Keen On Retirement

How are you feeling about the upcoming elections? Until about a week ago, I think that many folks might have had November on the periphery of their radar, especially if they don't live in a contested swing state. But the tragic events in Pennsylvania and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee have probably changed that perception for all Americans. And as interest -- and emotions -- start running higher, it can become very difficult to separate your politics from your financial planning. On today's show, we discuss how elections typically impact the financial markets and what kinds of mistakes investors should try to avoid as we head deeper into election season.

Like any other part of a comprehensive financial plan, there's no one-size-fits-all blueprint for an estate plan. Every person is different. Every family is different. And, as illustrated in a recent Wall Street Journal article, if you don't work with professionals to preserve your legacy, your way, you could be putting your estate, your loved ones, and your well-being at risk. On today's show, we discuss a listener question about how to tailor an estate plan to specific family dynamics, the essential parts of an estate plan, and some of the legal options folks should discuss with their attorney and financial advisor.

As the founder and editor of HumbleDollar and personal finance columnist at The Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Clements has been providing readers with practical financial analysis for decades. But an article from early June might be the most impactful that he's ever written. Reflecting on his recent cancer diagnosis at age 61, Clements is candid about how facing mortality has forced him to reevaluate his personal, professional, and financial priorities. Sadly, Clements’ story also brought to mind so many folks I've worked with in my career who struggled to find the "right time" to retire, only to have life get in the way. Please, take these lessons from Clements’ experience to heart and don't put off retirement any longer than you have to.

Formulating a one-time, bulletproof financial plan would be incredibly simple if you could supply an advisor with just two pieces of information: exactly how much money you're going to spend every single year in retirement, and your date of death. Absent those two impossible data points, an effective, comprehensive financial plan has to be an ongoing, personalized, and adjustable process, no matter what size your nest egg is. On today's show, we talk through another case study to illustrate how my team at Keen Wealth helps folks plan for a retirement that's much more than just their numbers.

"Robin" is a single mother of two high schoolers. She's 45 and she earns about $350,000 per year. Robin had never worked with a financial advisor before, and one of our clients referred her to Keen Wealth because she was looking for help with streamlining her finances and, hopefully, retiring in nine years. On today's show, we run Robin's case through Keen Wealth's checklist-driven, comprehensive planning process and explain how my team arrived at actionable strategies for achieving that early retirement goal.

When discussing the unique financial challenges that many senior women face, it's important to make clear distinctions between useless stereotypes and scientific facts. As I've written about and discussed frequently on my podcast, there's just no truth to outdated cliches about women needing more help than men when it comes to managing money. And while it may have been more common in decades past for married couples to leave the family's finances to the breadwinning man, that old-fashioned dynamic is rare today. But, according to longevity expert Maddy Dychtwald, it's a fact that women, on average, live six years longer than men. Whatever your marital status is, and however big your nest egg is, women have to be very intentional about how they plan to cover their needs during those extra years. My Keen on Retirement co-host, Steve Sanduski, recently talked to Dychtwald about her new book, Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan. Their conversation was full of insightful and actionable advice for women who are aiming to live well long into retirement.