It’s one of those debates that rarely seems to have a clear-cut winner: Should retirees pay off their mortgage or continue making those monthly payments? The answer — probably somewhat annoyingly — is that it depends. Of course, there are a couple of immediate benefits to paying off a mortgage: Your monthly obligations drop and you may get more wiggle room in your cash flow. However, depending on where the [...]

Sometimes you hear about people who retire and they say they’re going to play golf every day. Fast forward six months and they’re bored out of their minds. What happened? If you call it a career but only have one or two hobbies or pursuits, chances are you’re not going to be very happy. Read: How much do you need to retire? Check out this new calculator “To be precise, [...]

I have read a lot of retirement books touting the “keys to a successful retirement.” Some have great ideas. But I think they miss a key ingredient. My contention: To have a successful retirement, we need to start with a proper understanding of work. Admittedly, it’s a counterintuitive way of looking at retirement. But sometimes looking at a problem backward can help us find creative solutions. In other words, examine [...]

Retiring early seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. The growing popularity of the so-called FIRE movement — short for financial independence, retire early — is a testament to how much everyone seems to be craving a slice of “the easy life.” The good news is that in many U.S. states, what most people would call an “early” retirement is within reach. Although “full retirement age” for Social Security purposes [...]

Does retirement seem like a distant, imaginary land to you? Possibly a goal that seems far out of reach? Beware — one day, out of nowhere, you will have made it to the “Promised Land” of retirement. For some this is planned, for some this is forced, and for some, retirement is a spur-of-the-moment decision. For those who have planned for retirement, hopefully this new stage of life contains a [...]

The realities you face when you stop working might be a far cry from your retirement dream. Of course, retiring broke or not being able to retire at all are among the worst-case scenarios. Read More: Hidden Obstacles That Keep People From Retirement But there are plenty of other snags you might encounter. If you haven’t properly prepared for leaving the working world and living without a paycheck, you’ll have to face the [...]