The Retirement Researcher Manifesto – Part Two
This article is part of a series; click here to read part One. Let’s continue to review the last 3 guidelines in the manifesto for my approach to retirement income planning. Approach retirement income tools with an agnostic view The financial services profession is generally divided between two camps: those focusing on investment solutions and […]
The Retirement Researcher Manifesto – Part One

As I have attempted to summarize the key messages and themes that have underscored my writing and research, I find that the following eight guidelines serve as a manifesto for my approach to retirement income planning. It is helpful to start with these guidelines because I will ultimately talk about how to implement these guidelines […]
Overview Of Retirement Income Planning – Part Two
This article is a part of a series; click here to read Part One. With investment solutions, a more comfortable lifestyle may be maintained for those willing to invest aggressively in the hope of subsequently earning higher market returns to support a higher income rate. Should decent market returns materialize and sufficiently outpace inflation, investment […]
Overview Of Retirement Income Planning – Part One
Strong disagreements exist about how to position a retiree’s assets to best meet retirement goals. Two fundamentally different philosophies for retirement income planning—which I call probability-based and safety-first—diverge on the critical issue of where a retirement plan is best served: in the risk/reward trade-offs of a diversified and aggressive investment portfolio, or in the contractual […]
Women and Financial Planning

“Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. It is a time to applaud the progress of women’s achievements around the world. However, even with incredible progress, women face unique circumstances when approaching retirement.
Charitable Planning Strategies for the Fragile Decade

Many people do not consider charitable gifting strategies to help optimize their retirement plans, though they might benefit their overall plans.
The Impact of Unexpected Inflation

Inflation and the four L’s of retirement: longevity, legacy, lifestyle, and liquidity.
Are Municipal Bonds Right for You?

We all want to minimize the amount of taxes that we owe. Municipal bonds, or munis, often seem like a great solution since they’re billed as being tax free (which we’ll talk about in a bit), but everyone else thinks so, too, which means that their prices reflect their tax advantages. This doesn’t disqualify munis as a great tool for retirement investors, but you do need to be careful about how you use them.
Handle with CARE: 5 Years Before Retirement

Rather than developing an exhaustive list of to do’s that may or may not be appropriate for everyone, our approach is to help the client develop a retirement framework for retirement or way of thinking about retirement. We call this the “CARE” retirement framework and it will help you build a foundation for a successful retirement.
Preparing for Retirement When You’re Starting Late

Everyone knows that you’re supposed to start saving for retirement early, but that doesn’t always happen. In fact, if you look at the numbers, it’s actually pretty rare. Most people are woefully unprepared for retirement, but you can change that.