financial freedom Archives — SMART Living 365

Living Rightsized in A 55+ Community

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Getting together with just a few of our friends at RCW.

My husband Thom and I never planned to live in a 55-or-older community. When a person is younger, those neighborhoods seem like a step away from entering a nursing home. Who wants to be surrounded by old people? Then when we hit our 60s we began seeing some of the benefits. Plus, when combined with our decision to “rightsize” our life nearly 15 years ago, we discovered it was a way to combine the two lifestyles—and suddenly it became the perfect solution for our current wants and needs. And no, we have discovered they are much more than just a place for old people!

[Read more…]

Rightsized or FIRE? Which Would You Choose?

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized

A recent article in Money Magazine pointed out that many Millennials are obsessed with retiring early. In fact, this growing movement of those in the 21 to 37 years of age are convinced they can do it now, and quietly disdain those who wait until Social Security. With dozens of FIRE (financial-independence/retire-early) links exploding on the web and on Reddit.com, this idea is drawing in fans like flies. Yet, even though I applaud their desire to get out of the rat race and free themselves from debt, I find myself questioning why so many are convinced that retirement is the ultimate solution. From my perspective, we don’t need to retire or be completely financially independent in order to live our best life now—but it’s essential we take the time to Rightsize. [Read more…]

7 Pitfalls To Avoid When Rightsizing Your Home

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

A friend of mine is currently in the midst of selling her long-time family home and moving. Yet while I believe she “gets” the many benefits of rightsizing, I can tell after talking with her that several issues keep popping up that make her hesitant. That’s completely normal, because in many ways, rightsizing is contrary to what most of us have been taught. The good news is that once you know what to keep in mind, rightsizing not only becomes the easiest choice, it is also the one that leads to the greatest benefits.

What do we need to remember when it’s time to make a move? [Read more…]

9 SMART Financial Actions for Midlife Women

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

I recently read a shocking bit of information revealed by the 2013 Allianz Women, Money and Power Study. That study claims that almost half of the women in the U.S. often or sometimes fear losing all their money and becoming a bag lady. As you might expect, the highest percentage of those with that fear were single (56%), divorced (54%) and widowed (47%). But perhaps even worse, 27% of the women who generate over $200,000 per year of income also felt that way. Clearly, many women have a deep insecurity about their finances and how to manage their money in a SMART and responsible way. So here are 9 tips that I believe any woman should consider regarding her money. [Read more…]