CJ(Chris)Cagle

The 'Stewardship of Life' (Part Two)—Medicare and Medicaid

May 15, 2020

This article is the second in a 4-part series about long-term care. In the first, we looked at the various types of care, why and when they might be needed,...

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

May 8, 2020

We now know that older people are most susceptible to COVID-19 disease. We are also hearing about large numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in "nursing homes."...

My View From the Cheap Seats

April 24, 2020

We will learn a lot from this pandemic. But perhaps its greatest lesson—one that history teaches us over and over again—is that we can neither predict the...

Retirement Stewardship Q&As During This Time of Coronavirus

April 4, 2020

A lot has changed in the social and economic landscape in the last few weeks. The far-reaching effects of the spread of the coronavirus have spared no one—we...

It Can't Happen Again (But It Did)

March 27, 2020

For many of us who remember the 2008 market crash and ensuing recession all too well, this time feels remarkably similar. In addition to the really-scary-...

What Should Wise Retirement Stewards Do Now?

March 18, 2020

It's honestly hard to know what to write about in times like this. If you are a Christian believer, I trust you are seeking encouragement and guidance from...

Pandemics, Market Crashes, and Retirement Stewardship

March 4, 2020

Note: Because of extreme volatility, the stock market data I use in this article is changing daily (sometimes hourly). To keep it as current as possible, I...

Finding Your "Calling" in Retirement

February 26, 2020

Last year, I attended a week-long event that dealt with integrating faith and work in the life of the Christian. (If you're interested, check out the...

Some Financial Observations From our First Full Calendar Year in Retirement

February 12, 2020

I retired in late 2018, so 2019 was the first full calendar year in "retirement" for my wife and I. I've written about my decision to retire and some things...

Loving Your Widow With Wise Stewardship

January 29, 2020

In my last post, I suggested some new year's resolutions you may want to consider. In this article, I want to carry that theme forward, but in a slightly...

Making New Years Resolutions? How About "Spend Less, Save and Give More"

January 15, 2020

Lots of people make resolutions this time of year. Not surprisingly, things like paying down debt and saving more tend to show up the most. According to...

My Thoughts on the New Retirement Savings (aka, "SECURE") Act

January 2, 2020

Earlier in 2019, I wrote about some retirement legislation that was pending in Congress. Well, surprise, surprise—it passed recently. (Interestingly, the...

Some Thoughts on "Saving Retirement"

December 18, 2019

Some months ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Tim Challies, featured a link on his a la carte page to a Christianity Today (CT) article titled, "Saving...

Should Whole Life Insurance Be Part Of Your Retirement Plan (Part 2)?

December 4, 2019

In this article, we are going to consider what role, if any, whole life insurance might play in your retirement income plan. Although the death benefit is...

Should Whole Life Insurance Be Part Of Your Retirement Plan (Part 1)?

November 20, 2019

A reader recently asked me to take a look at a retirement planning (funding) method using permanent life insurance espoused by Nelson Nash in his book...

My New Book, "Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God," Has Been Released!

November 5, 2019

Well, folks, I have great news: as of today, my new book, Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God, has been released by B&H Publishing...

Imagining Your Retirement

October 15, 2019

You may remember these lyrics from the now famous 1971 song "Imagine" that was written and performed by former Beatle John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono:...

Help—I Think Too Much About My Retirement Savings!

September 25, 2019

I was recently part of a book study with a group of men who happened to all be younger than me. During a discussion, one of them candidly commented in...

Social Security Claiming Strategies—Which "Camp" Are You In?

September 11, 2019

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a few years from retirement. He said he is planning to claim benefits at his full retirement age (FRA) of...

Stock Market Volatility and "The Prudent Man Rule"

August 28, 2019

In case you haven't noticed, after a relatively "quiet" first half of 2019, volatility has returned to the financial markets in a big way. The stock market...

Your Coming Weakness and Retirement Stewardship

August 14, 2019

One of the hard realities of life in our fallen world is aging. Although we live in a culture that celebrates—and sometimes idolized—youthfulness,...

Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 3)?

July 31, 2019

In this, the third and final article in this series on annuities, I am going to look at variable annuities. Although sales of fixed index annuities have...

Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 2)?

July 24, 2019

In my last article, I looked at immediate fixed-income annuities and discussed whether I might want to include them as a part of my overall retirement income...

Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 1)?

July 10, 2019

I recently helped a friend evaluate an annuity product that he was considering for part of his retirement savings. Like many of us, he wanted to protect some...

I Took a Vacation From Retirement

June 26, 2019

You may have noticed that it's been a while since I posted an article on this blog. That's because my wife and I have been away on an extended vacation out...

5 Ways Congress May Make it Easier to Plan for Retirement

May 29, 2019

As a reader of this blog, you know that we hold to the position that the Bible teaches that it's good to wisely save and invest for the future, including a...

12 "Hard Truths" For Graduates to Help Them Not Be Broke

May 8, 2019

I occasionally get the opportunity to talk about stewardship and money with young people (high school and college age). I am always grateful to get the...

All You Need to Know About Personal Finance on a 3 x 5 Inch Index Card – Really?

April 24, 2019

A few years ago, a University of Chicago college professor named Harold Pollack remarked that everything you really needed to know about personal finance...

The Retirement "Identity Crisis" – a Biblical Perspective

April 10, 2019

I was recently surprised to see a couple of words being used together in an article that I might not have expected to see: retirement and grief. You may be...

My Stewardship Practices – Part Two:  Saving, Investing, and Protecting

March 27, 2019

In this second of two articles on my stewardship practices, I discuss my saving, investing, and protecting (insurance) approaches. The stewardship principles...

My Stewardship Practices – Part One:  Spending, Debt, and Giving

March 13, 2019

One of my pastors and I recently taught a class on stewardship at our church. In one session, a young couple in the class asked about vacations. The question...

So You Want to be an "Everyday Millionaire"?

February 27, 2019

Author and speaker Chris Hogan, who is part of Dave Ramsey's team, just came out with a new book titled, Everyday Millionaires. In some ways, it is a follow-...

5 Reasons to be Humble in Retirement Stewardship

February 14, 2019

In our culture, success with money is usually associated with self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-determination. We take pride in how much money we...

Are You "Full of Sap?"

January 30, 2019

I was recently in a fellowship meeting with a bunch of guys (all younger than me) from our "community group" (small group) at church. We were discussing what...

Some Thoughts on "Key Retirement Planning Birthday Milestones"

January 16, 2019

A friend recently sent me this link to a chart on PNC Bank's website titled "A Timeline for Achievement" that provided a helpful list of age-based retirement...

New Year Retirement Stewardship 10-Point Check-Up

January 2, 2019

Happy New Year! Planning is a wise part of retirement stewardship. But no matter how well we plan, we must always remember that "The heart of man plans his...

Now That You're Retired, What Do You Do All Day?

December 8, 2018

I have been officially "retired" from my full-time, paid position since October 1st. And since then, I have noticed something that happens fairly regularly:...

10 "Retirement Stewardship Things" I Am Thankful For (and So Should You Be)

November 19, 2018

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. It's a great holiday (apart from the eating too much part) because thankfulness is a beautiful thing, especially when...

Reflections and Lessons from 40 Years of Stewardship

October 27, 2018

As I shared in a previous article, I decided to retire from my full-time paid position a few weeks ago. I will do an article about how my "transition" to...

5 Ways to Prepare for the Next Big Correction (or Recession)

October 12, 2018

In our last article, we looked at some of the causes of the "Great Recession" of 2008 and suggested that there are signs that we could be headed toward a...

10 Years Later: 5 Stewardship Lessons from the "Great Recession"

September 27, 2018

This month could be considered the ten year anniversary of the start of the "Great Recession." Most of us will remember the trials and tribulations of the...

Home Equity and Your Retirement

September 6, 2018

Owning a house is a great thing. Mostly because we all need a place to live, and if you are fortunate enough to own your own home, you are truly blessed....

My Decision to "Retire"

August 22, 2018

I published an article about a year ago titled "The 8 Questions I Need to Answer Before I Decide to Retire." In it, I said that I did not know when I would...

College Planning and Your Retirement

August 3, 2018

The 2018 Graduation season is behind us. There are some announcements on our fridge. We have sent some congratulations cards. I even had the opportunity and...

What Can You Do When An Elderly Parent Is Running Out Of Money?

July 11, 2018

I recently was asked an interesting question by a church friend concerning his elderly mother. Like many of us, he is a 'boomer' and has an 85-year-old...

A Gospel-Centered Retirement

June 20, 2018

I attend a 'gospel-centered' church. We believe the gospel, preach the gospel, share the gospel, worship because of the gospel, and seek to live according to...

Investing for Retirement – Part Three

June 6, 2018

In Investing for Retirement – Parts One and Two, I introduced a 'framework' for investing for retirement and discussed different asset types and holding...

Investing for Retirement – Part Two

May 23, 2018

This is the second article in a three-part series about investing for retirement. In the first article, I discussed the various types of assets you could...

Investing for Retirement – Part One

May 9, 2018

If you have followed this blog for very long, you may have noticed that I don't write much about investing. There are several reasons for that, not the least...

Finding Balance in Retirement Stewardship

April 25, 2018

In a recent chat with a younger friend at church, he expressed a desire to find the right balance in his retirement stewardship. He didn't use that phrase...