Social Security
Social Security Benefit Cuts? What the Latest Projections Show
Social Security benefit cuts are a real risk but not certain. Here’s what projections show, and how to plan your retirement accordingly.
Articles by Scott Staton
Retirement Planning
What to Do With Money After Kids Graduate
When tuition stops, it frees up $30,000 to $80,000 a year. Most households don’t have a plan for that money. Here’s how to put it to work.
Planning
MaxiFi vs. Boldin: Which Retirement Planner Is Best for You?
MaxiFi sets your max sustainable spending. Boldin visualizes your full financial life and guides you at every stage. Here’s how they compare.
Retirement Savings and Investments
What Buying a House for Your Child Costs Your Retirement
A $150,000 gift can cost $360,000 in retirement terms. Here’s the opportunity cost math, gift tax rules, and four ways to structure the help.
Retirement Savings and Investments
S&P 500 Dividend Yield Is 1%: How to Plan Retirement Income
A 1% S&P 500 dividend yield leaves an income gap in retirement. An income floor can bridge it, and a Treasury ladder can help build it.
Financial Wellness
What the Fed’s Financial Well-Being Survey Misses About Retirement, and What to Do About It
The Fed found 73% of Americans doing okay financially. Only 35% feel on track for retirement. Both numbers are right, and that’s the problem.
Retirement Savings and Investments
Vanguard Target Retirement Lifetime Income: What It Can and Can’t Do for You
Vanguard’s new target-date trusts put guaranteed income inside your 401(k). But a floor isn’t a plan. Here’s what the product can’t tell you.
Retirement Planning
How a Single, Self-Employed Woman Built Her Retirement Plan
She was self-employed, single, and unsure she’d saved enough. Then the Boldin Planner showed the full picture, and the answer surprised her.
Retirement Planning
Americans Want to Live to 91. How Long Will Your Retirement Last?
Retirement planning assumes a lifespan of 79, but most Americans hope to live longer. Here’s how your plan can last as long as you do.
Retirement Planning
Retirement Spending Plan: How to Know If Your Number Is Right
Retirement spending estimates are often too low, but a retirement spending plan can change that. Here’s how to keep your money from running out.
Retirement Planning
Boldin vs. Empower: Which Retirement Planner Is Best for You?
Empower shows you what you own. Boldin models whether it lasts. Here’s how they compare on planning depth, tax strategy, and advisor access.
Retirement Planning
How to Retire With Confidence: What the Data Shows
Workers with a retirement plan are more than twice as likely to feel confident. Two national surveys explain the planning gap.
Social Security
Social Security Breakeven Calculator: Compare Claiming Ages
Deciding when to claim Social Security can feel like a one-shot decision with no do-over, but the math behind it is clear enough to work through. Enter your bir…
Retirement Planning
ProjectionLab vs. Boldin: Which Retirement Planner Is Best for You?
Boldin is a retirement planner with AI, Monte Carlo, and Roth optimization. ProjectionLab is a modeling sandbox. Here’s how they compare.
Medicare and Health Insurance
Social Security and Medicare Mistakes That Can Cost You for Life
Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage, Social Security timing, and the enrollment errors that follow you permanently.
Retirement Planning
How to Build a DIY Retirement Plan Without Going It Alone
Most people do DIY retirement planning on their own. Here’s why a small peer group and tools you control can change everything.
Uncategorized
Retirement Planning Near Me: How to Find and Compare Options
Local retirement planners, CFPs, and fee-only advisors explained — plus a DIY option that costs $144/year instead of $10,000/year.
Taxes
How to Pay Taxes in Retirement and Avoid IRS Penalties
Paying taxes in retirement means managing income streams, quarterly deadlines, and the IRS safe harbor, without an employer doing it for you.
Retirement Planning
ChatGPT for Retirement Planning: Does It Work?
Using ChatGPT for retirement planning? We asked ChatGPT and Boldin AI the same question: “Can I retire?” This is how they replied.
Retirement Savings and Investments
CalSavers: What California Workers and Employers Need to Know
Learn how CalSavers applies to California workers and employers, including automatic Roth IRA enrollment, payroll deductions, and benefits.
Retirement Savings and Investments
Retirement Account Contribution Order: How to Get More From Every Dollar
The contribution order for retirement accounts can affect how much your money compounds tax-free. Here’s how to prioritize for tax efficiency.
Taxes
Capital Gains Tax Brackets: How Income Pushes Your Rate Higher
Think you qualify for the 0% capital gains tax rate? Your other income may have already eaten that space. Here’s why, plus the 2026 brackets.
Retirement Savings and Investments
401(k) Calculator: See Your Balance at Retirement
See your projected 401(k) balance in seconds, employer match included, using 2026 contribution limits. Free calculator, no email required.
Taxes
Roth Conversions Cost Less When Markets Are Down
A market drop lowers what you’ll owe on a Roth conversion. Learn how to turn a portfolio pullback into a long-term tax win.
