Dot’s confusion about Social Security taxation is understandable. Yes—in a very real sense—you spent forty years paying taxes into a system that will turn around and tax you again when you collect the benefits you paid for in the first place. It’s like paying for a buffet, eating your dinner, and then getting a bill … Read more
I recently listened to a podcast, and one topic was conspiracy theories, especially those about the primary elections and the upcoming midterms. Both political camps seem to have conspiracy theories about the other; only the theories vary—certainly not the fervor with which they are espoused. I’ve also been hearing a lot about AI conspiracies. Are … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. Our culture has been selling a version of retirement for decades. You have seen it in commercials: the silver-haired couple on the sailboat, the foursome finishing the back nine in the Florida sunshine, the grandparents laughing on the beach while the grandchildren … Read more
Well, as it turns out, a LOT of things are easier to understand and enroll in than Medicare. If this hasn’t already happened, at some point in the months leading up to your 65th birthday, you’ll receive a piece of mail from the federal government explaining that it is time to enroll in Medicare. This … Read more
Earl has a way of making simple things more complicated than they need to be. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s actually one reason he’s been so good at taking care of things over the years. He does his research, crunches the numbers, and sometimes builds elaborate spreadsheets before someone else has sharpened … Read more
This tool has changed a lot since it first launched, and rather than listing the changes in the order they were made, I’ve organized them here by area. I’m sure there will be more, but I think the tool is getting to a pretty good place. Please let me know if you find something that … Read more
This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. In the first four articles of this Caregiving Principle series, we established the biblical foundation for preparing to give and receive care, explored healthcare planning and Medicare, and examined the realities of long-term care. Each of those articles addresses the care we … Read more
The first two articles in this three-part series provided background and introduced you to the Retirement Income Modeling Tool (RIMT). The articles and instructions on the Tool website cover almost everything you need to know, and you can contact me directly with specific questions (or issues—remember, it’s still in “beta mode”). To help you get … Read more
In Part One, I introduced a spreadsheet I used AI to build to model retirement income, and my idea to use it as a basis to build a simple, easy-to-use, web-based modeling tool. In this article, I’ll tell you more about the tool and how I built it using AI. I’ll also tell you how … Read more
