More posts by Humble Dollar
WHEN FOLKS TALKabout their best financial decisions, they’ll often mention the investments they bought. But my list is quite different.…
MANY TIMES IN MYcareer, I’ve heard people say, “The stock market is just one big casino” or “Buying stocks is…
TWO MONTHS AGO,Ifessed upto my addiction to financial market news. Despite knowing better, I’ve followed the markets closely for years…
I RECENTLY LEFT MYjob without having another lined up. Upon quitting, I noticed an immediate mindset shift: I went from…
I’M PLAYING ECONOMISTtoday, looking ahead to third-quarter GDP, thefirst estimateof which was released Thursday. No, I won’t be offering a…
IT’S EMBARRASSINGto admit in a public forum that I failed at retirement. But I’m doing so—because I think people can…
A LOT OF INK HASbeen spilled over young people’s spending decisions and the impact on retirement savings. Whether it’s a…
ONE OF THE VERYbest financial decisions is available to almost every American worker. That’s the good news. The bad news:…
IMAGINE YOU PLANto retire next year. What can you do beforehand to gain the most later on? Here are some…
PERSONAL FINANCEpundits love to debate safe withdrawal rates—the amount a retiree can withdraw each year from a portfolio without depleting…
HOW LUCKY I WASto be the recipient of a dinner invitation to Ruth’s Chris. I love a sizzling ribeye, so…
VANGUARD GROUPrecently announcedsignificant price cuts for its fleet of target-date retirement funds. Currently, investors can own a Vanguard target fund…
“SHOULD YOU BUYan annuity from Social Security?” That’s the title of apaperreleased by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research (CRR)…
I’M NOT A RULEbreaker. In the nearly 40 years I’ve had a driver’s license, I’ve received just one traffic citation.…
WANT TO IMPROVEyour investment results? The deadly sins below are not only among the most serious financial transgressions, but also…
THE MUCH-DEBATED 4% rule—which I wrote about back in July—is a popular way to think about portfolio withdrawals in retirement. But it isn’t…
TODAY’S STOCK MARKETreminds me of Charles Dickens’s famous line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of…
IF YOU’RE MARRIED,it’s almost certain that one of you will outlive the other—perhaps by many years. What are the financial…
I HAVE DEVOTEDmy entire adult life to learning about money. That might sound like cruel-and-unusual punishment, but I’ve mostly enjoyed…
FROM THE LOFTYperch of old age, and after a lifetime of thrift, I declare that I am qualified to comment…
FINANCIAL EXPERTSoften advise retirees to delay claiming Social Security. Their actuarial tables and statistics make acompellingcase. Still, as soon as…
GROWING UP, I WASheavily influenced by the ideals of the Protestantwork ethic. Working hard and finding career success provided great…
ON THE SURFACE,Social Security seems straightforward: During our working years, we pay into the system. Then, when we’re older, the…
VANGUARD GROUPreleased its latestHow America Savesreport last month. The survey details the behavior of participants in Vanguard-managed 401(k) and similar…
OVER A PRODUCTIVE30-year career that ended in 1950, Willie Sutton robbed as many as 100 banks for gains worth $40…
MANY PEOPLE TELL MEthey need, say, $1 million or $2 million to retire, effectively equating retirement with a dollar amount.…
RETIREMENT CAN BEthe best time of our life—but only if we manage it right. I recently passed a milestone: the…
ONE PERCENTis the average annual costchargedby actively managed stock mutual funds. One percent is also thetypical feecharged by financial advisors…
ON THE JOURNEYto retirement, should you focus on setting a retirement spending budget or on making sure you have adequate…
MANY DREAM of retiring to the beach. My wife and I just did it. We recently sold our primary home outside…
