Your home is more than just a house. It’s where you started your life with your spouse, raised your family, hosted holiday parties, played catch, built snowmen, planted a garden, and spent evenings on the porch watching the sunset And, perhaps most recently, it’s where you celebrated your retirement. That’s why deciding where you’re going […]
Executive Summary Social Security is in the headlines again — and for good reason. With funding projections changing and new tax rules taking effect, retirees are right to wonder what it all means. The system isn’t collapsing, but it is evolving, and those shifts could affect income, taxes, and filing decisions for millions of Americans. […]
What’s the right balance between enjoying your wealth in retirement and making sure your nest egg lasts all the way through retirement? To answer that question, many seniors turn to a number: 4%. But as many of the assumptions about both personal longevity and economic stability continue to change, longstanding assumptions about spending and withdrawal […]
Executive Summary The “Big Beautiful Bill,” officially called the Working Families Tax Cut, has been billed as a major win for middle-class Americans. But the real impact depends on where you are in life, and for retirees, that means a mix of opportunity and uncertainty. Some changes may temporarily reduce taxes or boost deductions, while […]
Keith Demetriades, CFP®, CKA® Owning a home away from home can add some significant value to your portfolio and your ROL (Return On Life). A second home can be an escape, a change of scenery, a place to immerse yourself in specific interests, sports, or hobbies, or the focal point of meaningful get-togethers for generations […]
Executive Summary Great retirements don’t just happen. The happiest retirees create them by developing habits that keep them engaged, healthy, and connected. Money provides the foundation — it covers the basics and removes financial stress — but happiness in retirement comes from more than just having enough saved. It’s what you do with your time, […]
Keith Demetriades, CFP®, CKA® Unretirement is on the rise. According to a recent survey by F&G Annuities & Life, 29% of retirees are considering a return to work. That includes 54% of Gen Xers who retired early. While many retirees jump back into the workforce because they are worried about running out of money or […]
Executive Summary Most retirement calculators start with one number — your income — and spit out a savings target. The problem is that approach ignores how your spending actually changes once you stop working. Retirement isn’t a flat line. Some costs disappear, new ones show up, and spending patterns shift between your early “go years” […]
Keith Demetriades, CFP®, CKA® You’ve been working towards this moment for decades. But have you really prepared for it? Once the countdown is over and you’ve left your retirement party, the reality of retirement is going to set in. And many new retirees are surprised by the waves of emotions they feel, especially in those […]
Executive Summary If you leave a job in your 50s, you may have more options than you think. Buried in the tax code is something called the “Age 55 Rule,” and it can save you thousands of dollars in penalties if you need to tap your retirement account before 59½. The problem is, hardly anyone […]