Category: Retirement
-
Retirement planning is built on flawed assumptions
Retirement calculators rely on assumptions about returns, lifespan, and spending that often don’t hold. Here’s where the standard model breaks down.
-
HSAs are the best retirement account in America and almost nobody uses them right
Health savings accounts offer triple tax advantages most retirement vehicles can’t match, but most account holders spend the funds instead of investing them.
-
Retirement accounts lock up your money too much
401(k)s and IRAs offer real tax benefits, but the trade-off is access. For some savers, the lockup costs more than the deduction is worth.
-
Annuities make sense for almost everyone and the FIRE community is wrong
The FIRE crowd treats annuities as predatory products to avoid. The retirement research community has spent 40 years showing the opposite is closer to true.
-
Why your 401(k) might not be enough
The 401(k) was designed as a supplement, not a complete retirement plan. Here’s why typical contributions fall short and what to add alongside it.
-
FIRE movement math doesn’t work for everyone
Financial independence and early retirement work beautifully on spreadsheets. The assumptions behind those spreadsheets fail more people than they help.
-
401(k)s are a tax shelter dressed up as a retirement plan
The 401(k) wasn’t designed as the centerpiece of American retirement. It’s a tax loophole that grew into one because the alternatives got dismantled around it.
-
HSAs are the best retirement account nobody uses correctly
Health Savings Accounts get triple tax treatment unmatched by any other retirement vehicle. Most holders waste them on routine medical bills.
-
Reverse mortgages are predatory, full stop
Marketing paints reverse mortgages as a tool for retirees, but the fees, terms, and outcomes tell a different story. Here’s why most homeowners should walk away.
-
Variable annuities are the worst retirement product still legal
Variable annuities combine high fees, complexity, and surrender penalties into one toxic package. Here’s why they keep selling despite being indefensible.