Skip to content
Thomas Clark Advisor
Social SecurityRetirementMedicareBucket PlanningCalculatorBlog
The Blog

Tag: Retirement Spending

Paying Off the Mortgage in Retirement: The Real Math
Financial Strategies & Tax Planning

Paying Off the Mortgage in Retirement: The Real Math

Should you pay off the mortgage before retirement? The rate-vs-return spreadsheet is the smallest piece. Cash flow, sequence-of-returns risk, and the inflation hedge usually decide it.

June 18, 2026 · 11 min read
What Inflation Actually Erodes in Retirement — and What It Doesn’t
Retirement & Wealth Planning

What Inflation Actually Erodes in Retirement — and What It Doesn’t

Most retirement plans treat inflation as a single number. It isn't. A few categories compound mercilessly for thirty years; others don't move at all. Here's how…

June 14, 2026 · 11 min read
The Safe Withdrawal Rate in Retirement: Is 4% Still the Gold Standard?
Retirement & Wealth Planning

The Safe Withdrawal Rate in Retirement: Is 4% Still the Gold Standard?

For decades, the 4% rule has been the go-to retirement strategy: withdraw 4% of your portfolio each year, and your money should last 30 years. But…

April 21, 2025 · 3 min read

The weekly note

Plain-English retirement insight, once a week.

One short, useful email from Thomas — no hype, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Thomas Clark Advisor

Plain-English retirement-income education — Social Security, Medicare, taxes, and building a dependable income floor.

hello@thomasclarkadvisor.com
Topics
Social Security Retirement Planning Medicare & Healthcare Tax-Smart Retirement Markets & Investing
Resources
The Social Security book Social Security calculator Free Social Security guide The Just in Case Binder The blog
About
About Thomas Disclosures Privacy policy Terms of service

This site is published by Confluence Media Group LLC, an independent publisher of educational financial content. Thomas Clark is a Series 65 Investment Advisor Representative. The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

Confluence Media Group LLC is a separate entity from Confluence Capital Management, the investment advisory practice through which Thomas Clark provides advisory services. Advisory services are not offered through this publishing platform.

© 2026 Confluence Media Group LLC · thomasclarkadvisor.com