What’s New
Whenever there is an update of one of our programs, we change the date in the file name. By looking at the change log at the bottom of the first tab, you can tell whether this update is important to you.
This sheet is a log of the various additions to the Helpful Articles links. The entries below have dates, article name and the section listed in the Helpful Articles link.
1/19/12. What are we thinking? Our country is in deep financial trouble--and the corrective actions from the Administration, Congress and political candidates are all too anemic to help. You may want to join me with some investments that will increase with inflation and a Roth to reduce the future tax burden.
1/11/12. Is your financial adviser any good? Too often in this low return environment, financial firms are making more from your investments than you are. It's easy to see if this is true in your case. This article explains how. You may need to fire your investment adviser and get another one. This can make a very large increase in your future retirement portfolio and your future spending.
12/27/11. When can only a penny extra income cost you over $1,800 tax? Those over 65, or soon to be so, can easily fall into this common trap. Knowing about it gives you reason to plan to avoid it.
12/23/11. Saving is a Virtue. Most of us are saving far too little. This article considers some of the history behind savings rates and the reasons why we must now save more.
12/17/11. Pre Retirement Planning—At Various Stages. This article suggests very important things to do when 15, 10 and 5 years from retirement. It's got somewhat different points than similar articles on this subject and should be a must-read for Boomers. It's good advice to send to those you know in one of these stages.
12/3/11. Free Retirement Planner. This update adds a budgeting program to the planner which neatly ties the planner and budget programs together into a truly integrated program. The program works both for those still working as well as those who have retired. It has two computer programs running simultaneously to make it easy to compare alternatives of many kinds as well to see what happened had you retired in years past with actual historical inflation and returns corresponding to your savings allocations. Consumer Reports ranked this program as one of the three best free retirement planners on the Web--and now it's even better.
11/30/11. Stretching Investments to the End. This article describes the most important actions I have taken so that my investments will last for well over 40 years of retirement while generally providing annual spending growth to compensate for inflation.
11/11/11. Safe Withdrawal Rates. In an attempt to keep retirement planning simple, analysts and journalists oversimplify retirement planning--most often producing results that exhaust investments prematurely. This article explains the problem and what to do about it.
11/1/11. How often should I rebalance my investments and recalculate my retirement budget? We are facing a future that will require a more conservative approach than in the past, so these questions need more conservative responses than many pundits would offer in the past.
10/27/11. Budgeting for Uncertain Events. These charts provide important planning information that is almost always neglected in financial analysis and retirement planning in particular. See for yourself what a huge difference this may make in your future life.
9/18/11. An Avalanche of Gold Watches is coming. We need quick and large corrections to our current economic conditions. See how bad it can get.
9/17/11. The Best Present. Here is a reference for the kind of things you should have ready if you become incapacitated or die. Your spouse, children, caretaker and executor will be forever grateful!
8/31/11. King for a Day. Have some fun trying to find a way to solve our national debt problem. You've fired the Chairman of the Fed, got rid of the Secretary of the Treasury and bullied Congress into doing whatever you want. So you can control taxes, government spending and interest rates on the national debt. Simply click on the arrows in the program, and the future economy is in your control.
8/30/11. King for a Day article. This article illustrates the dramatic steps you must take to save the country from economic disaster for our children and their children now that you are King and fired many of the previous people that got us into this trouble.
8/24/11. Where is this country heading? I’ve extended the work in my previous article, Looking Ahead, in order to try and find some solutions to our nation’s debt problems. It’s tough, but see what is required in this article.
8/18/11. Looking Ahead. This is a narrative that explains the economic difficulties coming from the growth of government spending beyond its means, the need to be able to support the interest on our debts, the aging of our population, and the cumulative effects of previous over-consumption. It also describes what individuals can do to protect themselves.
8/15/11. Want your teeth in retirement? Dental costs are very high and hard on retirees. This article suggests ways that people can help protect themselves from catastropic dental costs or dentures.
8/1/11. Dilbert’s Food Storage Commentary. Scott Adams offers some good tips about emergency preparedness in his July 7, 2011 strip. Dilbert’s Food Storage commentary takes it one step further.
6/1/11. Free Social Security Planner. This is probably the most powerful planner available to make important decisions about Social Security whether you are single or married.
5/28/11. Free Retirement Planner. This version makes it easy to explore different ages to start Social Security. It runs two computer programs simultaneously to make it easy to compare alternatives of many kinds as well to see what happened had you retired in years past with actual historical inflation and returns corresponding to your savings allocations. Consumer Reports ranked this program as one of the three best retirement planners on the Web and best for pension clarity because employers sometimes have misleading projections.
5/23/11. A problem without a solution. The bleak future we face.
5/23/11. The aging problem. Political and economic problems coming.
4/27/11. Simple Investment Rules Pay Handsomely
4/10/11. Working in Retirement: How much can you spend from your working wages?
2/17/11. Are you prepared to retire—health wise?
1/5/11. Can we recover from excessive consumption?
1/5/11. Spread sheet with source material for Can we recover from excessive consumption?
12/2/10. Advice to My Grandchildren. Pre Retirement
12/2/10. On Being Conservative. Economics
10/24/10. Common Sense Economics. Economics
9/12/10. Don't forget the ladies. Planning, Pre Retirement
9/5/10. Frugality is an important part of preparedness! Budgeting
9/5/10. Multiple skills provide resilience. Planning, General
8/20/10. No Economist will tell you this! Economics
6/25/10. Searching for Yield. Investments
6/15/10. There must be a pony in here! Investments
6/9/10. Watch your planner's planning! Planning, General
4/25/10. Personal Thoughts on Immediate Annuities. Annuities
3/19/10. Is Debt Friend or Foe? Planning, General
3/2/10. Free Retirement Planner. (Previously named Free Pre Retirement Planner +.) Now useful for retirees as well and helpful for those exploring Social Security alternatives. Free Programs
2/28/10. The Gold Watch. Economics
12/15/09 Should I convert my IRA to a Roth? Free Programs
11/25/09 Investing for the Future. Investments
8/22/09 When Will Prosperity Come Again? Budgeting
8/12/09 On Being Conservative. Planning, General
7/20/09 Saving Money and Pain with Health Insurance. Health Insurance
5/19/09 Growing Savings, Income and Investments Now. Planning, General
5/14/09 Baby Boomer's One-Page Planner. Planning, Pre Retirement
4/08/09 You can be the Joneses of the future. Budgeting
3/19/09 A National Recovery That Will Work. Taxes
2/26/09 My own investment choices now. Investments
2/23/09 It's time to cry "Uncle!" Taxes
1/27/09 Why won't the government, finance industry and financial media tell the truth? Economics
1/23/09 Planning and Investing in Difficult Times. Planning, General
12/23/08 Doesn't Anyone Get It? Economics
12/15/08 Learn when to start (and to take back) Social Security to get the most in retirement. Social Security
12/10/08 An 84 year old lady teaches us a financial lesson. Budgeting
12/9/08 Can you afford the bailout costs? Taxes
10/8/08 The sky will fall on many people, but there is hope for some. Investments
9/16/08 Investment actions in turbulent times. Investments
9/04/08 Heirs may get little, feds lots. Taxes
8/22/08 Solving the nation's debt problem with I.O.U.S.A. Economics
8/19/08 Hidden Government Costs Hit Your Wallet. Taxes
8/11/08 Algae for Energy. Energy
8/7/08 Solutions to the Energy Problem. Energy
7/15/08 Can we afford such generous government pensions? Taxes
7/10/08 Using Historical Financial Data. Planning, General
7/4/08 Pay off our mortgage at retirement? Planning, Post Retirement
6/25/08 Is there a way out of this economic mess? Planning, General
6/16/08 Planning with unrealized gains. Taxes
6/13/08 Should retirees sell now if taxes will be greater next year? Taxes
6/5/08 Another Misleading Article on Our Wealth Growth, Taxes
6/4/08 Inflation can destroy retirement. Economics
5/8/08 Retirees get blasted by inflation. Economics
4/28/08 A Different Perspective. Economics
2/29/08 Our nation is headed for trouble. Are you? Economics
5/10/07 Evaluating an Immediate Annuity in Retirement. Annuities
3/29/07 Deferred Social Security likely to be better than an annuity. Social Security
1/1/07 Count on Energy Problems. Energy
8/14/06 The Best Investment—for someone approaching age 62. Investments
7/4/06 When to start social security. Social Security
3/17/06 Doing Better Than Your Peers. Planning, General
12/19/05 Prosperity Depends of the Most Dismal Part of the Dismal Science. Economics
8/21/05 The Best Gift for Your Spouse-- or Executor. Estate
7/30/05 The Simplest Retirement Plan for Retirees. Planning, Post Retirement
6/9/05 Keeping up with the Jones. Budgeting
5/23/05 Head in the Sand Planning. Planning, General
4/30/05 Do You Need Long Term Care Insurance? Investments
4/14/05 Immediate Annuities' Four Whammies. Annuities
3/8/05 An Appeal for Better Planning. Planning. Post Retirement
3/2/05 Investments That Can Equal Social Security Benefits. Investments
3/2/05 Are Personal Retirement Accounts for You? Social Security
2/2/05 Cost-of-Living-Adjusted (COLA) Annuities (PDF File). Annuities
12/15/04 Private Accounts for Social Security. Social Security
12/8/04 Retirement Risk. Planning. Post Retirement
12/6/04 Survivor Benefits. Estate
10/29/04 Replacement Cost Budgeting. Reserves
10/27/04 Laddering CDs and Bonds. Investments
9/1/04 Plan on Less Social Security and More Tax. Social Security
8/3/04 Inflation and Debt in Retirement Planning. Planning, General
8/1/04 What Goes Around Comes Around. Investments
8/1/04 The Biggest Retirement Planning Myth. Planning, Pre Retirement
6/24/04 Financial Dynamics Improves Lifelong Planning (PDF File). Planning, Pre Retirement
6/14/04 Government's Retirement Double-Talk. Economics
5/16/04 Self Reliance. Budgeting
4/22/04 Brutal Facts of Retirement Budgeting. Budgeting
4/22/04 How Much Income Will I Need in Retirement? Planning, Pre Retirement
12/23/03 Do-It-Yourself Retirement Spreadsheets (PDF File). Planning, Pre Retirement
11/23/03 Are You Planning on Living to 100? Planning, Post Retirement
7/10/03 Provident Living. Planning, Pre Retirement
5/25/03 Will Reduced Tax Rates Help Your Retirement? (PDF File). Economics
2/8/03 Can You Trust a Trust or Its Trustee? Estate
10/14/02 Selecting a Program for Retirement Planning (PDF File). Planning, Pre Retirement
9/24/02 Ten Steps To A Better Financial Future. Planning, Pre Retirement
8/27/02 Reserves (PDF File). Reserves
7/17/02 The Future Is Likely To Be Tough (PDF File). Economics
5/13/02 Start Social Security at 62, 66, or 70? (PDF File). Social Security
1/31/02 A National Tragedy (PDF File). Economics
11/3/01 Retirees Need Conservative Planning (PDF File). Planning, Post Retirement
10/4/01 Smart Actions In Turbulent Markets (PDF File). Investments
9/18/01 Mad as H,E, double Q! (PDF File). Planning, Pre Retirement
8/18/01 Financial Planners Have a Lot of Crow to Eat (PDF File). Planning, Post Retirement
8/18/01 Social Security and Inflation (PDF File). Social Security
7/22/01 Saving for Retirement (PDF File). Planning, Pre Retirement
4/3/01 Pattern for Disaster (PDF File). Economics
3/22/01 Bad Assumptions (PDF File). Planning, Post Retirement
3/12/01 For Retirees Only. Planning, Post Retirement
1/2/01 Reverse Dollar Cost Averaging (PDF File). Investments
10/2/00 Spending Costs Savings. Budgeting
10/2/00 Are You Prepared to Retire? Budgeting
10/2/00 Retirement Asset Allocation. Investments
10/2/00 What? Retirement Funds from Your Home? Planning, General
10/2/00 Retirement Planning: Morticians vs. Obstetricians. Planning, Pre Retirement
10/2/00 The OSIFs of Retirement Planning. Reserves
10/2/00 Social Security at Age 62? Social Security
9/12/99 Put Your Retirement Planning on Autopilot! (PDF File). Planning, Post Retirement