More Opinions on the Worst States to Retire
January 14, 2012 by MJP
Filed under Places to Retire
Lists are popular with online readers. This is particularly true for those contemplating where to retire. I often link to lists of the best and worst places to retire and comment on them. Often our home state of Tennessee appears on a top 10 “best” list but sometimes on a “worst” list. It depends on how you prioritize retirement criteria. For example, Tennessee is economically favorable for retirement because of its low cost of living and no state income tax.
Annual Retirement Financial Performance Review for 2011
January 4, 2012 by MJP
Filed under Retirement Planning
Now that 2012 has arrived, it’s time to review our retirement planning and financial performance for 2011. Annual performance metrics can be painful to examine when you are in your 60′s because the windows of opportunity are shrinking. If the numbers are bad, the recovery options may be limited to either working longer or accepting a diminished retirement income. So lets look at the data and see where we stand.
Your Retirement Plan in 2012: Stocks Up or Doomsday?
December 27, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
So have you thought about what changes 2012 might bring to your retirement nest egg and income plan? I haven’t posted in a while but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about our economic future. Indeed, I have been contemplating what moves to make, if any, between now and the end of the year to plan for what lies beyond.
Retirement Planning and Lack of Trust
December 9, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Retirement Planning
I don’t trust many of the institutions and individuals who operate in the financial world. It recently occurred to me that much of my retirement planning is based on that lack of trust. There are plenty of examples of this.
Retirement, Financial Independence and Boredom
December 5, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Boomer Lifestyle
One of the great challenges of retirement has to be avoiding be overwhelmed by boredom. We often read and hear about folks who quit the workforce cold turkey then find they are lost in a different world with nothing to do. That is not good for retirement happiness. Today a learned about a surprisingly “extreme” example of this. Read more
Vanguard Enters the Guaranteed Lifetime Income Space
Lots of insurance companies sell variable annuities. Because the fees are high, they make a lot of money in the process. Baby boomers who are approaching retirement are a huge market for annuity companies. However, a lot of us have been (finally) educated about the negative aspects of variable annuities and have resisted buying. Then came the Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB) rider. This changed the annuity landscape.
It Seems that Congress Doesn’t Want Us to Retire
November 22, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
The Congressional not-so-super committee that was tasked with deficit reduction was a spectacular failure. I expected this and prepared our retirement portfolio for it. Yesterday as the market experienced yet another precipitous decline, the stop market order I placed on our U.S. stock index ETF (VTI) reached its trigger price and our shares were automatically sold as the market went down. At least this way we locked in some gains. I expect more bad news ahead and more declines. It is time to sit these out with less equity exposure.
Is Gold Worth the Risk as a Retirement Investment?
November 15, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
I periodically express my views on gold as a retirement investment. Generally I don’t get it, because many of those who advocate investing in gold generally own gold as a security blanket. In other words, they have no plan or strategy for selling it. They are waiting for the world economy to collapse entirely, at which time they will buy stuff with their gold. I have my doubts about that last part. Nevertheless, we own a relatively small amount of the GLD exchange traded fund. It’s gained about 38% over two years, with a lot of volatility in between.
Changing Asset Allocations
November 4, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
When I heard the news earlier this week of a possible referendum in Greece about the EU bailout and austerity plan, I entered a new limit order to sell our VEU shares (all world stock index except U.S.) if the share price dropped by 6%. It did and all of our shares were automatically sold. As I said earlier, I have had it with the volatility and general lack of benefit from owning this foreign stock ETF.
Investing for Retirement – Beware of Greeks and Referendums
November 1, 2011 by MJP
Filed under Investing for Retirement
The Euro Zone is a mess and Greece is a leading cause. Why do I care? Because the markets care. This is demonstrated by today’s negative reactions in the world markets to a strange and high risk decision by the Greek government: It is going to ask the voters to decide whether to accept austerity terms offered by the other EU governments to bail Greece out- again.
