But a workaround may be possible for at least one case — It’s not a fun topic, but you need life insurance if anyone depends on you being around. Entire volumes can and have been written about what type of life insurance is best in which case, and how to figure out how much insurance you should buy depending on your circumstances. …

What 35 years’ experience taught me about productivity — less is more… — One of my favorite writers on Medium is Darius Foroux. One of the best-kept open secrets here, the man collected 274k followers (and is one of just 77 writers I follow!). Wondering what the heck Foroux has to do with my to-do list method? Give me 30 seconds and it’ll…

My personal experience agrees with Fed data… — We’ve been building our wealth for three decades now. Starting from a negative net worth in 1992, we could now stop working (if we lowered our standard of living from great to merely good). My projections show we should reach work-optional status at our current standard of living or better…

Money can make or break your relationship — here are 3 ways to achieve financial bliss with your significant other… — I married my college girlfriend when we were both 25. We didn’t have much and neither of us earned much, so managing that little bit was simple, if not always easy. Over the following 15 years, the most either of us ever earned was $60k a year, and our incomes…

The real number may surprise you… — When I was in my late 20s, I thought there was zero chance I’d ever be wealthy. As a graduate student working on an academic career, it simply wasn’t in the cards. My dad, one of the wisest people I ever had the privilege of knowing, told me my career…

And should you take advantage of the new capability? — While defined-benefit pensions are a thing of bygone times for many, other plans have their place for most of us. If you’re like me, your retirement depends on how well you take advantage… A Brief History of (the Most Widely Used) Retirement Plans In 1974, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) created tax-deferred individual retirement accounts (IRAs) that let…

Tips from a former renter, now landlord, on how you can save thousands of dollars a year on housing… — My first rental apartment, at age 22, was a one-bedroom, fourth-floor walkup (daily step-climbing workouts included at no extra cost 😉). It overlooked a large bakery. The scent of freshly baked bread was fabulous. The constant thin layer of white flour covering everything in our home? Much less so.

The secret to winning the retirement game is to play it differently — “When do you want to retire?” he asked me. It was 1993, he was an Ameriprise financial advisor trying to win my business, and I was a 30-year-old guy with a physics PhD, a young family, and a too-small salary. I also loved what I did and couldn’t imagine ever…

All is not lost just because you got a poor hand to play… — It took me a while to realize it. We’ve always “known” in the US that if you work hard, you’ll get ahead. The American Dream was alive and well for everyone, right? Yeah, no; as they now say. The money game is actually rigged against anyone who isn’t already wealthy. Why Is Retiring So Hard? Turns Out the Money Game’s Rigged The data show how few of us have a reasonably easy path to ever retiringmedium.com