Most couples plan for retirement together. They think about Social Security, investment income, required minimum distributions, healthcare costs and how much they can comfortably spend. But there’s another scenario that deserves attention: What happens financially when one spouse dies? One often-overlooked consequence is sometimes referred to as the
Most successful people don’t have a shortage of financial professionals. They may have a financial advisor managing investments, a CPA preparing taxes, an attorney handling estate documents, and perhaps an insurance or Medicare specialist. On the surface, that can feel like everything is covered. But there is an important
Most people approaching retirement have accumulated a variety of financial pieces over the years. They may have a 401(k), IRAs, brokerage accounts, Social Security, insurance policies, a will or trust, and relationships with a CPA, attorney, or financial advisor. But having all of those pieces does not necessarily mean
Every fall, retirees review their Medicare coverage. They compare premiums, prescription plans, provider access, and out-of-pocket costs. But there is one part of Medicare planning that is easy to overlook: Your tax decisions can affect what you pay for Medicare. That is why Medicare planning and tax planning
Most people think of Medicare planning and tax planning as two separate decisions. They aren’t. Medicare uses your income from two years earlier to determine whether you’ll pay an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, better known as IRMAA. That means financial decisions you make in 2026 could affect
While you’re working, a market decline can be uncomfortable. In retirement, it can be something more—the money that’s falling may also be the money you’re depending on to fund your lifestyle. That creates a challenge many retirees overlook. If your retirement paycheck depends heavily on selling
Many people approaching retirement already have a financial advisor. They have investments. They may have a CPA, an estate plan, insurance and a Social Security strategy. But here’s an important question: Do all those pieces actually work together? Retirement changes the job of your money. It’s no longer
Procrastination is funny. A recent article prompted readers to share things they had not “gotten around to.” Here are a few examples: * A bathroom that began its redecoration twelve years ago is still not painted. Oh, that hurts! * In September, the Christmas tree is still up from the year before.
Each fall, monarch butterflies migrate over 2,000 miles to central Mexico. Interestingly, when making course corrections, monarchs do not simply take the shortest turn to get back on route. They align themselves according to what’s called a separation point, and if a monarch gets off course, it will
Tryon Palace was built in 1770 as the first permanent capital of the colony of North Carolina. Governor William Tryon had brought John Hawks, an English architect, with him to design the palace like manor homes in London. It became one of the finest buildings in America. Sadly, in February
Since the late 1980s, geophysicists have been building a network of hyper-advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments to monitor the Earth. With this technology, they have discovered something interesting. The Earth's surface is constantly moving AND changing direction. They use the data to simulate possible future changes
With powerful data analysis and computer graphics technology, scientists have been able to recreate what they think is a painting that Rembrandt would have painted. By analyzing each of his paintings pixel by pixel and creating a height map to mimic his brush strokes, the creators produced a new “Rembrandt”