Author Archives: Warren Flick

A Critical Difference: Investments in Middle versus Later Life

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Retirement is a watershed event in many ways, not least of which because investments take on a fundamentally different role in a person’s life. The role change is important, yet it often goes unnoticed as new retirees involve themselves in deciding where to live or what trips they might like.

Nothing signifies the change better than the activity with investment accounts: during middle life, workers regularly add to their investments, and during later life, they withdraw. A good way to illustrate the importance of the change is to compare the performance of investment portfolios during 11 years of work versus 11 years of retirement.

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How Far Can You Imagine?

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In the March 5, 2012 issue of The New Yorker, Nick Paumgarten reports on “Magic Mountain: What happens at Davos?” (I’m not sure if a paywall prevents public readership.) Davos refers to the five-day, invitation only, annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, (WEF) which its web site says includes, “a cast of the world’s intellectual, business, arts, cultural and social giants.”

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How to Discover Freedom

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The beginning of retirement, like the first day of kindergarten, is often abrupt.

Some years ago, my mother reminded me of waiting with her for the school bus on my first day. I clutched my lunchbox in a small fist as the huge yellow bus rolled to a stop at our driveway. The doors clattered open; I approached the steps, grabbed the handrail, turned and said, “Bye Mom,” then climbed aboard.

Retirement starts that way for many when they say goodbye on that last day and walk out the door. That is how I retired, and I now realize it helped me know a special kind of freedom.

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How to Make the 6-Step Investment Model Work Better

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Two weeks ago we wrote about a 6-step investment model for retirees, and two days ago we saw that the model worked. Now we can show how to make it work better. The key is to further diversify the stock investments. Originally we used a mutual fund that reflects returns to 500 leading U.S. companies, and today we use one that reflects returns to the entire U.S. stock market.

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How to Make Retirement Investments Last—and Find Peace

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Most people work 40 years or more to accumulate assets for retirement. Then, if they use the assets too fast, they may end in poverty. How fast is too fast? The answer must balance withdrawals and longevity against investment growth, yet it need not be overly complex. It is entirely possible for many retirees to self-manage their investments if they organize an initial approach into a few basic steps. Over time, retirees can learn to refine and augment the basic approach outlined here. Continue reading →

Listening to a Great Old Poet

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Donald Hall is experiencing old age with considerable grace. He is an 83-year-old American poet who started writing poetry as a teenager; he was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate in 2006; he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2010; and he is now living on his family farm in New Hampshire. Mr. Hall spends large chunks of time sitting near a window, from season to season, watching his barn and the surrounding grounds, and his bird feeder with it’s frequent visitors. His balance is growing worse, and he occasionally falls. When he was 80, he had two auto accidents, so he quit driving. Continue reading →

A Secret to Living Longer and Happier—Friends

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Friends enlarge our lives, as we enlarge theirs. There is nothing like goodwill and affection, extended and received, to boost our spirits and encourage us forward.

Yet later life often seems marked with decreasing friendships even beyond those claimed by death or incapacity—why? Can the losses be prevented? A few practical observations about friendship may help.  Continue reading →

Coming Home: Multigenerational Households are Growing—Part 2

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As multigenerational families grow, more people are dealing with the difficult task of incorporating a new member into an existing household. There are important generic differences between needy parents joining families of their children, and young adults returning home. Also, each case will have a unique family history. Still, it seems possible to build a framework that will help families chart successful futures.

Here are three elements of such a framework:

  • Compassion
  • Honesty
  • Outside help

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