What Are Your “Rules of the Road?”
Jill and I are in the thick of the teenager years. While it is hard to believe our oldest, Maeve, will be leaving for college next year, the Cutter household still has two sixteen-year-old twins left to get through these high school years. So, teaching the “Rules of the Road” to a teenager who is […]
Avoid IRS Trouble With A Few Helpful Tax Tips
One of my favorite quotes is often incorrectly attributed to Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” But, I know the real source. The first time I saw it was decades ago, hanging on the wall of a grandmother’s kitchen (of course, in her house it was just […]
Understanding Social Security, How It’s Taxed, and How It Impacts Income
Sunday mornings are always busy in the Cutter household. I allow myself to sleep to 6 a.m., exercise, then retreat to my home office where I succumb to deep thought and write our financial discussions for the week before we leave for church at 11. My girls have learned over the years if they see […]
Don’t Set and Forget Your Retirement Income
I recently met some of my students from the retirement class Jen and I teach at Cape Cod Community College. After attending my class, Gwen and David came into our Duxbury office for a consultation. They’re from Plympton. David’s a software engineer. Gwen is involved with vacation property management, and they have two kids around […]
A Safe Harbor for Small Business Retirement Plans
I was out having a few beers on St. Patrick’s Day when I bumped into an old shipmate of mine from thirty years ago. Victor and I both went to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he was a mate and I an engineer. Ah, it was good to see Vic after so many years. Even after […]
Right-Size Your Way to a Comfortable Retirement
Wendy and Mark, a couple in their fifties from Plymouth, came to see Jen and me a few weeks ago. Both are still working, but the runway to retirement is shrinking, and they wanted better control over their financial lives. Wendy is a media strategist for a large Boston firm, and Mark manages a luxury […]
Let’s Look at Student Loans: Federal vs. Private
Jill and I are excited to see our oldest daughter Maeve preparing to graduate high school this spring and move on to college in the fall to study nursing. While we are all very proud of her, it does not remove the fact that for years I have been telling our three girls the moment […]
Roll Over Your 401(k) to an IRA and Take Control
Tim and Joyce came to see me a few weeks back. They live in Pembroke, are both in their early 40’s, and have three boys ages, 14, 11, and 8. Their parents, let’s call them Steve and Joannie, are current clients of mine and they thought it was time Tim and Joyce sought some professional […]
How Congress’ Retirement Plan Compares to Yours
Alan and Gina are a very nice couple who recently reached out to me for some financial help. They are in their mid-60s, live in West Falmouth, have two grown daughters, and are faithful readers of this column each week. According to Gina, Alan has never missed a week in six years. Alan’s retiring next […]
Lessons I Learned from the Pats
Jill and I spent Super Bowl Sunday with about a half a dozen friends at a couple’s house in Plymouth. Our hosts were Kevin and Marie, who I wrote about and introduced you to last October. Kevin and Marie are in their mid-50s, both have professional careers, and have one daughter in college with two […]