Posts by Barb
Will Medicare Drug Costs Increase in 2027?
Some Medicare beneficiaries could pay more for prescription drug coverage in 2027. While not every plan is expected to increase its premiums, a temporary program that’s been helping keep Medicare Part D costs from rising too quickly is set to wind down after 2026. If you’re the type who renews your prescription drug plan automatically…
Read MoreIf Money Isn’t the Goal, What Is?
Retirement planning is one of the few goals we prepare for without first deciding what we’re really trying to achieve. Ask someone how much they need to retire, and they’ll probably have a number in mind. Ask what they want retirement to look like, and the answer is often much less clear. That’s understandable. The…
Read MoreWhat Your Estate Plan Can’t Say
A legally perfect estate plan can still fail your family. That sounds like a contradiction. If the will is valid, the trust is funded, and the beneficiary forms are current, what’s left to go wrong? What’s left is everything the documents were never designed to carry. Disputes Rarely Start With the Plan Itself Most estate…
Read MoreWhy We Keep Moving the Goalposts on “Enough”
One of the strangest things about money is that “enough” has a habit of changing. When you’re 35, you think you’ll feel comfortable once you’ve saved a few hundred thousand dollars. A decade later, that number doesn’t seem nearly as impressive. By the time retirement is around the corner, the target has moved again. The…
Read MoreThe Strange Psychology of Saving
The hardest part of saving for retirement may come after you’ve already done it. Most people think of retirement as a financial transition. In practice, it’s just as much a mental one. For years, the rule was simple: spend less than you earn, set money aside when you can, and think twice before making a…
Read MoreThe First Year of Retirement Is Full of “Firsts”
Retirement doesn’t begin with a farewell party, a gold watch, or your last day at the office. It begins the next morning. The alarm doesn’t go off. The inbox can wait. For the first time in decades, there’s nowhere you have to be. That’s when retirement starts to feel real. Most people spend years preparing…
Read MoreThe Freest Person at the Cookout
There are plenty of things you notice at a Fourth of July cookout. Who’s manning the grill. Who brought the famous potato salad everyone looks forward to each year. Which grandchildren have grown another few inches since last summer. The laughter, the stories, the familiar faces gathered together once again. It’s easy to think of…
Read MoreThe Last Father’s Day Before Retirement
For some fathers, this Father’s Day will feel quietly different. Not because the traditions will change. The phone calls will still come. The grandchildren will still run through the house. The cards will still arrive, signed in handwriting that somehow keeps getting bigger every year. But somewhere in the back of their minds, a question…
Read MoreFive Signs Your Retirement Plan Needs a Second Opinion
Most people wouldn’t hesitate to get a second opinion before a major surgery. Yet when it comes to retirement planning, one of the most important financial decisions of your life, many people assume their current strategy is fine simply because nothing appears to be wrong. The challenge is that retirement planning isn’t always about fixing…
Read MoreWhat Happens If You Don’t Adjust Your Plan in 2026?
Around this point in the year, people stop thinking about their plan—and start reacting to what’s actually happening. Not in a dramatic way. Just small adjustments. Letting more money sit in cash because it’s finally earning something. Holding off on selling investments when markets feel uneven. Taking income from wherever feels easiest instead of where…
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