crylam

I am not sure I have ever written about this subject before. Satisfying Retirement is not a financial blog, but our monetary resources are an important part of how well we live, so it is not a subject I ignore. If you search the archives there are plenty of blog posts about preparing yourself for retirement, managing your money, budgeting, and all the basic steps that help keep us financially afloat. But, what about after retirement...are we done investing new money? Do we take what we have and figure that is what has to last for the rest of our lives? I can only speak for me, but, yes, that has been my assumption. After all, I don't work anymore. I have no "extra" income do I? What would I use to invest? Actually,  the more I thought about it, the more obvious became the fact that I do have money to invest. Maybe my days of making fresh financial decisions are not over. Here are some of my thoughts: 1) In an earlier post I mentioned that my wife will begin receiving spo...

Not everyone agrees that a financial advisor is necessary. Some of us are quite good at fiscal discipline, understand how investments work, and have the experience and temperament to handle our financial future on our own. For the rest of us (me!), having someone who can help us minimize mistakes and help us reach our goals is prudent. Just like we shouldn't self-diagnose ourselves when a funny-looking skin growth appears somewhere on our body, our financial health benefits from guidance.  In thinking about this post, I figured there are a probably two dozen questions or concerns I could come up with if I were hunting for a new financial advisor (which I am not).  But, that is a bit overwhelming. You might look at such an extensive list and assume that finding the right person is too difficult.  So, I have trimmed the list of key questions to six. The answer to each might lead you to another question or two, and that is good. Though not ...

I will admit, this is a post designed to help me. Even so, I imagine there plenty of folks who wonder the same thing when it is time to trade in that old clunker that is smoking up the neighborhood. Betty and I are close to such a decision and I am torn. I have always purchased, not leased, my cars. I will buy used but only if less than 2 years old. I usually pay cash to avoid the monthly payments. That is especially true on a depreciating asset like an automobile that loses 25% in value the moment it leaves the dealer's lot. I get the best deal I can, write a check and am done with it. If we spill something, or the dog has an accident, we clean it up and forget it. When some less-than-considerate driver dings the door in the parking lot, I shrug it off. With a lease I have to pay a few thousand dollars in cash upfront, and make regular payments for the use of the car, normally for 3 years. At the end of that time, I turn the car in, pay for any excessive mileag...