Blog
Weekly articles about how to live a secure, fulfilling retirement.
10 questions that will help you decide what to do during retirement
Ask a 6 year old what they want to be when they grow up and chances are you’ll get an answer like astronaut, fireman or super hero. No need to worry about feasibility or practicality when you’re 6. Just pick something that sounds awesome or involves flying. Ask an...
How to design your ideal retirement
Think for minute about every building you’ve ever seen. The gas station where you fill up. The farmer’s barn. Your home or office. Or maybe something a little more swank. The White House. The Empire State Building. Notre Dame Cathedral. The Parthenon. The...
8 key retirement ages and what to do at each
When it comes to retirement, your bank account is more important than your birthday. Even so, there are several key retirement ages that you will want to keep in mind as you plan. Age 50: Once you hit the big 5-0, the government raises the contribution limits on...
You have 28,835 days. Here’s how you’ll spend them.
Life is busy. One day runs into the next and then the next, a constant blur of busyness, work, errands and seemingly important (at the time at least) comings and goings. If you're not careful, you look up one day and wonder where the last 20 years went. That's why...
How the government is cutting your Social Security benefits
No, you didn’t miss the memo. The government hasn’t announced any plans to cut Social Security. At least not overtly. They have, however (in my opinion), been covertly reducing the value of Social Security payments for years. How? In order to account for...
Mini-retirements and work: A how to guide.
Based on the huge response to my initial “Mini-Retirement” post, I think I can safely draw two conclusions: #1: There are A LOT of you who don’t buy into the “save the best for last” philosophy of retirement. No surprise here. IR readers are all about living...
The case for mini-retirements
What is a mini-retirement? Long-suffering readers know that I have a bit of a different take on retirement than most. Where others see something based on age or assets, I see something based on control. Where others see a life-stage, I see a lifestyle philosophy....
15 practical ways to live a purposeful life.
Earlier this week I talked about how time usually opens doors between the ages of 0 and 21 and then starts to close them from 21 on. I promised a follow up email with some ideas on how to maximize your time and opportunities. Here are 15 practical ways to live a...
The funny thing about “Time”
Quick note to Gmail users: You may have noticed that Google is making some changes to Gmail and they are putting emails like this one into a “Promotions” folder even though it’s something that you signed up for and confirmed that you want to receive. To keep from...
What is your shot clock?
In the 1950s, basketball had a problem: It was boring. So much so that NBC passed on airing the finals because they didn’t think anyone would watch. Why was it so boring? At the time, there was no requirement for players to shoot the ball. When a team got ahead,...
The 15 minute retirement readiness review
Quick note: Greetings from home base (a.k.a. Omaha). I’m back home after several weeks of travel through Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver. While I get caught up, I thought I'd post an article that I wrote recently for Dow Jones MarketWatch. It has some...
On the road again…
"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." ~ Jack Kerouac, On the Road July has been a quiet month here at Intentional Retirement because I’m spending much of it on the road. We just...