Practical advice for successful retirement planning.
Health Insurance Options If You Retire Before Age 65
If you retire early (before 65), you’re too young to qualify for Medicare. So what are your health insurance options? In this blog, I’ll address five different options you have to get health insurance. I’ll also share some ways you can lower the cost of your premiums to keep coverage affordable until you qualify for Medicare.
5 Retirement Mistakes to Avoid
Planning for retirement can be a complex process. There are so many things to do that it’s easy to forget common pitfalls to a successful retirement strategy. In this blog, I’m going to go over the Top 5 Retirement mistakes that I see regularly, how to avoid them, and resources to make sure you’re on the right track.
the deferred resignation offer deadline 2/6/2025
If you're a federal employee and you're considering accepting the deferred resignation offer that’s been presented by President Trump, you'll definitely want to read this blog. I’m going to go over three key things that you should consider when deciding whether or not to accept the deferred resignation offer.
7 Money moves to make for pre-retirees
I wanted to help you get your year started off right and I wanted to address 7 money moves that all pre retirees should make in 2025. I'm going to take you through those today.
FINALIZED IRS Regulations on inherited ira’s
Let’s breakdown the finalized regulations that were issued by the IRS on July 18th for people who inherited IRA’s in the year 2020 and later. I’ve spoken about this twice over the years in episode 180 and episode 200. However, the IRS has finally cleared up a lot of questions that were left unanswered at those times.
How the Social Security Fairness Act Could Positively Impact Your Retirement
A new bill was just signed into law by President Biden. That will increase the Social Security payments for millions of public school teachers and former public employees. The law is named the Social Security Fairness Act, and it repeals a pair of Social Security provisions that limit the Social Security benefits that many public school teachers and public employees receive.
THE 2025 INCOME RELATED MONTHLY ADJUSTMENT AMOUNT (IRMAA) BRACKETS
You may have heard about the updated IRMAA brackets being released recently. Are you affected by this change? Is there anything you can do to prevent yourself from paying a higher premium? Either way, the Income-Related Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) may be a topic of interest. In this post, I will cover the 2025 IRMAA Brackets and how they could affect your Medicare Part B and D premiums, even if you don’t currently fall into the high-income bracket. Read through this blog to be better prepared for the potential impact on your healthcare costs in the future.
The 2024 Income related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) brackets
You may have heard about the updated IRMAA brackets being released recently. Are you affected by this change? Is there anything you can do to prevent yourself from paying a higher premium? Either way, the Income-Related Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) may be a topic of interest. In this post, I will cover the 2024 IRMAA Brackets and how they could affect your Medicare Part B and D premiums, even if you don’t currently fall into the high-income bracket. Read through this blog to be better prepared for the potential impact on your healthcare costs in the future.
How To Take Control Of Your Expenses
No matter if you just graduated college, or are nearing retirement, everyone has expenses. Unfortunately, a lot of us have trouble controlling these expenses as we spend above our means, which reduces our excess funds. If you have issues with spending too much, then you should read along to learn five strategies on how to take back control of your expenses/spending.
How to Pay 0% Capital Gains Tax
When you sell an investment for a profit, you are subject to taxes on the gains. It’s great that you were able to make money on the transaction, however, now you must cover the associated taxes. These taxes can be significant, especially if you find yourself in one of the higher tax brackets. Therefore, if you are interested in paying 0% capital gains tax, or at least reducing your end-of-year tax bill, then this is the blog for you.
If You Go on Medicare, Can Your Spouse Go on COBRA?
One of the biggest concerns for clients as they approach retirement age is their healthcare coverage. This stands especially true for clients that plan to retire before age 65 as Medicare has not started. Throughout this blog I will explain the relationship between Medicare and COBRA, and how you should navigate this complex area.
Should I Get Travel Medical Insurance?
Are you planning to travel internationally this year? After the pandemic, I have several clients interested in traveling after years of being home-bound. Therefore, now would be a good time to review what can happen if you get hurt while traveling and how to protect yourself against these repercussions.
Reviewing the Old Adage, “Sell in May and Go Away”
A common saying in the world of finance is to “sell in May and go away.” Historically, stocks have been known to underperform from May to October. With the 2023 stock market subject to factors like high-inflation, bank collapses, and debt ceiling concerns, should we expect the trend to continue?
How Will My Retirement Funds Be Impacted by the Debt Ceiling?
One of the largest current market concerns is the debt ceiling. The United States hit the debt ceiling in January of 2023 and there are concerns that the United States could default on their debt as early as June 1st. With all that in mind, how should you manage your investments moving into this time of uncertainty?
What to Do With Old Series EE Savings Bonds?
Series EE Savings Bonds have been around for over three decades, which means that some of you listening likely hold them. You could have purchased them yourself, received them as a birthday gift, or inherited them. No matter how you acquired them, if you currently hold Series EE Bonds then you should understand what they are.
The 2023 Federal Tax Brackets
The Federal Income Tax Brackets for 2023 have been released. These brackets are adjusted each year to account for inflation. Therefore, if you are interested in these changes and the impact of above-average inflation in 2022 then you have come to the right place!
Taxes in Retirement
There are two things in life that are unavoidable: death and taxes. Taxes are viewed as being overly complex but saving money through the reduction of taxes doesn’t have to be difficult. In this blog, I cover all the basic tax rules you will need to know in retirement.
The 2023 Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) Brackets
Are you a high-earning individual approaching age 65? Or perhaps an individual wondering how Medicare premiums work and what factors can impact your costs? Either way, the Income-Related Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) may be a topic of interest.
5 Ways to Hedge Your Retirement Income Against Inflation
Inflation can also erode the purchasing power of your retirement income, making it necessary to protect it against inflation. That's why I am here to share with you five effective ways to hedge your retirement income against inflation, so you can mitigate the impact of inflation until the Fed brings it under control.
5 Benefits of Working Past 65
When people think about retirement, they view turning 65 years old as the magic number. And I get it! Why wait a few more years if you can retire now? Surprisingly, there may be more reasons than you think.