by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® | Featured – Blog, Financial Plan, Identity Theft, Protecting Family Money, Retirement, Social Security
A client recently asked a question I hear regularly. The names have been changed, but the situation is common enough that the answer is worth sharing publicly. Q: My wife Frances just turned 63. Some of her colleagues are encouraging her to claim her Social Security...
by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® | Biography, Book Review, Economic Policy, Politics, Silver Medal
The Man Who Knew by: Sebastian Mallaby Reviewed by: Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® Medal Rating: Silver Medal I thought I knew Alan Greenspan. After all, I lived through his entire tenure at the Fed, watched him testify before Congress, and experienced...
by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® | Featured – Blog, Financial Plan, HENRYs, Self Employed, Taxes
Sam Darnold, like each of his Seahawk teammates, earned $178,000 by winning Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, following the 2025 NFL season. The eight days he worked in California will cost him about $249,000 in California Income Tax. Ouch! You’re probably not...
by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® | Client Stories, Enduring Principles, Featured – Blog, Financial Plan, Retirement
“Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me; twice on the pipe if the answer is no.” I haven’t heard that song in years. Why is it rattling around my brain for the past 24 hours? Oh, wait! Maybe it did play on the 70’s channel I tuned in while driving last week....
by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP® | Client Stories, Financial Plan, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Retirement
Dinner in my house is often from the kitchen’s massive island, savoring the western view of the Santa Ana Mountains. In the winter, at least. In the summer, the sun hasn’t yet set so the shades are usually closed. But when the daylight shortens, and the sun is setting...
