Keen On Retirement

Between 1992 and 2016, 56% of all workers age 50 and older were forced into an unexpected early retirement, according to a recent study by the Urban Institute and ProPublica. Some of these folks lost their jobs due to layoffs, corporate downsizing, and buyouts. Others decided to retire because of a pay cut or deteriorating conditions at their workplace. And still others retired due to health concerns or other personal issues.

As regular readers and listeners know, I recently turned 50 and I do worry about the world that my generation is leaving behind for our children and grandchildren. If you get too caught up in chatter on cable news and social media, it can leave you feeling pretty scared and frustrated. And if you believe the stereotypes about the upcoming millennial generation, we’re leaving some pretty serious problems in the hands of kids who are entitled, self-absorbed, and incapable of handling basic adult responsibilities - or so they say.

My listeners in the Kansas City area are going to love hearing Darcie Blake’s voice again! Darcie was a radio mainstay here for nearly 30 years as the morning show co-host on KUDL and as a host on WHB.

“To all the clients I’ve worked with over the years, thank you for demonstrating that through hard work, character, and responsibility, it is possible to start from nothing and build a fulfilling retirement for you and your families."

Generally, on Keen on Retirement, we don’t like to discuss proposals that are floating around in Washington. There’s so much politicized chatter in our newsfeeds every day that we prefer to wait until the facts get separated from the fiction, all the dust settles, and a new law is actually put into effect. But we’re making an exception on today’s episode for the SECURE Act of 2019, which passed the House back in May and is currently kicking around in the Senate. The discussion surrounding the House version of the bill gives us some important insights on what the government is thinking about your nest egg and the future of retirement planning.

I talk a lot in my blogs and podcasts about understanding how to separate the news from the noise. In this Market Update Webinar, Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Keen Wealth Advisors, takes a look back at what happened in the second quarter of 2019 in the markets and in the economy.