My New Book “Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up” Has Been Released!

I announced earlier that I would soon publish my next book, Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up. I’m excited to announce that it’s been released and is now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions! In this article, I want to tell you more about it and offer some giveaways to celebrate … Read more

The New Administration and Your Retirement Stewardship: Part 2

This article is the second about the incoming Biden administration and its plans and proposals that could be most impactful to those planning for or already in retirement. I wrote these articles because part of wise retirement stewardship involves understanding the changing “times and seasons.” As Dan. 2:21 says, He changes times and seasons; he … Read more

The New Administration and Retirement Stewardship: Part 1

As you know, I don’t “get political” on this blog. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about politics; I do. I focus on other things here, but when the political winds change as dramatically as they have, it’s important to understand (and plan for) possible changes in the tax code and other policies and laws … Read more

My “Bucket Strategy”

I think many retirees, especially those with fewer savings, should strongly consider the “cash bucket with income floor” strategy that I discussed in the last article. If you have a pension or annuity income, or cash value in a permanent life insurance product, in combination with Social Security, then you already have an “income floor.” … Read more

The “Cash Bucket Strategy”: Issues and Alternatives

This article is the second in a three-part series on the “Bucket Strategy.” The bucket strategy is a good one, but it’s not perfect. I have been using a version of the bucket strategy since I retired in 2018, structured in what I would call a “strategic growth and income” portfolio. Overall, I still think … Read more

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the “Cash Bucket Strategy”

The coronavirus pandemic and corresponding market crash will likely cause the retirement “Cash Bucket Strategy” to become more popular. As Dave Ramsey often says, “cash is king.” Earlier this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic ensued, like lots of other retirees, I watched as my retirement investments took a huge hit. Early estimates were that millions … Read more

Retirement Stewardship During Extremely Low Interest Rates

The COVID-19 pandemic has created some significant economic repercussions, not the least of which is a further reduction of already low prevailing interest rates. They were already low—now they’re EXTREMELY low. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve recently announced that it would keep interest rates near zero for the foreseeable future, perhaps through 2022 or longer. It … Read more

Announcing My New Book: “The Minister’s Retirement”

I am very excited to announce that my new book, The Minister’s Retirement, has been released and is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. The following is from the introductory material in the book: “This is a book about planning for retirement targeted specifically at ministers. Granted, most ministers I know would … Read more

The Growing Federal Debt and Your Investments

With the COVID-19 pandemic came unprecedented levels of federal spending. As a result, the national debt has reached $26 trillion, and the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the federal deficit for 2020 will hit $3.7 trillion. The government has been borrowing money from the taxpayers for various purposes related to the economic crisis precipitated by the national … Read more