FINANCIaL
FIELd NOTES
Are You On Track For Retirement – A Quick Checkpoint
How much do you need to retire? The answer varies by individual circumstance but simple rules can be helpful as a starting place. JPMorgan provides a rough estimate based on your age and income level…
Secure Act 2.0 – Everything You Need To Know
On December 23rd, the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill was passed, and it included a retirement bill known as SECURE Act 2.0. At first glance, the SECURE Act 2.0 looks to have an equal or greater impact on current and future retirees. Let’s dive into the highlights…
Are I-Bonds Still a Good Investment?
As inflation soared in 2021, so did the rate you could earn risk-free on government I-bonds. I originally wrote about the benefits of these in January of last year. Later in the year, the starting interest rate peaked at nearly 10%. There was so much consumer interest in buying them, that the treasury website crashed the day before interest rates reset lower.
With inflation starting to come down, I have gotten a few questions about whether these bonds are still attractive…
Most-Read Blog Posts From 2022
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to reshare a few of my most-read blog posts from this past year in case you missed them. Thank you all for your engagement over this year – see you in the new year!
Three Fascinating Books I Read This Year
As the year ends, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. I have received notes of thankfulness, encouragement, and feedback - I appreciate them all! If you have a friend or family member that you think might benefit from these posts, they can subscribe here or on the home page of my blog's website, Financial Field Notes.
Here are three books that I found particularly informative this year…
The “Parent Match” - Starting Kids on Savings
Our 5-year-old has certain tasks that he has to do because he’s just part of the family. However, this year my wife and I started giving our 5-year-old a dollar for certain “above and beyond” chores – unloading the dishwasher, pooper scooping, picking weeds, etc.
He needed a place to put this dollar, so I got him his very first wallet. After he had accumulated a few dollars, we took him to 5 Below and he bought a plastic plane that the dog proceeded to chew apart that night – ahh the joys of teaching about a sunk cost…