Investing, Student of the Market
Ryan Weiser
Student of the Market - May 2025
Student of the Market - May 2025
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Should You Purchase a Second Home with Friends?

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Should You Purchase a Second Home with Friends?

Owning a home away from home can add some significant value to your portfolio and your ROL. A second home can be an escape, a change of scenery, a place to immerse yourself in specific interests, sports, or hobbies, or the focal point of meaningful get-togethers for generations to come.

But if you can't make owning a second home work on your own, should you consider sharing the costs, responsibilities, and space with another family?

While the logic might seem compelling, sharing real estate will add a complex business arrangement to your friendship. Make sure you and your prospective co-owners talk through these three important issues.

Choosing a Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for ROL

Choosing a Retirement Withdrawal Strategy for ROL

What's the right balance between enjoying your wealth in retirement and making sure your nest egg lasts all the way through retirement?

To answer that question, many retirees turn to a number: 4%. But as many of the assumptions about both personal longevity and economic stability continue to change, longstanding assumptions about spending and withdrawal rates in retirement are changing as well.

Each of these three withdrawal strategies can be useful in preparing a successful retirement spending plan. But is any one of them comprehensive enough to improve your confidence about your retirement and your ROL?

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Pursuing Unretirement for a Better Return on Life (ROL)

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Pursuing Unretirement for a Better Return on Life (ROL)

Unretirement is on the rise. According to a recent survey by F&G Annuities & Life, 29% of retirees are considering a return to work. That includes 54% of Gen Xers who retired early.

While many retirees jump back into the workforce because they are worried about running out of money or feel like they're lacking purpose, you can also approach unretirement from a positive perspective. 

Here are three ways that unretiring might help settle some of your money concerns while boosting ROL in the process.

Three Overlooked Considerations When Relocating in Retirement

Three Overlooked Considerations When Relocating in Retirement

Moving to the proverbial beachfront condo or gated golf and tennis community are still popular retirement goals. Many seniors also plan to relocate to be closer to friends and family, to immerse themselves in their interests and hobbies, or to shake up their retirement routines with a little adventure.

But while retirees who want to move often focus on the financial and logistical challenges, relocating also involves some significant lifestyle challenges that shouldn't be overlooked.

As you're plotting your big retirement relocation, don't forget to discuss these three issues with your spouse and your financial planner.

Choosing a College for ROI and ROL

Choosing a College for ROI and ROL

The "best" college for your student isn't the college with the highest ranking in a magazine or online poll. It's the school where the investments of time and money that you and your student make will generate the highest ROI and Return on Life (ROL).

 Talk to your student about whether the schools on their short list find this ideal balance between tangible and intangible returns.

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Navigating the Emotional Side of Retirement

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Navigating the Emotional Side of Retirement

You've been working towards this moment for decades.

But have you really prepared for it?

Once the countdown is over and you've left your retirement party, the reality of retirement is going to set in. And many new retirees are surprised by the waves of emotions they feel, especially in those first few days without work. The initial euphoria and sense of freedom can give way pretty quickly to feelings of loss, aimlessness, anxiety, and even depression.

Getting ready for this emotional side of retirement is every bit as important as preparing financially. Many of the most successful retirees focus their emotional prep on these three areas:

Transitioning Into Fall Intentionally

Transitioning Into Fall Intentionally

While summer 2025 doesn't officially end until September 22nd, the leaves have probably started falling in your neighborhood. Your local big box retailer swapped out its back-to-school corner for Halloween costumes. It's pumpkin spice season at Starbucks and Dunkin'. And your Labor Day party capped off another summer of good times in the backyard.

For many families, planning ahead is the secret to a great summer. We don't always apply the same forethought to the fall. But between school, extra curriculars, working teens, your company's big Q4 push, and holidays on the horizon, it's just as important to make some plans now before your autumn blows by.

Use these three steps to bring your family closer together this fall.

Three Keys to Purposeful Wealth

Three Keys to Purposeful Wealth

What is your money for?

Financial security and comfortable living are very important. But if you aren't making purposeful investments in the things that matter most, you might find yourself surrounded by stuff that doesn't bring you any joy and money that just earns more money.

Consider adding these important investments to your Life-Centered Financial Planning portfolio to boost more than just your bottom line.