Lifestyle Blog Posts
Lifestyle is one of the six essential pillars of the written plans we help families and individuals create, called a RetireSecure Roadmap. Developing a customized lifestyle plan involves outlining how you want to spend your time to help you determine how to spend your retirement savings. Do you want to travel, purchase a second home, or dedicate more time to a hobby? The lifestyle pillar is the first step toward determining how much money you need to live the lifestyle you desire in retirement.
Loneliness is rising among adults over 45, and it can have a powerful impact on health, happiness, and fulfillment in retirement. Here’s what recent research reveals—and how thoughtful retirement planning could help […]
This blog explores how long $1 million might last in retirement under different spending scenarios, and why assumptions around lifestyle, inflation, taxes, and market volatility matter more than the headline number. A […]
A brand-new Merkle Retirement Planning magazine is here, and its first issue puts a spotlight on Adventurous Angie—an energetic retiree proving that retirement isn’t the end of the story; it’s […]
This Indiana Jones–inspired episode of Retiring Today with Loren Merkle turns a common worry—how to start planning for retirement at 55—into a guided trek through six milestones: lifestyle, income, taxes, investments, health care, and legacy. We […]
Our journey takes place inside the Cave of Questions because retirement often begins with more questions than answers and figuring out where to start can feel like navigating a dark cave. While inside, we discover that a map is a great place to […]
Retirement planning isn’t just about saving money. It’s about making sure your plan supports the life you want to live once you stop working. Asking the right questions can uncover […]
That comparison—how you “measure up” to your peers, your neighbors, or even a number you once read in an article—is normal. But it’s not always helpful without context. Retirement Planners […]
When people think about retirement, they often focus on the numbers—how much they’ve saved, when to claim Social Security, or how to manage taxes. But equally important, and often overlooked, […]
Embarking on the journey to retirement can feel as daunting as Dorothy’s trek through Oz. But just like Dorothy, who had the lion, scarecrow, and tin man to help her […]
Planning for retirement is often seen as a daunting task, filled with more questions than answers. In a special edition of “Retiring Today with Loren Merkle” we take a whimsical […]