Retirement Articles
Practical explainers and guidance for retirement decisions.
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How Reverse Mortgages Work in Retirement
A reverse mortgage can turn home equity into retirement liquidity without standard monthly mortgage payments, but the loan still has costs, borrower obligations, repayment triggers, survivor issues, and long-term tradeoffs.
Retirement
What Changes in Retirement When One Spouse Dies?
When one spouse dies in retirement, the plan can change faster than the monthly budget. Couples should review which income continues, which expenses remain, how taxes and withdrawals may shift, and whether the surviving spouse can access the accounts, benefits, documents, and advice the plan depends on.
Retirement
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You Retire?
Paying off your mortgage before retirement can lower monthly pressure and reduce how much income your portfolio has to produce, but it is not automatically the strongest move. The right answer depends on your mortgage rate, savings progress, cash reserves, tax picture, ongoing housing costs, and how much flexibility you want to protect once work income slows or stops.
Retirement
What If Housing Costs Rise in Retirement?
Rising housing costs can quietly strain retirement income even when the mortgage rate has not changed or the home is paid off. Property taxes, homeowners insurance, repairs, HOA dues, utilities, accessibility needs, and escrow shortages all deserve a place in the retirement paycheck review.
Retirement
What Are Required Minimum Distributions and Why Do They Matter?
Required minimum distributions, or RMDs, are mandatory withdrawals from many pretax retirement accounts. They matter because they can raise taxable income, change withdrawal order, shrink Roth-conversion flexibility, and force retirement-account decisions even if you do not need the cash yet.
Retirement
How Should Couples Coordinate Social Security Claiming?
For couples, Social Security claiming is usually not two separate filing decisions. The stronger plan often comes from looking at the household together, especially how one spouse's claiming choice can affect spousal benefits now and survivor income later.
Retirement
When Should You Claim Social Security?
Claiming Social Security at 62, full retirement age, or 70 changes your monthly check for life. The best age depends less on finding one perfect rule and more on your health, cash-flow needs, work plans, spouse or survivor considerations, and how the rest of retirement income fits together.
Retirement
How Should You Build a Retirement Income Floor?
A retirement income floor is the layer of predictable income that covers essential spending before the portfolio is asked to fund everything else. Building one starts with separating core expenses from flexible spending, then comparing those needs with Social Security, pensions, annuities, cash reserves, and sustainable portfolio withdrawals.
Retirement
What Is Sequence of Returns Risk in Retirement?
Sequence of returns risk is the risk that poor investment returns early in retirement can damage a portfolio more than the same returns would have later. The issue is not just average return. It is the timing of returns while withdrawals are already happening.
Retirement
How to Decide What Income Should Be Guaranteed in Retirement
Guaranteed retirement income can help cover essential expenses, reduce pressure on portfolio withdrawals, and protect against longevity risk. The right amount depends on Social Security, pensions, annuities, survivor needs, inflation, liquidity, and spending flexibility.
Retirement
How to Plan for RMDs Before They Start
Required minimum distributions can reshape retirement income, taxes, Medicare premiums, Social Security taxation, charitable giving, and survivor planning. The best RMD planning usually starts before the first required withdrawal.
Retirement
Should You Use a Bucket Strategy in Retirement?
A bucket strategy can make retirement withdrawals easier to manage by separating near-term spending, intermediate reserves, and long-term growth. It can help with cash flow and behavior, but it is not a magic way to avoid market risk.
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