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Category: Retirement Planning
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When it comes to retirement planning, we spend decades focused on one number: our savings goal. We chase the magic $1 million, $2 million, or more. But what happens when you get there? Many retirees make a costly assumption: that the hard work is over. They believe that as long as they follow a “safe”…
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You’ve spent decades diligently saving for retirement. You’ve built a well-diversified portfolio spread across different accounts. But when it comes time to flip the switch from saving to spending, a critical question arises: What’s the smartest way to actually take the money out? Many people focus solely on how much to withdraw (the famous 4%…
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Imagine this: you’ve worked for decades, your retirement date is finally on the horizon, and you have a solid nest egg. But there’s a puzzle to solve. You plan to delay claiming Social Security to maximize your benefit, creating a “gap” of several years between your last paycheck and your first government check. This is…
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If you’re a high earner, a savvy saver, or someone staring down a large tax-deferred retirement account, you may have felt locked out of the incredible benefits of a Roth IRA. With its tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement, the Roth is a powerful wealth-building tool. But what if there were secret passages—”backdoors”—to get…
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The retirement landscape is constantly shifting. Whether you’re five years away or already enjoying your post-career life, new challenges and opportunities are always emerging. Let’s tackle some of the most current and pressing questions on the minds of today’s retirees and soon-to-be retirees. 1. The “Sequence of Returns” Risk: How Do I Protect My Nest…
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1. What Is a Roth Conversion? A Roth conversion is a financial strategy that allows you to move money from a Traditional IRA or other pre-tax retirement accounts into a Roth IRA. When you do this, you pay income taxes on the amount converted, but once the funds are in the Roth IRA, they grow…
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Roth IRAs are powerful tools for building tax-free retirement wealth, but the 5-year rules for withdrawals often trip people up. Let’s demystify these rules for both contributions and conversions, using common real-life scenarios for people at different stages — young professionals, mid-career savers, and retirees. What Are the Two 5-Year Roth IRA Rules? 1. The…
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If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at night, your mind drifting from your golf swing to your golden years, you’re not alone. My husband, Mark, and I have entered that club. We’re the Robinsons: Mark, the ever-pragmatic former civil engineer; me, Leo, a now-retired graphic designer who finds solace in a messy pottery studio;…
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Retirement is a milestone many of us look forward to—a time to relax, travel, and enjoy life without the constraints of a 9-to-5 job. But the big question is: Are you saving enough to retire comfortably? With rising life expectancies, inflation, and uncertain economic conditions, retirement planning has become more critical than ever. In this…
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When Jack and Linda Thompson retired at age 60, they felt cautiously optimistic. After decades of hard work—Jack as a civil engineer and Linda as a high school counselor—they had managed to save $1 million in retirement accounts. They lived in Springfield, Illinois, a charming mid-sized city with a reasonable cost of living—but yes, Illinois…