Retirement can mean many different things to many people. For some, it will be a time to travel and spend time with family. For others, it will be a time to start a new business or begin a charitable endeavor. Regardless of what approach you intend to take, here are nine things about retirement that might surprise you.

1. No age restrictions on when you can retire

In the past, most people retired around age 65. However, retiring later in life has become more prevalent in recent years. In fact, there’s no age restriction on when you can retire. As long as you have the financial means to do so, you can retire at any age.

2. Retirement income can be taxable

Depending on your...

If you’re a woman in or near retirement, let me ask you this: “How do you plan to take what you’ve so diligently saved and turn it into a lifetime stream of dependable, predictable, tax-advantaged income?”

If you’re like many of us, you probably don’t have a ready answer to this question. That’s because you’ve been busy doing “all the right things.” You’ve been working, saving, maximizing your 401K, paying off debts, being a caregiver, running a household, etc. It’s likely you haven’t really had time to think about what to do when the time comes to stop working and live on what you’ve accumulated.

I want to suggest: Take some time to consider annuities...

The IRS restricts specific investment options for an IRA.

These restrictions do not allow investment in collectibles, antiques, and other assets. Here is a list: If an IRA invests in collectibles, the amount invested is considered distributed in the year invested. The account owner may have to pay a 10% additional tax on early distributions.

Here are some examples of prohibited assets held in an IRA:

• Artwork

• Rugs and other home furnishings

• Antiques

• Precious metals, some exceptions for gold bullion

• Gems, diamonds, other precious stones

• Stamps and coins as collections

• Alcoholic beverages

• Certain other tangible personal property based on the exact...

First and foremost, I want to let you know that I would never try to sell you on anything. I have learned in my 40 years of experience that if I try to talk you into something, anybody can come right along and talk you out of it, so that is not my objective. However, with math, science, and reason, I would like to reaffirm some very important facts and figures about your retirement planning:

1. We all know the market is cyclical, it goes up, and it goes down. We have had the longest upmarket, “Bull Market,” in the history of the stock market; over the last nine years. Thus, Reason alone tells us that we are due for a market correction, “Bear Market.” Math and science prove...