Did you know that social security beneficiaries can have as many as 150,000 options to consider when making their benefit elections? That’s right, according to Laurence Kotlikoff, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at Boston University you might need to consider as many as 150,000 options in order to receive your maximum benefit. Dr. Kotlikoff has co-written a book entitled, Get What’s Yours, The… Read more →
Category: Retirement
Happy Thanksgiving and Some More Stuff.
This week we Americans celebrate my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. The idea is to pause from our usual daily pursuits in order to give thanks for all of the really good stuff in life. And when I say really good stuff of course I’m talking about mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey and stuffing. No, actually those are only the “good stuff.” The “really… Read more →
News About Fiduciaries and Social Security
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to block the Department of Labor from implementing a fiduciary standard for retirement advisers. The proposed fiduciary standard has been supported by consumer advocates for quite a few years now, but has been opposed by some in the securities industry and the insurance industry. It would require that those who provide investment… Read more →
RMDs, COLAs, and a Question.
If you have an IRA account held at Schwab, and if you had your 70th birthday prior to July 1st of this year then you should probably begin taking your Required Minimum Distributions before the end of this year. Technically, IRS rules say that if you’ve only just turned 70 1/2 you don’t have to begin until next year, but… Read more →
Are You In a Personal Lifestyle Bubble?
Years ago when I first began doing cash flow analysis and planning with my clients I observed that we have a tendency to increase our outflows as our income increases. During the first annual review with one particular client the conversation went something like this: Me: It looks like your spending equals your income. You’re not spending more than you have,… Read more →