Blog
Weekly articles about how to live a secure, fulfilling retirement.
The problem with delayed gratification
Delayed gratification is great if it’s allowing you to work toward something. For example, saving for that trip you’ve always wanted to take or giving up that extra hour of sleep so you can make it to the gym. You’re giving up something good now in order to get...
20 tips to ensure a nice nest egg in 20 years
(Note: This is Part 2 in a three part series that I did for the Omaha World Herald on retirement planning for different life stages. I'm re-posting it here for all of you who don't live in snowy, freezing Omaha!) Forty-five is an interesting age. It’s like the...
Monthly rewind: January edition
There have been quite a few new readers at Intentional Retirement lately and I'm glad to have you all here. Each month, I post a quick summary of the new articles at the site for anyone who may have missed something. January's articles are below. How (and why) to...
How to help your kids and grandkids
We've all heard the expression "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for life." When it comes to our kids and their finances, it's sometimes tempting to give rather than teach, because we want to help them out and we want them...
Reaching retirement escape velocity
Remember the Apollo program? Before going to the moon, one of the key challenges NASA had to overcome was figuring out how to get a rocket that weighed 6.7 million pounds and was 58 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty off the launch pad and into space. The...
Retirement Budget Worksheet
Much of your retirement planning will revolve around your retirement budget. It will help determine things like: How much you need to save When you can afford to retire What types of things you can afford to do What your income sources will be during retirement How...
8 habits of successful retirees
Why is retirement exciting and fulfilling for some people and lonely and disappointing for others? Below are 8 habits of successful retirees. Use them to make the most out of your retirement. 1. Live with a sense of urgency. Successful retirees don’t treat life as...
Caring for your aging parents: A checklist
Does your retirement plan include your parents? It probably should. Chances are good that they are counting on you to handle their affairs if they die or become incapacitated. How confident are you that you have everything you need to handle that role effectively? ...
2012 IRA and 401(k) contribution limits
Just a quick post to let you know about some changes to contribution limits for the New Year. The amount you can contribute to your 401(k) is increasing by $500 in 2012. The new maximum is $17,000. Those over 50 can make an additional "catch up" contribution of of...
How (and why) to make a time budget for 2012
Happy New Year! As in years past, 2012 brings with it 365 new days. That’s 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes. You’ll have 52 Saturdays, 52 Sundays, 10 Federal holidays and most likely several weeks of vacation and sick time. How will you spend all that time? If...
10 resolutions that will keep you on track for a secure retirement
Most New Year’s resolutions relate to either fitness or finances. I’m not a real authority on fitness, but I do have a few thoughts on finances. Below are 10 ideas to make sure your retirement planning is on track for the New Year. 1. Automate your saving—Make sure...
My brain made me do it: How to avoid bad investment decisions.
So far during 2011, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has had moves of 100 points or more on 97 trading days. That’s 23 more than during all of 2010 and the year isn’t even over yet. With so much volatility and uncertainty, it would be easy to panic and make...