Posts by Barb

You know that feeling in early January when you open your credit card statement and wonder what happened? The holidays felt modest enough while they were happening, but somehow the numbers tell a different story. A dinner here, gifts there, last-minute travel costs, the extra groceries for hosting—it all seemed reasonable until it wasn’t. For…

“What are the best ways to invest my money without taking on too much risk?” That’s always the first question I hear from my clients when we talk about income and investments. I know how hard it is to balance between keeping your money safe and making it grow. Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming, but…

Why the 2026 COLA may not go as far as you think — and how to plan ahead As 2025 winds down, many retirees are taking stock of what the new year will bring — including a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to Social Security benefits starting in January. That’s roughly $56 more per month for…

Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, gathering, and good food—but it’s also the quiet kickoff to a season when spending can slip out of sync with your goals. For retirees living on fixed or carefully managed incomes, the pressure to give, host, travel, and spoil loved ones can build fast. What starts as a joyful tradition…

As the days get shorter and calendars fill up with holiday plans, it’s easy to push financial tasks aside — especially when they don’t feel urgent yet. But for retirees, November is the sweet spot to take control of your finances before the holiday rush and year-end deadlines collide. From tax-saving opportunities to income planning and Medicare decisions,…

Your alarm goes off at 6 AM. Again. You drag yourself up, thinking: do I really want to do this for another ten years? But then you imagine waking up with nothing to do—no meetings, no deadlines, no reason to get dressed—and that feels equally wrong. You’re caught between two fears. The fear of staying…

You know that feeling at 2 a.m. when your mind won’t shut off? When you’re staring at the ceiling, running through the same worries on repeat? Many retirees share that experience — not because they regret leaving work, but because retirement brings up questions they’ve never said out loud. Asking those questions doesn’t mean you’re…

Halloween might bring out ghosts, goblins, and pumpkins on porches, but for many retirees, the real chills don’t come from spooky movies — they come from money worries that sneak up when everything else quiets down. You’ve spent decades saving, planning, and working toward the freedom of retirement. But sometimes, even with the best intentions,…

December 30th. You’re wrapping up holiday plans when you remember—did you take your required minimum distribution this year? For retirees who’ve been managing RMDs for years, this moment might bring a quick mental checkmark. But for those handling their first few years of distributions, or juggling multiple accounts, that sinking feeling can hit hard. The rules…

After a turbulent few years of inflation, market swings, healthcare price hikes, and economic uncertainty, a quiet shift is taking place among retirees and those nearing retirement. It’s not about panic or paranoia. It’s about purpose. They’re saving again — but not the way they used to. They’re saving with urgency, with discipline, and, in…