A Few Useful Finds for Life After Work — Issue #12

Hi from Stefan,

Welcome to the twelfth issue of this biweekly newsletter.

Nothing here is sponsored or written for compensation.

The Retirement Tax Break That Most People Overlook

The WSJ’s Anne Tergesen explains “The Rule of 55”, which allows many workers who leave their employer at age 55 or later to withdraw savings from that employer’s 401(k) without the usual early-withdrawal penalty.

Finding the Sweet Spot Between Spending and Security

Derek Hagen writes You Can’t Take it With You.

Jordan Grumet warns against The Dangerous Allure of “Dying with Zero”.

Despite the seemingly conflicting perspectives, they’re both calling for a healthy balance between making your money last and enjoying life.

In The Best Third methodology, that balance is determined primarily by two choices: your planning horizon and your legacy goal.

What I’m reading

I’ve just started the audiobook of Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe.

I previously read Isaacson’s biographies of Henry Kissinger, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. He’s an amazing researcher and story teller.

Product Update

Several users told me the projected income and portfolio graphs were confusing and hard to interpret. I’ve redesigned them to focus on a few key outcomes, and to explain what each curve represents.

If you click on a name in the legend, e.g. “Typical Income…”, you’ll get an explanatory pop-up about the corresponding curve.

(The pop-up works on the site, not in the screenshot below).

Rerun your plan to generate the new graphs and please let me know what you think. Is it more understandable? Still confusing? Email me or post a note in the on-site feedback form with your thoughts.

Warmly,
Stefan Sharkansky, PhD
Founder of The Best Third