Change is constant. Each season of life inevitably transitions into the next, and windows of opportunity eventually close. So, an essential strategy for happiness in retirement is to group your experiences into the optimal stages of life, when they will be most feasible and rewarding.  In a recent post here, drawing from the book Die... The post Pleasure-Way Eulogy: Selling a Small RV appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

Suppose I stepped into a time machine that took me back to my drab, corporate cubicle circa 2019. Say I was greeted there by an oracle who foretold that in a year’s time a deadly pandemic would paralyze the globe, and that by 2023 violent conflicts would threaten to engulf Europe and the Middle East... The post Put Your Money Fears in Perspective appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

I have some fantastic resources for you all. We will start by reinforcing one of the core principles this blog has embraced over its history: simplicity in your finances and life. Articles will challenge you to question your assumptions. One will also clarify rules around inherited IRA accounts that had been unclear for years. We’ll... The post August 2024 Best of the Web appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

Working with individuals and couples gives me a front-row seat to how people invest. The view is fascinating. Several clients have worked with other advisors. Some come with collections of high-cost actively managed mutual funds, annuities, and life insurance products they were sold. Others come with dozens or more mutual funds and ETFs. Some have... The post 5 Reasons to Simplify Your Investment Portfolio appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

At Abundo Wealth, we have a growing team that provides individualized advice to every client based on their unique circumstances. However, we prioritize applying a consistent framework for providing that advice across our practice. Our process to develop this framework is to discuss topics among our advisor team and reach consensus on the best approach... The post A Framework for Claiming Social Security Retirement Benefits appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

Last month I wrote about how I’ve used the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to bridge the gap to Medicare. I pointed out that lowering the adjusted gross income (AGI) I report on my federal tax return is the key to maximizing benefits. Several readers commented that their AGI is too high to net meaningful ACA... The post A Tax Tip to Fatten Your Bottom Line appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

Sometimes books, movies, songs, and other art forms are instant classics that resonate with people. Other times, things resonate for different reasons. They catch your attention at a time and place that feels custom-made for you. The latter was the case for me with the book Die With Zero.  I read Die With Zero while... The post Summer Travels: Applying Lessons from Die With Zero appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

More than 14 years after passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I still encounter folks who are waiting longer than necessary to retire. Many of them are convinced retirement is out of reach financially until they hit Medicare eligibility at age 65. Given the prohibitive cost of private health insurance, these would-be retirees continue... The post Early Retiree Healthcare: A Case Study appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

My net worth (total assets minus total liabilities) today is 6.3% higher than it was when I retired in 2019. This is in no small part thanks to stellar returns delivered by the financial markets since then. What’s more, I have not incurred any catastrophic expenses; e.g., a costly medical diagnosis (knocking on wood). Five... The post Am I as Rich as I Think? appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more

I hope you are having a great summer. This month I have a collection of resources that will challenge you to think more deeply about your approach to financial independence and early retirement. We’ll explore the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of aging. I also have a few resources that return to the fundamentals of... The post June 2024 Best of the Web appeared first on Can I Retire Yet ..read more