How much can you take from your portfolio without running out? Interactive charts and historical success rate tables show exactly how the numbers play out — and what a guaranteed income stream changes.
Traditional retirement projections show spending rising in a straight line. After nearly three decades working with retirees, I believe that's wrong. Real retirement spending looks like a wave — and planning around that reality changes everything.
With pensions nearly extinct in the private sector, Americans are buying annuities at record levels. Here's what they actually are, the misconceptions that hold people back, and why $434 billion in sales tells its own story.
If you own stocks, you may be sitting on an income source you're not using. A plain-English explanation of covered calls — and why I use this strategy in my own portfolio every single week.
Both pay dividends — but they work very differently. Here's what every retiree needs to understand before building a dividend income portfolio, including the one risk most investors miss.
I serve as volunteer chairman of a local fire and police pension board. The framework pension funds use — Asset Liability Management — applies directly to how individuals should manage their own retirement income.
One of the most talked-about retirement income strategies borrows its name from the highway. Here's what guardrails actually do, how they work, and the critical limitation that often gets overlooked.
A 20% loss takes a 25% gain to recover. A 50% loss takes 100%. Most people don't realize this — and when you add retirement withdrawals on top, the math becomes even more unforgiving. Interactive charts show exactly what the numbers look like.
Fidelity says $172,500. HealthView says nearly $1 million per couple. The numbers are real — but the context most reports leave out changes everything. Once you understand Medicare and Plan G, healthcare costs are far more predictable than you think.
Everyone is pitching Roth conversions right now. The advice isn't wrong — but it's not always right either. Learn what "burping the bracket" means, why your rate of return matters more than most advisors admit, and how to know if a conversion actually makes sense for your situation.
Distribution planning is a completely different discipline from accumulation. The decisions you make at retirement are irreversible — and most financial advisors aren't trained for them. Here's what separates a true retirement income specialist from a generalist.
Weekly conversations about retirement income — in plain English.
Each week, Kris Cowles breaks down one retirement income topic — no jargon, no sales pitch, just clear practical insight you can actually use. Episodes cover everything from Social Security timing to sequence of returns risk, dividend investing, annuities, Medicare, and more.
