Retirement is supposed to be a time of relaxation, personal growth, and fulfillment. However, it can also bring unexpected challenges and uncertainties which can lead to stress and anxiety. It's crucial to prioritize your mental and financial well-being during retirement, as it directly impacts your overall happiness and quality of life.

We’ll explore some effective strategies to help you reduce stress and anxiety, allowing you to embrace your golden years with tranquility and peace of mind. One note, we’re not doctors or licensed therapists, so seek professional counseling or therapy if you’re feeling stress and anxiety.

One of the key functions of retirement accounts is they “lock up” your money until you’re ready to retire. What happens if you need to access your money sooner? There are several reasons, and options, to gain access to your retirement funds early.

As with anything, you need to understand the consequences of pulling money out of your retirement accounts – early or otherwise. There may be options which may be better suited to your situation. Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Retirement is an exciting phase of life where you can finally relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. However, it's essential to maintain good health in retirement to make the most of it. As we age, our bodies undergo various changes, making it crucial to take extra care of our health.

In this article, we'll explore some tips for maintaining good health in retirement, including staying socially engaged, pursuing hobbies and interests, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques, regular check-ups with healthcare providers, and staying up to date on preventative health measures such as vaccines and screenings.

Do you know how much you should have saved to retire? What if you want to retire by 60 or 65 – maybe even sooner like 50? The answer depends on many variables in your life and potential income sources.

There’s not really a “magic number” like, “If you have __, you can retire at __ years old.” We first need to figure out what your anticipated income needs will be in retirement – we can call this educated guessing. Once we have our best estimate (guess) of your expenses, we can start to uncover how much you might need for retirement.

This post was last updated on January 08, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Many SECURE Act 2.0 changes were set to go into effect later, but 2023 was an important year when many changes took effect. We’ve made a list of these changes so you can more easily track them.

This post was last updated on January 08, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Overall, this is a tough question to answer. SECURE 2.0 doesn’t cause any real major changes, but collectively, all the small changes have a significant impact. Put a different way, SECURE 2.0 probably won’t derail or save your retirement, but you certainly need to update your financial plan.

This post was last updated on January 08, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Although you might not care much about what age you are, the government does. It’s very important you keep track of key age-related milestones in retirement. If you fail to properly plan around these, you may be missing out on some opportunities – or even face penalties.

This post was last updated on January 07, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

There are three main phases of retirement planning: accumulation, transition, and decumulation (retirement). Depending on which you’re in, you’ll need to focus on different aspects of your financial life. The advice and expertise you’ll need will also be different as you move through these phases.

Roth conversions are one of the most powerful methods for maximizing long-term tax savings. If you believe that a Roth conversion might be something you could benefit from, the next question is how much to convert. The right amount will vary based on your situation.

Once you’ve decided to implement a Roth conversion strategy, you’ll want to look at areas of opportunity. We usually look at projected cash flows throughout retirement and attempt to find any dips in income. Dips in income may be opportunities for additional Roth conversions.

You hear the words “diversified portfolio” all the time, but what does diversified even mean? At first, we’re not even comfortable asking because it feels like something we should know, but don’t. Let’s explore what being diversified really means and why you need a diversified portfolio.

You might be surprised at how little it really takes to be “diversified.” There are a lot of technical terms surrounding portfolio construction, but you don’t need to get too wrapped up about those. We’ll talk a lot more about your overall risk in your portfolio.

Recessions and down markets are scary, but they can also offer lots of opportunities too! If you’re wondering what to do with your money, you’re not alone. When markets get sideways, folks tend to look to make moves to protect their assets.

Depending on what your financial life looks like, you can employ a number of tax saving strategies and other methods to boost your financial stability. There are some particularly useful strategies for down markets.

Can you still retire in a recession or “down” market? Many have done it, but there’s so much to think about when things don’t feel very optimistic. Don’t worry.

There are lots of things you can’t control like the markets and when recessions will occur. Many other things you can. Let’s look at what needs to happen to successfully retire in a down market.

This post was last updated on April 29th, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If times are tough, a hardship withdrawal from your 401k might sound like a good solution. Hold your thoughts and do lots of research first. There are irreversible consequences to taking a hardship withdrawal for emergency situations.

This post was last updated on January 08, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Are you looking for ways to avoid taxes on retirement and Social Security income? There are many retirement tax strategies you should be aware of. You may even be looking for how to avoid taxes on withdrawals from your 401k or other investment accounts.

Deciding how to spend down your life savings can be stressful. Working hard for decades to accumulate a nest egg is no easy feat. Spending money in retirement can be challenging because you don’t want to accidentally spend too much and mess things up.

Fortunately, you’re not the only one going through this, and you don’t have to do it alone. There are a multitude of options for what to do with the money you’ve worked hard for.

Inflation can really eat into your retirement if you’re not careful. However, with proactive planning, you can effectively combat inflation. You don’t have to let inflation slowly erode your lifestyle over time.

To be clear, there’s little we can do to eliminate inflation completely. However, you can avoid losing purchasing power over time. A properly constructed portfolio can withstand the damage of inflation.

This post was last updated on April 28th, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs. 

If you have a retirement account like a 401(k) or IRA, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) can be a real drag in retirement. Knowing if RMDs will affect your retirement is critical so you can make the right adjustments now and moving forward.

Your medical care is one of the most important decisions you need to make as a retiree. Getting these top 5 Medicare considerations right could keep you from making a huge mistake. Medicare is a major part of the retiree healthcare equation.

Planning around Medicare is essential for your financial planner or advisor to consider too. Your decisions on medical care can have significant impacts on your retirement expenses.

There may be several points in your life that are ideal to retire, but when is best for you? As you approach retirement, you might be wondering, “Is there an ideal age to retire?” Of course, this depends on your unique personal and financial situation.

It’s understandably difficult to pinpoint exactly what retirement will look like. Did you know five years ago exactly what your life would look like today? Yeah, we didn’t either.

This post was last updated on January 07, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Interested in keeping your medical costs low in retirement? Failing to plan out key details could cost you if you’re not careful. Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) for your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums are a prime example.