How to Retire Blog

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Time is our most precious resource and I thank you for allowing me to get a few minutes of your time each week. I hope you find the blog helpful and informative. Send me an email if there is ever a topic you would be interested in learning more about. I will research it and write a future blog about it.

How Much Money Do You Need To Retire From Your Cooperative?

April 19, 2021 Retirement Funding Insights

Do you know how much money it's going to take for you to retire from your cooperative comfortably?

Do You Need Help Managing Your 401k Plan?

April 12, 2021 Investment Retirement Funding

Did you know that the S&P 500 Index Mutual Fund available to you through your NRECA 401k options has historically averaged a return of approximately 10 percent? Did you know over that same period of time the average cooperative employee in the 401k plan has averaged a return of only 3.9 percent?

Retiring From Your Cooperative Soon?

April 6, 2021 Investment Retirement Funding

Today I would like to discuss one of the biggest decisions you have to make when you retire. Should you take your cooperative's monthly pension offer or should you take the lump sum offer?

Retirement Planning Specifically For Electric Cooperative Employees

March 30, 2021 Retirement Funding

I've seen cooperative employees work for 20-40 years to reach retirement and then quickly settle for the monthly pension annuity option or the lump sum option without actually having a plan to determine if they were making the right choice.

Can You Retire At 55?

March 23, 2021 Retirement Funding

Considering Early Retirement? Here are two options that can make that a reality.

Should You Take Social Security At Age 62?

March 16, 2021 Retirement Funding

When should you take Social Security? Should you start at age 62 or wait until your full retirement age?

Why "Beating An Index" Isn't A Retirement Goal

March 7, 2021

In the age of the 24 hour news cycle it's easy to lose sight of things that matter because we're often distracted by things that don't. When it comes to retirement chasing performance or beating an index does not guarantee a successful retirement outcome. Only planning can do that. Plans, not returns, lead to successful retirement outcomes.

What Is Money?

March 1, 2021 Investment Retirement Funding

Do me a favor. Open your wallet and pull out any denomination of American greenback. It can be a Washington, Lincoln or a Jackson. Give it a stare for at least 10 seconds and then describe what you are holding in your hand with only one word.

Your NRECA R&S Lump Sum Pension Amounts Are At All Time Highs

February 21, 2021 Retirement Funding

Much like the seesaw pictured above when interest rates are lower, lump sum pension payouts are higher and vice versa.

What Is A Bitcoin?

February 15, 2021 Investment Insights

I'm a financial advisor that specializes in retirement planning. My job is to align peoples investments with their goals in retirement. What I do isn't sexy and doesn't make the news but it works and it has for well over 100 years.

The Real Value Of A Financial Advisor

February 8, 2021 Investment Retirement Funding Misc.

As your adviser we are a walking talking insurance plan hired to protect one of the largest assets you own, your retirement nest egg.

What Can We Learn From The GameStop Debacle?

February 2, 2021 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

"The majority, if not all, of financial input you get from the "news" is journalistic. And journalism by nature, stays in business by selling you the news which is timely, as opposed to the truth, which is timeless." Nick Murray

What is My Tax Bracket for 2021?

January 11, 2021 Retirement Funding

Being "in" a certain tax bracket doesn't mean you pay that federal income tax rate on everything you make. The progressive tax system means that people with higher taxable incomes are subject to higher federal income tax rates, and people with lower taxable incomes are subject to lower federal income tax rates.

Try Something Different With Your Goals This Year

January 4, 2021 Insights

Happy New Year! It's that time of year when many of us resolve to change things for the coming year. We make a list of goals that we plan to stick to for the remainder of the following year. That’s great. What's not great is that the overwhelming majority of us don't stick to those goals. I can't actually prove why but my theory is that most of us have goals that create deprivation. Meaning our goal includes depriving ourselves of something we really like doing.

Retirement Boils Down To One Simple Question

December 28, 2020 Retirement Funding Insights

If you spent ten minutes reading economic forecasts for 2021, you wasted ten minutes that you will never get back. By the way, time is your most valuable asset. Invest it wisely. Anyway, I re-read some of the 2020 outlooks from several of the most respected and well known forecasters in the financial industry such as Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, etc. You know what I noticed?

Can A 529 Plan Hurt Your Child's Chance Of Receiving Financial Aid?

December 21, 2020 College Planning Investment Insights

Good intentions sometimes have bad consequences. A perfect example can be opening a 529 plan for your child or grandchild. Depending on the financial situations of the parties involved the intentions of helping the child can possibly (key word is possibly) have the consequence of hurting the child chances of financial aid in the future. Let's explore how.