Early Retirement Resources 2/27/2023
This month, we start out with reminders on the importance of investing in non-financial resources: physical and mental health and relationships.
Financial resources examine massive macroeconomic changes that are occurring, the importance of maintaining humility as an investor, and not living in the past. We’ll also go deep on strategies for creating retirement income.
Finally, I’ll share an excellent resource for those of you considering using a financial planner, and another for those of you considering becoming one.
Enjoy!
Non-Financial Investments
Our first resource is spot on. Unfortunately, I know this because it hit a little too close to home for me. I’m publishing this post from my parents house, where I’m spending a few weeks helping them navigate my mom’s medical condition. Dr. Paddy Barrett writes When Prevention Is Not An Option.
Dennis Friedman describes a “new three-legged stool” for retirement planning: money, health, and social relationships in A Friendly Reminder.
Getting Honest About Physical Struggles and Mental Health
Darrow provided a rare interview and got honest and vulnerable about managing and overcoming physical and mental health challenges on the Clipping Chains Podcast – Darrow Kirkpatrick: Beyond Doubt on the Colorado Trail.
Two giants in the personal finance community, J.D. Roth and Grant Sabatier open up about struggling with burnout and explore what comes after achieving financial and other personal goals on the Earn & Invest Podcast: Are You A Victim of Money Burnout?
Retirement Income
Krisna Patel writes Retirement Income: Six Strategies to help individuals match their individual strategies with their personalities and needs.
One strategy that gets a lot of attention, likely because it is easy to model, is what Patel describes as the static strategy, focusing on determining an initial safe withdrawal rate and spending that amount, adjusted for inflation, through retirement. Mike Piper highlights one of the challenges of implementing this approach, writing Social Security and Safe Spending Rates.
Knowing What We Don’t Know
Investing legend Howard Marks writes Sea Change. He draws on over 50 years of investment experience to provide insights into current macroeconomic trends driving markets and his forecast for a future that may look quite different than investors have come to know. This is a long read, but well worth your time. The most notable aspect of Marks’ writing to me is his humility throughout.
Allan Roth shares The 10 Most Important Things I Tell Clients. Make sure to read all 10!
We know what just happened in markets, maybe too well. Ben Carlson says investors learn the wrong lessons by focusing too much on the recent past, writing Fighting the Last Bull and Bear Market.
Advice About Financial Advice
Cody Garrett is an advice-only financial planner focused on helping those in pursuit of early retirement. Garrett was recently interviewed on the Morningstar Longview Podcast. Topics readers of this blog will find particularly interesting are his insights into what areas of financial planning add value, and why they’re not where many DIYers and planners focus their attention. He also provides valuable insights on the challenges savers face in shifting to life after financial independence. This information will be helpful whether you are trying to select an advisor or do your own planning.
Since I started pursuing my CFP, a substantial number of readers have shared similar aspirations. If you’re in that camp, I recommend attending a FREE webinar this Tuesday February 28th: CFP Exam – Shared Experiences. It is hosted by Cody Garrett and Adam Scherer. Both men have been extremely supportive and helpful on my CFP journey and I highly recommend this webinar to anyone interested.
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Valuable Resources
- The Best Retirement Calculators can help you perform detailed retirement simulations including modeling withdrawal strategies, federal and state income taxes, healthcare expenses, and more. Can I Retire Yet? partners with two of the best.
- Boldin (formerly New Retirement): Web Based High Fidelity Modeling Tool
- Pralana Gold: Microsoft Excel Based High Fidelity Modeling Tool
- Free Travel or Cash Back with credit card rewards and sign up bonuses.
- Monitor Your Investment Portfolio
- Sign up for a free Empower account to gain access to track your asset allocation, investment performance, individual account balances, net worth, cash flow, and investment expenses.
- Our Books
- Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence
- Can I Retire Yet: How To Make the Biggest Financial Decision of the Rest of Your Life
- Retiring Sooner: How to Accelerate Your Financial Independence
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[Chris Mamula used principles of traditional retirement planning, combined with creative lifestyle design, to retire from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. After achieving financial independence, Chris began writing about wealth building, DIY investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design at Can I Retire Yet? He is also the primary author of the book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence. Chris also does financial planning with individuals and couples at Abundo Wealth, a low-cost, advice-only financial planning firm with the mission of making quality financial advice available to populations for whom it was previously inaccessible. Chris has been featured on MarketWatch, Morningstar, U.S. News & World Report, and Business Insider. He has spoken at events including the Bogleheads and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants annual conferences. Blog inquiries can be sent to chris@caniretireyet.com. Financial planning inquiries can be sent to chris@abundowealth.com]
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Thanks, Chris. I’m looking forward to reading these (I hope the podcast have transcripts to read).
I certainly do not have the expertise that Chris demonstrates, but I have tried to educate myself regarding investing. What prompted me to acquire a basic knowledge in this area was because of the predatory and misleading advice I observed from virtually every so called “financial advisor “ I dealt with. The information that Chris disseminates should actually be taught to students in school. It’s amazing to me how fiscally illiterate a significant percentage of individuals are and how the majority are grossly underfunding their retirement. Basic data regarding retirement savings for Americans clearly indicates that the vast majority are going to face some very difficult decisions later in life and very few have any idea of the train wreck heading their way. And with the fiscal insanity of the Federal government, don’t count on congress coming to the rescue.