Entries by Karen Dzierzynski

The Math Problem

If your annual household budget looked like this: Spending:            $80,000 Income:               $68,000                           -$12,000 Is there a problem? How about the household budget of the United States: United States 2018 Federal Revenue:         $3.33 Trillion Federal Spending:        $4.20 Trillion               […]

The Retirement Process

It’s never too early to start planning for retirement to achieve the lifestyle that fits your dream. I like to start by determining your estimated “fixed” expenses in retirement and your “wants” expenses. What do you want to do in retirement (travel, take tennis, golf, cooking lessons, garden, exercise, dine out, spend time with family […]

Federal Employee Survivor Spousal Checklist

During a recent retirement class, I was asked if there was a checklist available to guide a surviving spouse on what is required to obtain spousal benefits. There is not a checklist that I am aware of, so I said that I would attempt to create one. First of all, this checklist should be shared […]