Blog
Weekly articles about how to live a secure, fulfilling retirement.
How to manage fears and avoid mistakes when markets go haywire.
The markets had a great first half of the year. Stocks were up. Bonds were up. Both U.S. and International markets were up. Everything seemed to be working. Unfortunately, the second half has had a rockier start. And given the headlines (e.g. trade war,...
How decision drift leads you away from the life you want
Hi everyone. Sorry it’s been kind of quiet around here. I’ve been in summer mode and haven’t done much writing. I just got back from a hike with my daughter through the High Divide – Seven Lakes Trail in Olympic National Park (see above pic) and the hike got me...
Internal vs External Scorecard
Warren Buffett once said: “The big question about how people behave is whether they’ve got an inner scorecard or an outer scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an inner scorecard.” The scorecard he’s talking about is how you measure success in any given...
What won’t change?
Read this quote from Jeff Bezos and then let’s apply it to retirement. “I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?' And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: 'What's not...
How to know if you’re ready to retire
Deciding when to retire isn’t always easy. Most people just base it on their birthday, but there are other factors you should consider as well. In the video below, I’ll give you seven signs that you’re ready to retire. Note: If you are viewing this video in an...
The pros and cons of early retirement
I’ve worked with many clients over the years who decided to retire early. Sometimes that was a great decision, other times it resulted in some unexpected challenges. Below are some of the pros and cons I’ve seen with early...
Three ingredients of a meaningful life
Because retirement is a time filled with fun, travel and leisure it is easy to make the pursuit of pleasure your orienting principle. That would be a terrible mistake. There’s nothing wrong with pleasure, but it must exist in the context of...
Use the 4 disciplines of execution to get your retirement dreams off the drawing board
When it comes to retirement, you absolutely want to dream big. Just don’t forget how important it is to eventually get those dreams off the drawing board. Here’s a simple framework that can help. It’s called the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX for short) and was...
An important life lesson from Notre Dame
When I heard about the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris I, like everyone else, was extremely saddened. I’ve been inside the church before. Looked at the beautiful stained glass. Listened to the choir sing. Marveled at the ornate structure...
A short poem that inspires action
Just a short post today. As spring arrives, I want to share one of my favorite poems with you and encourage you to use this time of warming weather, blossoms and new beginnings as a visual reminder to make the most of your time. The poem, by A. E. Housman, is below....
What is an inverted yield curve and why is everyone worried about it?
The sharp market selloff in the fourth quarter of last year was partially caused by investor concern over an inverted yield curve. Just last week we saw another big drop as the curve inverted again. What is the yield curve and why are people...
Strategies of retirement super savers
The general idea behind retirement is to reach a point of financial independence where work is optional and you control your time. How fast you get there depends largely on how much you save and how much you need to live on during retirement. The math is pretty...