So, What’s the Deal With Bitcoin?
I’m not going to suggest that being unaware of Bitcoin’s recent craze points to one’s under-rock living situation…but it’s close. The digital cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in ‘value’ has lead many people to wonder, “Did I miss out on millions?” While the answer is likely a yes, it may be wise to learn a bit more about Bitcoin before calling it …
Is Your Home An Asset?
Often in discussions of retirement planning, the home comes up as a planning item. After all, a home can represent one of the single largest items of value a person owns. But since we live in our homes, must maintain them, and constantly reinvest in them, the question for us non-Silicon Valley homeowners sometimes arises, “Is my home really an …
In Memoriam – Celebrating the Lives Of those We Lost
It is with great sadness that we reflect on some of the wonderful friends we lost this year. All of us at Elevated Retirement Group cherish our relationships with you as the highest purpose for our work. When we lose one of you, it affects us deeply. We hope you’ll join us in sharing our condolences with the families affected …
Team Spotlight: Scott Dougan
Many of you already know Scott, but you may not know these fun facts: Scott was born in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas. He is the oldest of three siblings. Scott met his wife, Jennifer, in Las Vegas, NV at a mutual friend’s birthday party. He loves to cook and almost went to culinary school before starting his career as a …
Back to the Basics: The FIRE Movement
There’s an exciting new movement among young professionals who aspire to retire from their careers early … very early. Called the FIRE Movement – or Financial Independence Retire Early – these folks are taking advantage of their high salaries and extremely frugal lifestyles to stockpile enough invested wealth to afford a retirement beginning in their 40s, and for many, in …
Briefcase Study: From One Retiree To Another
Your retirement will likely look very different from that of just about anyone else’s. After all, you’re you and they’re them, right? And while I suppose that’s categorically true, there are quite a few similarities that we get to witness when talking with all of the folks we serve who’ve crossed that line into retirement from paid work. So, what …
2021 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City
ELEVATED INSIDER Have we turned a corner? The ongoing COVID saga seems to have shifted into another gear. While reported cases of the virus continue to rise, two vaccines are ready and being administered, which is some much needed light in this long and exhausting tunnel. We hope you’re feeling well and healthy and we also hope the country can …
Is 70 the New 62?
[This discussion may or may not apply to you, but it certainly applies to somebody you care about, so feel free to pass it on.] As I scan the retirement advice landscape, I’m noticing more and more ‘gurus’ pushing a work-‘til-you’re-70 narrative. The reason? The vast majority of American workers will need to work longer than they may have anticipated …
The Mall is Gone, the Church Has Closed, Long Live Amazon
I read an article the other day about a small town in Italy that’s selling homes for $1, with the caveat that you must fix up the home within a few year period of time. While it was voted one of the most beautiful places in the world, the town still struggles with abandonment and an economy that seems to …
Three Stages of the Typical Retirement
It’s easy to think of retirement as one thing, one phase of life that we all aspire to experience. And why not? After all, retirement is such a stark contrast to the preceding decades-long phase that’s built around paid work. But what if retirement is made up of many different smaller phases, distinct from one another in activity level and …
