Author: $Retirement Nerd

One critical component of a Financial Plan is to have an "Emergency Fund". This should be one of the highest priority items to address, and conventional wisdom is to have "at least" 3 months ofContinue reading

There are many resources online with guidelines to gauge how we're doing in terms of Financial Planning. I've heard colleagues and family grumble that the milestones are unrealistic. It definitely helps to start early andContinue reading

My first retirement account was a Schwab IRA that my mother helped me open with a small inheritance from my Grandmother. The first investment I made was in an S&P 500 Index fund from VanguardContinue reading

In a previous article we talked about using IRS code 72(t), section 2 to access our tax sheltered accounts prior to reaching age 59 1/2. Unlike the Rule of 55 approach, 72(t) appears fairly complicatedContinue reading

In a previous article we talked about using the Rule of 55 to access our tax sheltered accounts prior to reaching age 59 1/2. This is a straightforward approach, but would require us to waitContinue reading

As part of a holistic approach to Retirement Planning, we should consider how to fill our time when we can quit our "day jobs" including pastimes for self-enrichment. I joined a Facebook group awhile backContinue reading

We bought our house in March of 2002, just after we got married. We have generally followed tradition, so we went with a 30 year fixed mortgage. At that time, people said that if youContinue reading

As part of the 2020 Cares Act, my wife and I both took maximum withdrawals from our 401k accounts. Why did we do this, and why are we planning to put it (mostly) back? First,Continue reading