No Non-Cents Blog

Five years before retirement is an interesting place to be. The finish line is close enough to see, but there is still time to change your pace. Maybe you picture travel, more time with family, or a calendar that no longer includes a Monday morning meeting. The harder question is whether the financial details support that picture. Retirement planning at this stage is less about finding one magic number and more about connecting several decisions: spending, savings, taxes, hea

For most of your working life, retirement planning has a fairly straightforward message: Save money. Then save some more. Max out the 401(k) if you can. Contribute to an IRA. Invest for the long term. Don't panic when the market falls. And, most importantly, try not to touch the retirement accounts. You follow those rules for 30 or 40 years, finally reach retirement, and then someone like me says: “Great job. Now start spending it.” Understandably, that can take some getting

For most of human history, living into your 80s or 90s was considered exceptional. Today, thanks to advances in medicine, healthier lifestyles, and improved healthcare, many people can expect to live significantly longer than previous generations. That's certainly something worth celebrating. However, living longer also creates a financial challenge that many retirees underestimate: your retirement savings may need to last almost as long as your working career did. Many peopl