403(b) Retirement Plan: How One Fee Can Add 5½ Years of Additional Work
I used to sell 403(b) annuities to teachers, but not anymore. What I learned to do and what NOT to do could save you years off your retirement date.
Refined FI
20 min read
Category
Retiring soon research
457(b) vs 401(k): Can You Retire Seven Years Early?
Two people can save the same money and end up with the same portfolio balance. One retires at 52. One has to wait until 59½. The only difference is which account the money went into.
23 min read
Best Retirement Calculator: Why One Number Is Not Enough
Understand what a retirement calculator should do and use a five-tool framework that turns each answer into your next retirement decision.
16 min read
Does Your Bond Fund Need Ozempic?
The best bond funds for retirement are usually active, flexible funds, not debt-weighted indexes. Refined FI weighs inflation and stock-bond correlation first.
11 min read
How to Catch Up on Retirement Savings Without Touching Your Paycheck
How to catch up on retirement savings without cutting your paycheck. Before you save more, retire later, or spend less, check whether your portfolio matches your retirement stage. It's the cheapest fix you have.
10 min read
How To Invest HSA Funds: Payroll-To-Portfolio Protocol
How to invest HSA funds so they compound instead of sitting in cash: contribute through payroll, auto-invest on payday, and pay medical bills out of pocket.
14 min read
How to Protect Your 401(k) From a Market Crash Before It Arrives
Protect your 401(k) from a market crash before it starts. The 2022 crash erased 21 years of one family's annual 401(k) savings.
30 min read
HSA After 65: The Medicare Landmine You Cannot Afford to Miss
Medicare can reach back six months and turn recent HSA deposits into excess contributions. Here's how to calculate your stop-contributing date before that happens.
16 min read
Should I Get Out of the Stock Market? Only With a Plan to Get Back In
Should you get out of the stock market? Only if you have a tested system to get out and back in. I have a system that's been live since 2005 and finished 4 years ahead of buy and hold.
10 min read
Featured
HSA vs Roth IRA: Where Should Your Next Retirement Dollar Go?
Want a retirement edge most people miss? The HSA can beat the Roth IRA, if you know three rules. See the 2026 math.
10 min read
Does Your Bond Fund Need Ozempic?
The best bond funds for retirement are usually active, flexible funds, not debt-weighted indexes. Refined FI weighs inflation and stock-bond correlation first.
11 min read
Retirement Income Sources: More Than Stocks and Bonds
Retirement income sources that behave differently in difficult markets. Most portfolios are built to grow wealth. This one was built to distribute income.
7 min read