CJ(Chris)Cagle

The Master of Retirement

February 16, 2022

You may have read the title of this post and thought, "wow, he's really gone off the deep end; now he's calling himself the 'master of retirement.'" Well,...

Retirement Account Rollovers and Transfers—You've Got to get it Right (Part Two)

February 2, 2022

This article is the second of two about retirement account transfers and rollovers. First, we focused on transfers, which I defined as moving assets between...

Retirement Account Rollovers and Transfers—You've Got to Get it Right (Part One)

January 19, 2022

I've recently had the opportunity to discuss the rationales and mechanics of IRA transfers, 401(k) rollovers, and "Solo" 401(k)s with a few folks. It's not...

Don't Gamble Away Your Retirement Savings

January 5, 2022

For many people, the end of one year and the start of another is a good time for a financial health checkup. For some, this includes assessing their progress...

The Stewardship of Christmas

December 23, 2021

Luke 2:1—21 tells the familiar story of Jesus' birth. It starts with this in verse one: "In those days. . ." The ESV Study Bible says that "'In those days'...

My Year-End Retirement Stewardship Review and Planning Routine

December 15, 2021

I'm occasionally asked how I manage my retirement finances. I've touched on some aspects in previous posts, but I thought I'd share a little about my not-...

Schemes and Scams and Fraud, Oh My!

December 1, 2021

A friend recently sent me a link to a news item titled "Christian radio host sentenced to three life sentences for Ponzi scheme bilking millions from elderly...

A Thankful Heart

November 24, 2021

We all have many things to be thankful for. Even when things get hard, they're never as bad as they could be. The road to retirement can be rocky at times,...

There's More to Retirement Stewardship Than Getting the Numbers Right

November 17, 2021

According to some recent stats, more people are retiring earlier than planned due to the effects of the pandemic. Their specific reasons may differ, but part...

Will Your Social Security Benefits be Taxed (and if so, how much)?

November 3, 2021

Most don't think too much about income taxes in retirement. They just assume that they'll pay less since it's possible (likely?) that their income will be...

Do Advisor and Investment Fees Really Matter?

October 20, 2021

A Dave Ramsey (Ramsey Solutions) article on investment fees opens with this: Just like airline fees, investment fees are also a fact of life. The difference...

Thoughts at the Three-Year Mark in Retirement

October 6, 2021

I retired three years ago this month. Frankly, it seems longer, but I'm not sure why, perhaps because the last 18 to 24 mos. have been a pretty long road for...

Giving by Leaving a Financial Legacy

September 15, 2021

In my last article, I discussed some things to consider as you decide about giving in retirement. I touched on leaving a legacy (inheritance) as a form of...

Giving in Retirement

September 1, 2021

I was recently working at our church's welcome desk on a Sunday morning. An elderly lady whom I would guess is well into her 70s or early 80s came up and...

Choosing a Medicare Plan

August 18, 2021

In my last article, I discussed using a "regret minimization" strategy to help with making critical retirement planning decisions. I illustrated how you...

Minimizing Regret in Retirement

August 4, 2021

Regret. Webster defines it as "Feeling sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed...

Is This a Good Time to Upsize, Upgrade, or Downsize Your House?

July 21, 2021

I was recently talking to a friend who is getting close to retirement and wants to downsize. He knows he can sell his current home for much more than he...

Overcoming Retirement Fears

July 7, 2021

My church has started summer book study groups for men and women. Each group is doing one of three books: None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God...

Should You Purchase an Indexed or Variable Annuity?

June 23, 2021

This is a follow-up to my last article about the role that immediate income annuities could have in providing additional income for someone running low on...

What To Do If You're Already In Retirement But Without Enough Income

June 9, 2021

My newest book, Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up, is targeted mainly at those aged 35 to 65 who are behind in saving for retirement (or...

You Can Self-Publish a Book

May 26, 2021

In my last post, I highlighted several things you can "invest" in other than money in retirement. One of them was "hobbies and recreation." I mentioned that...

Better Retirement Investments Than Money

May 12, 2021

Since my last post, I've done complementary financial coaching calls with some blog subscribers. Whether as the primary topic of discussion or a related one,...

3 Things I've Learned from 20 Years of Financial Coaching That Helped Me Write "Redeeming Retirement"

April 28, 2021

I'm not sure when I bought my first personal finance or stewardship book. I think my first exposure as a young Christian was through Larry Burkett and...

My New Book "Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up" Has Been Released!

April 13, 2021

I announced earlier that I would soon publish my next book, Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up. Well, I'm excited to announce that it's been...

What It Really Means to "Retire with Dignity"

March 31, 2021

I first heard Dave Ramsey use the phrase "retire with dignity." You may know Dave for the "baby steps" he teaches to help people get out of debt so they can...

Housing Decisions and Financing Options in Retirement

March 19, 2021

We discussed paying off the mortgage and home equity in the last article and how our house decisions are both financial and emotional, and very personal....

Is Paying Off Your Mortgage Wise Stewardship?

March 3, 2021

Real estate and mortgages are very much in the news right now. The market is "hot," and long-term interest rates remain at historic lows. Therefore, lots of...

The Expenses Side of the Retirement Equation

February 17, 2021

As I mentioned in my last article about spending in retirement, this one is a chapter from my new book, which I plan to self-publish very soon. The book,...

Spending and Retirement Stewardship

February 3, 2021

I try not to "preach" about spending in general or spending in retirement in particular. It's not my place to tell anyone how much to spend or what to their...

In Your Grasp: Three Things for a Financial Miracle

January 22, 2021

As we start 2021, the global pandemic continues to rage its economic fallout continues to be felt by families worldwide. Some were in a tenuous financial...

The New Administration and Your Retirement Stewardship: Part 2

January 6, 2021

This article is the second about the incoming Biden administration and its plans and proposals that could be most impactful to those planning for or already...

My Top 10 Posts for 2020

December 30, 2020

This has been a year that we will never forget. 2020 was a highly contentious presidential election year in the middle of a global pandemic. Violence and...

The New Administration and Retirement Stewardship: Part 1

December 23, 2020

As you know, I don't "get political" on this blog. That doesn't mean I don't care about politics; I do. I focus on other things here, but when the political...

Is Building Wealth for Retirement "Striving After the Wind"?

December 9, 2020

Our pastors have recently been preaching expositorily through the Book of Ecclesiastes. In a message on Ecc. 5:8-20, one pastor made this statement: "Wealth...

My "Bucket Strategy"

November 27, 2020

I think many retirees, especially those with fewer savings, should strongly consider the "cash bucket with income floor" strategy that I discussed in the...

Medicare Commercials – Be Wise as Serpents and Innocent as Doves

November 19, 2020

I decided to interrupt my series on "the Bucket Strategy" to look at something that concerns me: potentially misleading Medicare ads. Every time I see them...

The "Cash Bucket Strategy": Issues and Alternatives

November 11, 2020

This article is the second in a three-part series on the "Bucket Strategy." The bucket strategy is a good one, but it's not perfect. I have been using a...

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the "Cash Bucket Strategy"

October 28, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic and corresponding market crash will likely cause the retirement "Cash Bucket Strategy" to become more popular. As Dave Ramsey often...

Jobless and Nearing Retirement Age—What To Do?

October 15, 2020

I recently read this quote from a retirement expert in a MarketWatch article titled, "Opinion: Half of Americans Over 55 May Retire Poor": Our data is...

I Gave Retirement Stewardship a "Facelift!"

October 7, 2020

I started this blog over five years ago. Since that time, I have made very few design changes to the website so I decided it was time. I upgraded the...

Retirement Stewardship During Extremely Low Interest Rates

September 25, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has created some significant economic repercussions, not the least of which is a further reduction of already low prevailing interest...

The "Promised Land" of Retirement

September 4, 2020

On a recent Sunday morning, one of our lay-elders-in-training (we call them pastoral interns) gave his personal testimony and shared from Joshua 1:1-9, a...

Announcing My New Book: "The Minister's Retirement"

August 20, 2020

I am very excited to announce that my new book, The Minister's Retirement, has been released and is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats....

Is Purchasing a Vacation Home Wise Stewardship?

August 13, 2020

I was recently asked by a friend what I thought about buying a vacation home, specifically a beach house. They said they have a relative who owns one and...

Things I am Grateful For as a Retiree During a Pandemic

July 25, 2020

We're in the middle of what is, without a doubt, going to be one of strangest years in my almost-68-year lifetime. Six months ago, I didn't think anyone...

The Growing Federal Debt and Your Investments

July 8, 2020

With the COVID-19 pandemic came unprecedented levels of federal spending. As a result, the national debt has reached $26 trillion, and the Congressional...

Out of the Stock Market? Now What?

June 24, 2020

For older workers starting to think about retiring, or already in retirement, the economic turmoil the coronavirus pandemic triggered caused reactions...

Redeeming Stewardship Failures

June 12, 2020

Financial crises have a way of revealing the weaknesses, and sometimes failures, of our stewardship practices. As renowned investor Warren Buffet humorously...

The 'Stewardship of Life' (Part Four)—Long-Term Care Insurance

May 29, 2020

This article is the fourth and final one in a series about long-term care (LTC). In the last article, I alluded to long-term care insurance (LTCI) as one of...

The 'Stewardship of Life' (Part Three)—Paying for Long-Term Care

May 22, 2020

The potential need for an extended time in long-term care (LTC) is a crucial retirement stewardship concern because of its significant financial...