Never the Same Stream Twice: A Look at the Stock Market's Last Five Years

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with saying “everything changes and nothing remains still.” He argued that this saying captures the essence of the entire universe. I’m not sure if he’s right or wrong, but it certainly gets close to capturing the essence of economic events across the world. 

Are there lessons to be learned from world economic events and how they impact financial markets, particularly stocks? I’d like to explore this idea briefly today, and I promise it won’t get too deep or nerdy. In fact, by the time I’m done you may have some added perspective to help you navigate the uncertain times we’ve always been in, and will continue to experience.

Half Marathon Woes and Retirement Mistakes

Lifting my hand to my brow around mile 7, I knew I was in trouble. I was a little over half way through the Star Valley Half Marathon race, and I had stopped sweating and was feeling lethargic. This was a clear sign that if I didn’t slow down and get some liquids, my safety would be at risk.

When I signed up for the race with a goal of finishing in under two hours, I was determined to not have to walk during any part of it; and I followed a training routine that had me well prepared to go the distance. Now it didn’t matter. I knew in my heart that I had to walk and work on refueling.

Fact Check: Can Wyoming Retirees Live On Social Security and $100k?

A Wall Street Journal article caught our attention recently. The headline read “You Don’t Need to Be A Millionaire to Retire.” Hale Financial has enough non-millionaire retired clients that we know this to be true, but the article explained that of a group of retirees surveyed who had less than $100,000; over 70% of them said they were doing fine financially.

“Ok, what’s the catch?” There are some catches to living a retired life with less than $100,000, but after analyzing what we’ve learned working with many Wyoming retirees, we’ve found that it is possible, with certain limitations.

3 Lessons From Over 100 Financial Meetings Last Year

Earlier this year I was curious how many meetings Hale Financial held in 2023. We had a busy year and with over 700 contacts in our system, I thought it’d be fun to see some numbers.

To my surprise, Hale Financial held over 100 client and potential client meetings last year! We love these meetings, and they reveal common trends as we serve Wyoming retiree and pre-retirees across our community.

I thought I’d take a few minutes to share some observations from these meetings that will be beneficial to retirees.

Starting Social Security at Age 62--Bad Idea?

Waiting to start Social Security has a key advantage: the longer you delay, the higher your Social Security paycheck will be over time. 

But there are cases when it could make sense not to delay, contrary to popular opinion. Let’s explore this topic, and a few scenarios where it makes sense to start Social Security as early as possible–or at least not waiting until your full retirement age.