Why Deciding When to Claim Social Security Deserves More Than a Rule of Thumb Few decisions in retirement carry as much permanent weight as this one. Long before their last day of work, most people start wondering when to claim Social Security, trying to balance the income they’ll need later against the cash they’d like…
How Accurate Is Your Retirement Spending Estimate, Really? If you ask a couple what they spend in a year, most will answer quickly. A number comes to mind and sounds reliable, but it usually isn’t. That number is their retirement spending estimate, and most retirement plans are based on it. The problem is, for most…
Most people plan for retirement based on what things cost today. They add up the mortgage, groceries, insurance, and travel, and land on a number that feels reasonable. The trouble is that the number does not stay the same. Inflation nudges prices up almost every year. Over a long retirement, those small increases add up…