The Sustainability Principle—Article #4: Building Your Net Worth

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This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. In the previous article, we explored what net worth means, why it matters for sustainable retirement, and how to calculate and track it. We established that your current wealth forms the foundation for everything else in the Sustainability Principle—you can’t generate sustainable … Read more

The Sustainability Principle—Article #3: Understanding Your Net Worth

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This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. In the first two articles in this series, I introduced the Sustainability Principle—the fundamental concept that your retirement will be financially sustainable when your reliable income sources consistently cover your ongoing expenses and obligations throughout your lifetime. We also discussed this from … Read more

The Sustaining Principle—Article #2: Setting Some Guardrails

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This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. As we discussed in the introductory article, the Self-Sustaining Principle, grounded in Paul’s instruction to “be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:12), calls us to wise stewardship. We plan ahead, save diligently, and live responsibly so we won’t burden others in … Read more

The Self-Sustaining Principle—Article #1: Planning Wisely to Avoid Burdening Others

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This article is part of the Biblically-Informed Framework for Retirement Stewardship (BIFRS) series. In the previous article, I introduced a biblical framework for retirement planning based on three principles from John Piper: the Self-Sustaining Principle, the Caregiving Principle, and the Ministry Principle. Together, these three principles provide a simple but theologically well-grounded approach to retirement … Read more

The Real Meaning of Christmas Is Staring Them in the Face

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Sometimes, as the Christmas season approaches, I find myself growing a bit more curmudgeonly about the secularization, commercialization, and cultural noise that tend to drown out the season’s true meaning. When I mumble and grumble about it, my wife tells me I’m being “Scroogy” about Christmas, so I want to start by saying I genuinely … Read more

2025 Year-End: Wrapping Up My Retirement Tax Planning Journey

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As we approach the end of 2025, I wanted to share something with you that’s been on my mind—and increasingly, on this blog—over the past two years. It’s the story of how I’ve navigated one of retirement’s most anxiety-inducing topics: taxes. This compilation will be of particular interest to the following groups of retirees/near retirees: … Read more