CJ(Chris)Cagle

Roth IRAs, Roth Conversions, and the New Tax Law

April 11, 2018

One of the ways we practice wise retirement stewardship is by making good use of the tax-advantaged savings plans at our disposal. Tax-deferral is a gift of...

Should You Retire?

March 28, 2018

I recently did a series of articles describing a simple process for deciding whether you can retire – from a financial perspective. One possible outcome is...

5 Reasons You Shouldn't Save For Retirement

March 14, 2018

I can almost hear the gasps. "What is going on here!? He's always harping on the need to save something for retirement; now he's going to tell us we...

The Stewardship of Godly Wisdom

February 24, 2018

The church that I belong to is going through a pastoral transition this year. That's because our senior pastor, who is also a good friend, is in the process...

Can You Retire? Part 3: Your Decision

February 14, 2018

In the last two articles, to help you answer the "Can I retire?" question, I went over an approach for calculating your essential living expenses and for...

Can You Retire? Part 2: Your Income

January 31, 2018

In the first article in this three-part series on financial planning for retirement, I introduced an approach for answering the all-important question, "Can...

Can You Retire? Part 1: Your Expenses

January 20, 2018

Sooner or later, most of us will ask ourselves this question: "Can I retire?" Perhaps because of an unexpected layoff, a health issue, age, or some other...

Retirement Planning in 2018 and the "Wheel of Life"

January 6, 2018

2018 is here and the beginning of a new year is when a lot of people do some planning, and perhaps make a resolution or two. If you are five or ten years...

Closing out 2017

January 3, 2018

We are starting a new year. 2017 was a good one for retirementstewardship.com. We were able to stay on pace publishing an article about every two weeks, and...

The New Tax Law and Retirement Stewardship

December 23, 2017

You know the old saying, "The only things that are certain in life are death and taxes." Yes, taxes are a reality – before, during, and even after...

Tithing and Giving in Retirement

December 14, 2017

Most of us will see a change in our financial situation in retirement. Instead of earning an income from work, we will start receiving income from other...

7 Hard Truths About Retirement

December 2, 2017

I was recently reading an article in Forbes magazine titled, "Can You Handle the Truth About Retirement?" It was enlightening but frankly also a little...

The Link Between Thankfulness and Retirement Stewardship

November 21, 2017

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here. Have you noticed that each year Thanksgiving seems to be more and more about "Black Friday" than Thanksgiving...

Financial Advisors – Part 3: How to Choose One

November 3, 2017

This article is the third and final one in my series about Financial Advisors. If you read the first two, you hopefully have a better understanding of what...

Financial Advisors – Part 2: How They're Paid

October 18, 2017

In the last article, I discussed the different types of financial advisors and the various settings they work in. In this article, I go into how financial...

Financial Advisors – Part 1: What They Do

October 4, 2017

My next three posts will be about financial advisors. I know what you're thinking: Oh, fun…another blogger is going to bash my friendly broker or insurance...

The High Calling of Retirement Stewardship

September 20, 2017

The articles on this blog approach the subject of retirement from a biblical stewardship perspective. That view, which I believe is supported in Scripture,...

Inflation: A Quiet Threat to Retirement Stewardship

September 1, 2017

I remember when I was a teenager and could buy a gallon of gas for less than 50 cents. (I think I remember paying 35 cents at a Hess station near my home.)...

Can Retirement Stewardship Make you a Rich Fool?

August 19, 2017

The short answer is no, not if you practice it based on tried and true principles of Biblical stewardship. In fact, "stewardship" and "fool" together in the...

The 8 Questions I Need to Answer Before I Decide to Retire

July 31, 2017

I get this question fairly often: "When are you going to retire?" Perhaps because I am almost 65 and mentioned that I'm receiving solicitations from Medicare...

If You're Close to (or in) Retirement You Need to Understand "Sequence of Returns Risk"

July 9, 2017

As I wrote in my last article, wise saving is an essential part of biblical stewardship (Prov.13:11; Prov.21:20). We save for needs that we are aware of in...

Biblical Traits of a Successful Investor

June 16, 2017

The subtitle of this blog is, "save diligently, invest wisely, give generously, live abundantly." I included investing in the mix because it is a very...

Relocating in Retirement: Should You Stay or Should You Go?

May 24, 2017

Perhaps you remember a 1982 song from the punk/rock band The Clash titled, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" Admittedly, other than the title, it actually has...

Why You Should Consider Delaying Collecting Social Security Benefits

May 6, 2017

I know quite a few people who have taken an early "traditional" retirement. By that I mean they were between age 62 and 66 and relying on Social Security,...

Boats, Seashells, Softball, and Retirement Stewardship

April 22, 2017

Tim Challies recently highlighted an article published on the Gospel Coalition blog in the "A la carte Friday" daily feature on his blog. The GC article,...

The Most Important Thing to do in Your 60s and Beyond to Retire With Dignity

April 10, 2017

This article is the fourth and final one in a series about the most important thing you can do in different stages of life to be able to "retire with...

The Most Important Thing to do in Your 40s and 50s to Retire With Dignity

March 27, 2017

This article, the third in a series, is focused on those in their 40s and 50s. If you're younger than that, you may want to take a look at the first two...

The Most Important Thing to do in Your 30s and 40s to Retire With Dignity

March 15, 2017

This article is the second in a four-part series on the most important thing to do in different stages of life to be able to retire with dignity. This time,...

The Most Important Thing to do in Your 20s and 30s to Retire With Dignity

March 4, 2017

On this blog, I provide a checklist of things you can do during different stages of life to "retire with dignity." In this article – the first in a series of...

Church Fathers, Catechisms, and Retirement Stewardship

March 1, 2017

Over the years, I have read a few of the reformed confessions and catechisms. I have even taught the Shorter Catechism to children in Sunday School. I...

Do You Need Life Insurance in Retirement?

February 15, 2017

It seems like I'm always seeing advertisements on TV for life insurance. There are almost as many as reverse mortgage advertisements. Interestingly, it seems...

Pay Down Your Mortgage or Increase Saving For Retirement?

January 23, 2017

On this blog, I often delve into specific practical areas of retirement stewardship. My goal is to simplify seemingly complex financial topics so that you...

Contentment with Retirement Stewardship is Great Gain

January 17, 2017

A simple definition of contentment from the Holman Bible Dictionary is "an internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances."...

Is an "Early" Retirement Good Stewardship?

January 14, 2017

I am in my 60s and still working in a full-time job. If I were to retire tomorrow, I wouldn't be considered an "early retiree." In fact, because I am 64, I'm...

The Election and Your Retirement Stewardship: What Should You Do Now?

December 29, 2016

As you probably know, on this blog I try to remain relatively neutral when it comes to money and politics. That's because I think stewardship principles...

Communicating about Retirement in Marriage

December 11, 2016

I recently read a very enlightening article titled, "Study: Money Secrets and Sluggish Savings Put Couples' Retirement Dreams at Risk." The study, which was...

Thanksgiving, Jesus and the Ten Lepers, and One That Wasn't a "Turkey"

November 22, 2016

From the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), we learn that stewardship is not simply about money. Stewardship is both a principle and a practice, a...

Stewarding Your Digital Assets – Part 2: Identity Theft

November 10, 2016

As I discussed in my last article, there are two major areas of concern when it comes to protecting your identity and preventing theft and fraud. The first...

Stewardship of Your Physical and Digital Assets – Part 1: Device Security

October 28, 2016

I often write about using various online and computer-based tools and services to help simplify and manage your personal and financial life. These can very...

Annuities and Retirement Stewardship – Part 2

October 10, 2016

In my last article on annuities, I discussed the different types of annuities and their use inside retirement accounts. As you could probably tell, I'm not a...

Retirement Stewardship and "Making Children Glad in God"

October 8, 2016

I was inspired to write this article by something that a young man shared with me in a men's books study meeting early this morning. He reminded me that I...

Annuities and Retirement Stewardship – Part 1

September 28, 2016

As a financial coach, I often work with folks who are in the accumulation/growth phase of planning for retirement (i.e., 5 to 10 years or more away)....

Stewardship and the Challenge of Generosity

September 18, 2016

Generosity is part of the tagline for this blog: "helping you to save diligently, invest wisely, give generously, and live abundantly." Actually, generosity...

Planning for Health Care Expenses in Retirement

September 12, 2016

In previous articles, I discussed Medicare and other health insurance options in retirement. One of the big myths about Medicare is that it pays for...

Medicare Health Insurance Options

September 5, 2016

My wife and I are both closing in on Medicare eligibility at age 65. So, I thought it was time to take a hard look at it so that we can make the right...

Health Insurance Options Before Medicare

September 3, 2016

Your medical insurance choices will depend greatly on whether you are young and a long way from retirement, an "early" retiree and a few years away from...

Estate Planning and Your Will

August 16, 2016

This article is a follow-up to my last one about leaving a legacy and estate planning. Once you get some up-front planning done, the next step is to put...

Retirement Stewardship and Your Legacy

August 1, 2016

In this, the first of two articles, I get into the sensitive and sometimes emotional subject of stewardship as it relates to estate planning. Whether you are...

Your Four Most Important Financial Decisions – #4: Saving and Investing

July 9, 2016

This is the third and final article in a three-part series about the most important financial decisions that affect retirement stewardship. Our saving and...

Your 4 Most Important Financial Decisions #2 and #3: Car Purchase and General Lifestyle

June 13, 2016

In this second of three articles about the most important financial decisions that affect retirement stewardship, I discuss the car purchase decision and...