Retirement

The leading edge of Gen X and the youngest Baby Boomers are staring down a short road toward retirement. Some are starting to hear tales from those who have crossed over to the other side — from full-time professional to full-time retiree — and wondering how they will hack life after work. Shaking his head

Families struggle with how to help aging parents and other loved ones as they begin to lose independence. Especially when the elder lives at a distance from family, assisted living seems to be a solution. Kids don’t want to move closer to the aging parent and parents don’t want to move from the familiar town

Unfortunately, the word “scam” has become too common in today’s world. A scam is an act by a dishonest person or organization to trick someone out of something, usually money. Search common scams and you’ll get pages of results. I found one site that listed 21. However, there are two scams missing from the list

Many well-meaning people take the benefits of a Roth IRA for granted. With the tax benefits of a Roth IRA, modest contributions over long periods can translate into a substantial amount of tax-free income throughout your entire retirement. Those with the highest incomes may dream of the potential for a significant amount of tax-free retirement

When it comes to retirement benefits for public sector workers, Alaska is an outlier state offering only 401(k)-style defined contribution (DC) benefits to its workers. Alaskans who deliver essential public services lack a defined benefit (DB) pension plan, and teachers do not even participate in Social Security. Not only are these workers at an extreme

At first glance, those of us who have been steadily socking away funds and dreaming of retirement in our fifties or sixties don’t hold much in common with those who plan for a FIRE retirement. Unfamiliar with FIRE? The Financial Independence/Retire Early movement has gained traction in recent years as more flexible working arrangements and

In the landscape of wealth management, some elements are, for lack of a better term, sexier than others. Both financial planners and their clients are often drawn to more complex topics, especially those that seemingly pledge to make or save a lot of money. And while those strategies are valid, if not vital, for exploration,

Remote workers and retirees alike have flocked to scenic Spokane, driving up home prices. But the city is working through its growing pains. By Emily Mason, Forbes Staff Bruce Munholand spent 32 years working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mostly in Alaska, where he met his wife, Keri. His last posting was in

Forbes compared more than 800 locales in America on everything from housing costs and taxes to healthcare, air quality, crime and climate change and natural hazard risk. These are the top 25 cities for retirees. By William P. Barrett, Senior Contributor Barry and Susan Mendelson raised their two children in a century-old three-story, six-bedroom Prairie-style

Our elders love their independence, for the most part. Perhaps over time, their chronic health conditions start to erode their abilities to do some things independently. In the absence of a sudden event, like a fall, the slow decline in physical ability may not be obvious when family visit their loved ones. And at some

The daughter of a client called me because she was concerned about how much her mother paid for cataract surgery. She has a Medicare supplement, met her deductible and there shouldn’t be any bills. What is going on? As a nursing student, I cared for several cataract patients. They were admitted to the hospital and,

You may have heard that there’s an election coming up. And maybe you’re planning your own event – your retirement. Does one affect the other? Will the election affect your retirement planning? Trying to read the political tealeaves is rarely productive; still, there are some general considerations about the upcoming election that should factor into

Sunk cost, opportunity cost, and the endowment effect. You may expect these textbook-weight words to show up in the classroom. You may even imagine how understanding these concepts could help better explain corporate, institutional, or public policy matters—or at least your investment portfolio. But it’s harder to imagine utilizing them to make better decisions in

The author suggests that when it comes to retirement decisions, we may not be asking the right questions. As the Jodie Foster character in True Detective likes to say, “You’re not asking the right question.” Then for a successful retirement, what is the right question? It’s “Do the decisions I make now matter?” Clearly the

When Older Americans Month (May) was established in 1963, only 17 million Americans had celebrated their 65th birthday. Today over 60 million of us can claim the distinction of being 65 or better. However, over 22 million older adults live alone and close to 30% of them have no children or other family support as

Looking for the best places to travel in Europe? So is the rest of the world. As the summer season kicks into high gear across Europe, popular destinations are grappling with an influx of visitors. From Venice (which just started a controversial tourist tax) to Spain’s Canary Islands (where the locals are planning mass protests),

In my first report from Alaska, I focused on the policy discussions in the state regarding retirement issues. Today, I’m sharing a bit more about my experiences here in Alaska. As spring breaks, I’ve found Alaska to be warm and welcoming. The people I’ve met with this week are friendly, honest, and sincere in their

The subject of financial exploitation of elders in our country has been on law enforcement radar for decades. Significant public education programs on this topic by states, counties, and elder-focused organizations are ongoing, but are they doing any good? There was an increase in financial elder exploitation by 14% over the last year, according to

After several abortive attempts over three presidential administrations, the Department of Labor (DOL) once again has issued a new Fiduciary Rule. In 2016, Obama’s DOL issued its version of the Fiduciary Rule in the final year of his presidency. Within two years, however, the Fifth Circuit vacated that rule. In the final year of its

Amid deeply troubling public employee recruitment and retention challenges, the Alaska Senate recently passed a bill to return public employees to a defined benefit pension plan. This would reverse a 2005 decision that closed Alaska’s two statewide pension plans to new hires. I’m in Alaska this week meeting with stakeholders and sharing the findings from