Retirement

How in the world could you ever justify spending $500 or more on a pair of sneakers? That’s how I interpreted the question posed by the Wall Street fugitive, Khe Hy, when I saw this tweet: Knowing Khe’s penchant for nuance, his question likely wasn’t as direct as my initial translation, but that’s how it

If you want to become financially independent, you’ve got to know what it means to be financially independent. It’s not that difficult to get your arms around. A straightforward operational definition does the trick. “You will know if you are financially independent if you have eliminated your debt, have a financial reserve that can sustain

For cryptocurrency investors in the U.S., life has gotten more difficult lately. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed lawsuits against the two largest crypto exchanges in June, both Coinbase and Binance, accusing them of selling unregistered securities. In response, Binance announced it would suspend deposits and withdrawals in U.S. dollars, becoming merely a crypto-to-crypto exchange.

There’s one decision you can make—and commit to—that gives you the best shot at attaining financial independence. It’s not something everyone can do, but if you can, it’ll increase the odds you can more quickly find the off-ramp from rush hour to easy street. What is this Holy Grail of actions that can lead to

Simple Definition of Descendant Here is a simple definition of “descendant” from a trust document: “References in this Trust Agreement to a person’s “children,” “grandchildren,” and other “descendants” shall refer respectively to that person’s children, grandchildren, and descendants, whenever born, as determined according to applicable governing law, except to the extent modified herein.” [Sample clause

Should “I Love You” Mean Pooled Finances? There was a recent column in the financial press with financial advisers commenting on whether couples should pool their finances. The advice given might have been appropriate for the particular couple involved in the story. But the couple being addressed had very specific facts that are not an

You may think that a high-paying job presents the key to your lifetime dreams, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch. You’ll need to pursue something beyond that status quo if you want to achieve true financial independence. And that job, if you don’t use it in the proper context, might be the crutch

Fascinated with the rapidly emerging technology of ChatGPT, I wanted to check it out. What would it do with a general question about aging parents, my field of expertise? The technology is free and opening an account is simple. But how good is the information it generates? It is not a thinking being. It’s a

The decision to invest in stocks or other risky assets depends on factors such as age, savings, and personal needs. If you’re well into retirement, have substantial assets, and don’t have a specific requirement to leave a significant inheritance, you might want to avoid investing in stocks altogether. This is particularly true in today’s context,

My father was a lifelong member of the local Steamfitters union. When he hung up his green work cap for good in 1982, he enrolled in Medicare Part A, hospital insurance, and Part B, medical insurance, and the retiree plan. He had that coverage until he died. Back in my father’s day, signing up for

Do you want to retire in comfort? What does that mean? Everyone has their own vision of what a comfortable retirement looks like. But there is a common thread you share with all of them. To retire with ease requires something akin to financial independence. This is the ideal. This is where you don’t ever

Looking for the best places to live around the world? There’s no better source than expats, who have a unique POV on what it’s like to live in a foreign country—and in the U.S. For the 10th year in a row, InterNations has polled nearly 12,000 expats around the globe to come up with a

Do you know your life expectancy? This number may be more important in determining your investment time horizon than how close you are to retirement. Yet, the latter is what we tend to focus on. After all, most people think about how many years they have until retirement when they’re deciding how aggressively or conservatively

While many states have expanded their Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) for frail older adults, others continue to steer many enrollees into nursing homes. One big reason: They fear that enhancing home supports will encourage more older adults to enroll in Medicaid long-term care services (LTSS) and increase state costs. But a new study

One of the challenges facing financial planning is that, however helpful, it has an unavoidably boring vibe. Sure, big financial companies have attempted to wrap it in a veneer of golf courses, sailboats, and marine mammals, but just beneath the surface are spreadsheets, allocations, illustrations, and boilerplate plans that lack a certain…je ne sais quoi.

She was a heavy smoking, alcoholic, obese woman who reached her first breaking point 40 years ago. After DeEtte Sauer’s friend drank himself to death, she woke up to her own alcohol dependency. She resolved to stop drinking, joined Alcoholics Anonymous and stuck with that. She went on to quit smoking, which she found extremely

Oops, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by only 209,000 jobs in June, far below the 225,000 positions economists expected. Workers are not getting or demanding big wage increases – though average weekly earnings for all private sector workers in June ($1,155) increased by $7 from May. But higher prices are still eroding buying power. Workers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval to the anti-Alzheimer’s drug lecanamab, marked as Leqembi by drugmakers Eisai and Biogen BIIB . Here is what you need to know: What does it do? In a formal phase 3 trial, Leqembi was shown to slow the progression of memory loss and cognitive impairment

Most people do not like to talk about death. But an important part of your financial health is what happens to your Social Security benefits when a spouse passes away. To qualify for Survivor Benefits: Survivor needs to be at least 60 and not married, or 50 if disabled You need to be married at

Independence, self-reliance, self-sufficiency, are all laudable goals for us as individuals. Independence is the hallmark of a well crafted and administered estate plan. But independence requires that you be prepared. A friend, recently called me. Let’s call her Joan. Joan, unfortunately, recently had a stroke and is struggling with her new realities and limitations. Joan