Notes from the Long View

These are occasional thoughts on retirement, money, and the psychology behind both — written from the perspective of someone who has spent 75 years accumulating a few hard-won lessons. My focus here is primarily on retirement and related financial concerns. If you're part of a couple navigating money together, I also write specifically about that at Couples and Money.

Most people assume their financial future comes down to income, savings rate, and market returns. Those things matter. But underneath every financial decision sits something quieter and more powerful: what you believe about money, and about yourself in relation to it. I hear versions of the same handful of beliefs in session, week after week: "I'm just not a numbers person." "We'll never get on the same page about money." "It's too late for us to fix this." "If I really looke

A Few Thoughts on Roth IRA Conversions (From Someone in the 70+ Crowd) I want to make a few comments about Roth IRAs, and in particular Roth IRA conversions. Even more specifically, I want to address the steady drumbeat of messaging aimed at people in my peer group, folks 70 and over. I take some real exception to how this is often presented. Some tax accountants and financial planners, in my view, are leaning heavily on anxiety to generate business. That may sound blunt, but

I posted this comment on the NY Times site in response to an article they had about a couple doing complete DIY renovation. My comment got a lot of positive responses so I thought I'd add it here. I purchased my first home in my mid-30s and did my first mixed/DIY (part me, part pro) a few years later. My biggest project was, at 60, as general contractor, and doing all the electrical, tile, finish plumbing, etc. on a 1,600 sq home at 9,000 feet in the wilds of northern Colorad