News & INSIGHTS

Pat’s Planning Post

Planning More Than Just Your Retirement Income

We often speak about the technical side of retirement planning – Social Security decisions, withdrawal strategies, tax optimizations, asset allocation, Medicare, etc. What I also try to emphasize when planning for retirement is finding purpose and meaning in your daily life post-retirement.

This article from The Wall Street Journal, When Will I Retire? How About Never, interviews people who are close to or many years into ‘traditional retirement years,’ from all different walks of life who share a common theme: not wanting to stop working. I found it both interesting and reaffirming – that a happy retirement consists of meaning and purpose, intellectual and social stimulation.

That line in the sand continues to gray, and I would encourage everyone to consider what they want out of retirement qualitatively.

Liebmans’ Library

For this month, we chose an article from The Wall Street Journal about the current valuation of the stock market. The article cites several metrics that show while the U.S. market is less expensive now than in late 2021, the current valuation is far from cheap by historical standards. The stock market has been incredibly resilient in 2023 despite a slew of negative political and economic news. While we are not very bearish or negative right now, the combination of a challenging macro backdrop and elevated valuations suggest that now is a good time to be a bit cautious at the prospects of outsized returns. Read more here.

Libby’s Quips and Quotes

“If you are thinking positive during negative times, you have already won.” – Roger Lee