There is recession talk everywhere with tips on what to do. Time to put my hat in the ring 🙂 Following the scouts’ motto of “always be prepared“, how to go about planning? Where to start?
Category: Retirement
Millennials, do financial service providers think you are dumb?
Betterment the Roboadvisor had an interesting product announcement – called Smart Saver. I was pretty psyched – was it a deposit account? Are they getting into the bank game?
Continue reading “Millennials, do financial service providers think you are dumb?”
Things investors should be thankful for
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, what should investors be thankful for?
Low Fee Index ETF’s. Access to a liquid S&P500 Tracker for 0.05%, who-wouda-thunk? Fees are the silent killer of your portfolio, lower the fees more of the return you get to keep!
I Savings Bonds – the best kept secret
I am a strong proponent of loading up on I Savings Bonds issued by the US Government treasury. In treasury’s own words
I Bonds are a low-risk, liquid savings product. While you own them they earn interest and protect you from inflation.
- Sold at face value; you pay $50 for a $50 bond.
- Purchased in amounts of $25 or more, to the penny.
- $10,000 maximum purchase in one calendar year.
- Issued electronically to your designated account.
What’s your Retirement Number?
It’s a question we should have an answer to. What’s your retirement number, how much money do you need to live comfortably through retirement.
It’s a complicated question, and scares most people (it scared me :)) But have no fear, Excel to the rescue! You can build a rudimentary model to at least get a good idea of your number. All values in the model are post-tax numbers. Tax effects are for another post!
Some base assumptions:
- Retirement age is 65
- Life expectancy is 80
Lets break it down.