Part Time Condo Living – an Update
September 27, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Boomer Lifestyle
In August of 2009, we bought a condominium in a rural equestrian community based on site plan and floor plan. In November 2010, the condo was finally built and we moved in, as part-time residents. Over the past ten months we have been spending more time here and making it more of a home. I thought I would give you a brief update as to how things are going.
A 15 Year Bear Market For Stocks?
September 26, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
There have been lots of predictions that the surge in baby boomer retirements will have a substantial negative impact on the stock market. The theory is that when we retire, we will sell our extensive stock holdings to (a) reduce risk and (b) generate a more stable retirement income. More recently, some economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco performed some detailed analysis of the baby boomer retirement effect and made their own predictions. You should definitely read it.
Learn How Not To Invest
September 17, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
So much of retirement planning and investing is dependent on understanding human behavior, particularly your own. When your planning and investment decisions are infected by emotion, impulse, or other bad behaviors, your retirement plan can go awry in a hurry. Because of this, I enjoy reading about the psychological aspects of personal finance. I recently concluded a series of articles published on the Psy-Fi blog. Each of the articles explored a common theme about investing: First, learn how not to invest. Second, do the opposite.
Boomers Trapped by Mortgages
September 7, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Mortgages, Debt, and Credit
The news continues to be bad about folks who are close to retirement age and their debts. It seems that some boomers are just slow to understand that the more they borrow now, the longer they will have to work to pay it off, if they can keep working. I don’t get it. Maybe some of you can explain it to me, after considering the recent statistics.
Gambling with Your Retirement Future
Do you gamble with your retirement future? I’m not referring to merely ignoring or not having a plan for retirement. I’m talking about acts of commission or omission that place your retirement plan at serious risk. A recent news article about a 66 year old hopeful retiree reminded me of this.
Reverse Mortgage Risks and Benefits in a Nutshell
September 1, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Mortgages, Debt, and Credit
Much continues to be written about the use of reverse mortgages as a source of retirement income. Also, reverse mortgage products are aggressively promoted by the companies that offer them. That by itself should raise a red flag for those considering them. With so much invested in marketing these products, you have to suspect that a reverse mortgage is a much better deal for the lender than for the homeowner-retiree. That means, of course, that they are a very expensive way to generate retirement income.
