often assume that if they don’t understand something, the fault lies with them. They give the benefit of the doubt, nod politely, and walk away thinking they’ll figure it out later. But in the financial…
Continue ReadingCan AI Replace Financial Advisors? Yes. No. It Depends.
Yes. No. It depends. Don’t you love those kinds of answers? Let’s break down why that’s the only honest one. YES -AI can absolutely help if you’re just starting out. It can estimate how much you should be saving, where to allocate it, and even generate a retirement projection that looks reasonably legit. If you’re…
Continue ReadingWhen You Can’t Save, You’re Not Failing
What happens when you do everything right and still don’t have anything left over? Let’s talk about something we don’t say enough in personal finance – sometimes the numbers just don’t work. We ran a realistic scenario using actual data – not extreme, not worst-case, just average. We pulled numbers from sources like Zillow for…
Continue ReadingWhat’s Going On with the CFPB?
Back in our very first newsletter last August, we highlighted the growing attention on so-called “junk fees” – surprise charges buried in everything from bank overdrafts to credit card late payments. We applauded the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal agency behind those efforts. At the time, we said: they’ve got…
Continue ReadingDemystifying Tariffs: The Basics Behind the Buzzword
Tariffs continue to dominate the news cycle, indicating their lasting impact on our economy. But while today’s headlines focus on the latest trade policies, the fundamentals of tariffs haven’t changed in centuries. Whether it’s steel, semiconductors, or shoes, understanding how tariffs work helps decode the ripple effects they create in everyday life. So let’s break…
Continue ReadingHow to Build a Personal Expense Forecast (Without a Finance Degree)
Forecasting doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re not trying to predict the stock market, you’re simply creating a forward-looking map of expenses you already know are coming. It’s not about precision; it’s about visibility. And once you have it, you’ll make financial decisions with more clarity and less stress. Here’s how to build a practical,…
Continue ReadingThe True Cost of Debt
You walk into a store and see something you want – a laptop, an appliance, a designer item. The price tag reads $850. You don’t have the cash, but your credit card has room. It feels like a manageable decision, one you’ll sort out over time. This kind of moment plays out thousands of times…
Continue ReadingSOCIAL SECURITY: What it Is. What it Isn’t. Why it Matters. Why it’s SO Hard to Reform
Last August when we launched our very first issue we asked What Will Become of Social Security? A week later we followed up with Social Security, Please Hold, focused on the operational breakdowns inside the SSA itself – delays, underfunding, and a staffing crisis. Back then, the headlines were familiar: warnings about the trust fund…
Continue ReadingWhat ‘Stay the Course’ Really Means for Long-Term Investors During Market Volatility
“Stay the course” – the simple phrase that gets tossed around every time the market tanks can feel useless if you don’t know what it really means or why someone’s saying it. It often sounds like someone trying to get out of a conversation they don’t want to have. It feels dismissive, like they can…
Continue ReadingWho’s Actually Moving the Market?
If you’ve ever watched the market jump or crash and thought, “Who decided that?”, you’re not alone. It’s easy to assume it’s a crowd of everyday investors, each clicking “buy” or “sell” on their phones. But the truth is, retail traders (people trading their own money) make up a small slice of the action. Most…
Continue ReadingWhy Financial Conversations Leave So Many People Feeling Foggy
You show up prepared. Maybe you’ve got a few questions written down, maybe you’ve reviewed your account statements, maybe you’ve even watched a few videos to brush up on the basics. You’re trying to be proactive. But somewhere during the conversation, things start to slip. You hear a stream of words that sound technical and…
Continue ReadingThe 4 Most Misunderstood Words in Financial Conversations
If you’ve ever walked away from a financial conversation feeling like you “should” have understood more, you’re not alone. A big part of the confusion comes down to language. Financial professionals often use everyday words that sound familiar but carry a different meaning once they’re inside a retirement plan, an insurance policy, or an investment…
Continue ReadingFake AI “Advisors” Offering Personalized Plans
AI-based tools are all over the financial space right now. Some are legitimate. Some just want your data. And in between, there’s a growing category of suspicious sites pretending to offer personalized financial advice powered by artificial intelligence. This isn’t a new scam. It’s just a rebranded version of the old “free retirement plan” pitch,…
Continue ReadingThe Real Risk Isn’t AI. It’s the Urge to Hand Over the Wheel
We all say we want financial clarity. But sometimes, what we actually want is someone (or something) to just tell us what to do. That’s where AI starts to feel seductive. It’s fast. It’s confident. It doesn’t get tired or judge you. It doesn’t even need context – it just needs inputs. But that’s also…
Continue ReadingYou Don’t Need Investing Advice If You’re Not Investing
We live in an age of nonstop financial noise. We hear about asset allocation, sequence of returns risk, and rebalancing… but what if you don’t even have a portfolio or a company plan to contribute to? That is a very real situation for millions of people. If you’re focused on paying the bills, managing debt,…
Continue ReadingWhy Debt Creates Shame (And Why That Shame Isn’t Yours to Carry)
Debt is a financial issue, but it rarely feels like just a math problem. It feels like a moral one. Like failure. Like everyone else has it together and you missed something obvious. And unlike other financial challenges, debt tends to carry a weight that goes beyond the balance. It carries shame. Quiet, isolating shame…
Continue ReadingThe Tariff Excuse
Any time prices start rising, explanations follow. Some are legitimate. Others? Not so much. And lately, one excuse has been popping up more and more: “Because of tariffs.” Retailers and manufacturers know that most consumers don’t fully understand how tariffs work—or whether they even apply to the products they’re buying. That gap in knowledge creates…
Continue ReadingThe Dopamine of RETAIL THERAPY
You clicked “Pay Later.” It felt like control. Easy. Harmless. Almost smart. But that little rush you got when you hit the buy button? That wasn’t budgeting. That was dopamine. Retail therapy isn’t just a joke or a meme. It is a real psychological loop. When we shop, especially when we are stressed, bored, or…
Continue ReadingWhen Do Financial Professionals Actually Take Action During Market Drops?
Now that we’ve clarified when “stay the course” applies and why it’s used, let’s look at the other side of the coin: when to take action. Even in the best of times, financial plans evolve. A solid plan needs to be flexible and sometimes that means making changes. Financial professionals don’t sit idle through every…
Continue ReadingFear-Based Scams: How Market Panics Create Easy Targets
When markets get shaky, emotions run high – and scammers know it. Fear, confusion, and a sense of urgency are exactly the conditions fraudsters look for. During volatile markets, scam activity often surges because people are more vulnerable. They’re scared about losing money and looking for quick solutions or safer alternatives. That’s when the predators…
Continue Reading