Retirement Answer Man

Is thankfulness the key to a happy life and retirement? It seems like everything I read about happiness contains the common theme of gratitude. Being a thankful person can greatly increase your happiness and the Thanksgiving holiday is a wonderful opportunity to give thankfulness a try. So this Thanksgiving edition of Retirement Answer Man focuses on being thankful to help you create your best lif...

November is that time of year when we gear up for the holiday season. Although the season seems to start earlier and earlier each year. Now that we’re in full consumerism mode, it’s great to have some gift ideas to help ease the stress of the holidays. So this year, we’ve come up with 10 gift ideas for gifts that keep on giving. They are not too expensive and have a personal touch that you can app...

With the holidays coming up shortly it can be a troubling time of year for many as they gather together with family that they may not see often. One way to make family time less stressful is by trying to understand differences in personalities. Everyone approaches life differently and it can be a challenge to understand why some people make the choices they do. Gretchen Rubin is the author of the...

Welcome to the Halloween edition of Retirement Answer Man. On this spooky episode, I regale you with 4 scary retirement stories that will haunt you. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t end up living one of these retirement nightmares. You can begin by listening to the Hot Topic segment to discover what solutions you can begin implementing if you are behind in your retirement savings. Listen to...

As exciting as it is, the thought of retirement can be a scary one. By the time you reach retirement age, it seems like you have life all figured out. Now you’ll have to start all over again in the big, scary unknown. Why should you leave the comfort, income, and respect that you have in your career for a life of instability and the unknown? Listeners share their worries as well as their hopes for...

Have you ever wondered what recent retirees wish they had known before they retired? Recently I asked a group of listeners what kind of resources they would get the most value from to help them prepare for retirement. I am creating an online club that will help you Rock Retirement. On this episode, I share with you conversations that I had with listeners about retirement hopes and fears. These lis...

Debt is not a new invention, it has been around for thousands of years. But the modern idea of debt really came into being during the baby boomer generation. The availability of credit has made it so easy for anyone and everyone to get into debt. It comes as no surprise then, that debt among the 65 and over crowd is on the rise. The age-old question of whether you should pay off your house before...

You Asked is back! On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, a listener asks an excellent question about ageism and whether it is possible to find meaningful work after 50. You may not have experienced ageism directly, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a problem. With the United States experiencing an increasingly aging population, there is a large percentage of the population over the age of 50...

Do you have too much stuff? Are you like me? Have you lived in your home for several years and have a lifetime supply of clutter? If you are planning on moving in retirement then you must purge some of this stuff. On the Hot Topic segment, I provide tips on purging. In the Practical Planning segment, I help you discover how to make the most of your new locale. Listen to this episode for valuable t...

Where you live in retirement does not depend on the school district, your job, or having a bigger house for the kids. For the first time in your life you can live anywhere you want with no restrictions. If you are thinking of relocating in retirement then you’ll definitely want to listen to the Relocation in Retirement series of this show. On this episode, we’ll be discussing what the consideratio...

Although most retirees choose to retire in place, I have seen a significant number of my clients choose to move as they retire. Over the next three episodes, we will be discussing relocation in retirement. Retirement and moving are both on the list of top 5 most stressful life event so I want to arm you with as much information as possible to help you get through the challenge of moving in retirem...

For many retirees, retiring is more about time freedom rather than not working. This is why so many people decide to become entrepreneurs and enjoy a pretirement phase of life. My guest on episode 237 is author Mike Michalowicz who helps entrepreneurs learn how to step away from their business. He is the author of three fantastic entrepreneurial books and he has a new book that just released calle...

Have you ever rented a vacation home for a large family gathering? Or have you invited friends to come to visit you while you’re in a vacation rental? That is what my wife and I have decided to do next summer. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, I give tips for finding and renting a vacation home. During the practical planning segment, I answer several listener questions since this is the la...

On Episode 235 of Retirement Answer Man, I share helpful tips on adulting. Some of us in our 50s and 60s may not have everything in life figured out quite as much as we thought we would by now. I discuss an article that I read recently that has adulting tips that actually include great advice and I add in some (expert) advice of my own. This episode is the third episode in the You Asked series and...

August is listener question month on Retirement Answer Man. The You Asked series devotes the entire 5 weeks to answering listener questions. During the hot topic segment, I discuss an interesting article that I read recently about the stats of alcohol abuse in retirement. You may be surprised to find out that over 3 million older adults abuse alcohol. You may even know someone that abuses alcohol...

Episode 233 is the second episode in the You Asked series. During the entire month of August, I answer listener questions. In the hot topic segment, I confront the constant precursor that begins every financial conversation - “Given this market.” What does this phrase really mean? Why are people suddenly concerned with the markets now, should they be, and just what markets are they talking about?...

This month on Retirement Answer Man we are focusing on you! We will be answering listener questions all month long. Since we just finished the Maximizing Social Security series I will answer some social security questions on this episode while the information is still fresh in our minds. If you had any more questions after listening to the Maximizing Social Security series then you will definitely...

Welcome to the final episode of the Maximizing Social Security series. In this episode, we get down to business. When do you file? How do you make this decision? If you are wondering these things then you need to listen to this episode. During the Practical Planning segment, I welcome social security guru, Devin Carroll. He has been studying social security for years and even has a book dedicated...

This month on Retirement Answer Man we are maximizing social security benefits. All month long we are discussing the ins and outs of social security. The government doesn’t make anything simple, and social security is no different. So be sure to catch the entire series, beginning with episode 228 to fully understand the complexities of social security and how to maximize your benefits. This episod...

Social security is an important part of retirement even if you have plenty of assets. That is why we are dedicating the whole month to learn how to maximize your social security benefits. This is the second episode in the four-episode series in which we discuss the best social security benefits calculators. This may not be the most exciting topic, but it is important to learn how to get the most o...

The Retirement Answer Man theme for July is how to maximize social security. On this episode, we’re covering the basics: how it works, and are social security benefits even going to be there when you retire? This can be a bit of a dense subject, but I will do my best to make the topic as fun and interesting as possible. You may think that social security won’t play a very big role in your retireme...

Welcome to the last episode in the Entrepreneurship in Retirement series on Retirement Answer Man. We have been discussing the dream of entrepreneurship after retiring during the past three episodes of this series. This episode closes the series as I interview 3 different entrepreneurs that got sick of the rat race and struck out on their own. These entrepreneurs have very different stories about...

So you want to start a business, but starting everything from scratch seems like so much work. Isn’t there an easy way to buy into an already proven system and execute it? If you think this sounds like a good way to start a business, then buying a franchise might be right for you. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man franchise attorney Josh Brown joins me to explain the pros and cons of buying...

On this episode, we explore the aspect of mindset and explore the question: What are some of the mindset attributes of a successful entrepreneur? Mindset is a huge hurdle for so many entrepreneurs. You need to get into the mindset right before you ever consider entrepreneurship. At this stage in life, you don’t have the time to make up for any mistakes the way that you would if you were in your 20...

Why do people start businesses in retirement? Over the next few weeks, we explore this question in the Entrepreneurship in Retirement series. Just because you retire doesn’t mean that you stop living. Many people have so much to give back after they retire that they choose to start their own business. This episode will cover the whys, the ways, and the hows of beginning entrepreneurship in retirem...