A Client’s Story: Creating a financially secure path for retirement

A female head of a high profile Nashville institution was keenly aware of the importance of timing in leadership change. It was important to her that the institution, whose profile she raised, transition smoothly. She and her husband had been clients for several years leading up to her retirement. During the pre-retirement period, we kept

On the Paris Terrorist Attacks and Medicare Premium Increases

What effect will the tragic ISIS strikes on Paris have on the world economy?  Nicholas Wells offers analysis and a forecast for the long term.  In spite of fear provoked by the terrorist attacks, the popularity of the Islamic state is starting to wear out, even as it still poses a threat.  In other news,

Social Security and Medicare Update

The budget agreement signed by the President contains  two provisions of interest to retirees.  In addition, Medicare issued new rules authorizing end-of-life discussions between doctors and patients. What Congress Just Did to Social Security.  Two popular Social Security benefit-boosting strategies that could have increased lifetime benefits up to $50,000 have been eliminated.  File-and-suspend , along

Crossing the Threshold of Retirement

Hardly a week goes by without our having several discussions about the financial aspects of retirement.  This week we address some issues from the last several days. How much house can I afford?  The traditional rule of thumb—i.e., not more than 28% of your monthly income going for a mortgage payment—is not particularly helpful.  There

At the edge of retirement

We’ve had a few conversations lately with clients on the edge of retirement or having recently crossed over to the other side.  A few articles this week shed light on several key issues. The Average Retirement Age—An Update.  Today’s average retirement ages of 64 for men and 62 for women are about the same as

Life Satisfaction in Retirement

Intriguing subject matter relating to retirement was the topic of several sessions at the AICPA Advanced Personal Financial Planning Conference held January 19-21, 2015.  This week we share some of the conference’s golden nuggets. What makes for a Satisfying Retirement?  Although money matters, planning for a lifestyle can be equally important in order to get