Managing Your Financial Future

Do Higher Interest Rates Change Your Bucket Strategy?- Episode 149
Managing Your Financial Future

Do Higher Interest Rates Change Your Bucket Strategy?- Episode 149

August 29, 2023

The past 18 months or so have seen interest rates rise from near zero to levels we haven’t seen in more than a decade. This is great for savers, especially those who have become accustomed to earning little to nothing on their non-volatile assets.  Of course, a key part of the Bucket Strategy® involves taking income (cash flow) from those non-volatile assets, regardless of what they may or may not be earning. Now that interest rates have come back up, what does this new environment mean for the strategy going forward? Does it change the way you should be setting up your buckets? 
What Some Critics Get Wrong About Buckets- Episode 148
Managing Your Financial Future

What Some Critics Get Wrong About Buckets- Episode 148

August 22, 2023

One of the biggest fears that retirees have is that they’ll run short of money.  A Bucket Strategy® aims to solve that problem by matching assets to liabilities, so that you’re never in a situation where you need to sell a volatile asset in order to meet your spending needs. The key, though, is that the strategy must be set up properly.  How much safe (non-volatile) money should you have at hand, and how much should be allocated toward growth?  This important aspect is one that too many financial pundits and journalists simply get wrong.
Will Your Nest Egg Last Longer Than You Do?- Episode 147
Managing Your Financial Future

Will Your Nest Egg Last Longer Than You Do?- Episode 147

August 15, 2023

You may have heard that if you take no more than 4 percent of your portfolio’s value every year, it will (statistically) last at least 30 years. But does following this “4-percent rule” actually guarantee that you won’t run out of money? It does not. Too many factors can come into play over the course of a retirement that can interrupt – or completely disrupt – your ability to generate a lifetime of income.  So what can you do to avoid the increasing worry as you get older that your money will eventually run out? The short, simple answer is this: have a strategy.
401k or IRA – Where Should You Keep Your Retirement Money?- Episode 145
Managing Your Financial Future

401k or IRA – Where Should You Keep Your Retirement Money?- Episode 145

August 1, 2023

Maybe you’ve been saving most of your working life in a 401k. Great! But what happens when you retire? Should you leave that money in the 401k, or transfer it to an IRA? The answer, as it turns out, is “it depends.” Today’s episode starts off with an email asking why someone may want to do one or the other – or both. Further along, we answer more of your email questions: taxes, 401k matching funds, Social Security benefits, and how pension payments may affect your ability to collect a full retirement benefit.