The sickle-billed vanga is found only in dry forests of western Madagascar. Spotting one of these or any of the 104 other birds that are native only to this island nation in the South Indian Ocean will be the challenge for Nora Everett and her husband and father when they trek there on a bird-watching expedition. Everett now has time on her hands for such an adventure, as she has just retired as president of Retirement and Income Solutions and chairwoman of Principal Funds at Principal Financial Group Inc.

Madagascar is a big trip. Transitioning from work to retirement is no small matter, either. You’ve worked 50-60 hours a week for years at a company, giving it the best of your effort, and then, all too suddenly, you go from full tilt to full stop. But maybe not absolutely positively full stop, if you’ve prepared yourself.

Everett had some guidance in reaching her end day at Principal. The company counsels all of its pending retirees on the various challenges and opportunities they will face once they exit the workaday life. And Everett did work on her own, including reading a self-help guide to post-work living called "Your Next Season: Advice for Transitioning From Intense Careers to Fulfilling Next Seasons."

Though done with the C-suite, you still have energy that can now be directed toward satisfying personal goals. Gardening, perhaps, or other outdoor activities. Or travel, or staying in touch with the community by way of work with charitable and service organizations. Everett has played key roles at United Way of Central Iowa, as well as the Chrysalis Foundation and Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

Everett believes she will remain with the Community Foundation, and will take measure of other volunteer opportunities.

"I can sit back and let this happen a little more organically," she says. At her level of performance it’s not inconceivable that a corporate board opportunity could arise.

After devoting so much of her life to working, Everett says retirement now affords her the opportunity to devote more time to living. Witness the trip to Madagascar, or other pending vacations to Jackson Hole and Ireland.

"Now I have the ability to say yes to family," she says.

Everett is not alone here. A 2017 survey by TIAA found that 93 percent of respondents said spending time with family is an important part of retirement years. And 80 percent said travel is important, as well. (Freedom from financial worries also was cited; as a key player at a company that’s all about building adequate retirement assets, it would not be a stretch to believe Everett has tackled that task.)

Financial security and travel and backyard picnics will be better enjoyed with good health, and Everett now has 50 or so hours a week to tend to her health and wellness. A competitive swimmer in both high school (Hoover) and college (Iowa State), Everett hopes to find more time for exercise.

Retirees certainly will have more time to read (though in getting ready for it, you might take notes from "How to Retire Happy" by Stan Hinden or "Purposeful Retirement" by Hyrum Smith). Now that she has been through retirement advice books, Everett is spending time with "The Bucket List – 1,000 Activities Big and Small."

If you’ve seen your managed money drifting from mutual funds toward ETFs (exchange-traded funds), chalk it up to the switch to tax efficiency, and the investing experience of 2018 for the markets.

Last year was pretty much a dud for stocks, especially the last quarter of the year. Many mutual funds ended up losing value. But earlier in 2018 they chalked up some decent capital gains, which they paid out at year-end because that’s the way mutual funds operate.

Mutual fund owners, then, saw the value of their investment sag while they still got nicked with a tax bill due to the payout.

"This was an insult to injury year," said Kent Kramer, chief investment officer at Foster Group.

Exchange-traded funds don’t have this tax problem, said Kramer. While ETFs and mutual funds are cousins, in that they both own stocks or track indexes, their tax treatment is different. A capital gain created when an ETF disposes of a security is treated as a like-kind redemption and makes no dent on an owner’s tax form. A capital gain (or loss) occurs only when the ETF is sold.

Kramer also favors ETFs because of their liquidity. If you sell one at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, the transaction occurs then. With a mutual fund, the trade occurs at the end of the day.

When it comes to teaching kids about money, the super rich are different from average Americans. But it’s not only about the amount of wealth they have. It’s also because money is something that many of them would rather not talk about, said Rich Morris, co-author of the book "Kids, Wealth and Consequences."

"For the most part, money is a taboo subject in this society and wealthy people do not do all the things they need to do," he said.

They may also turn to financial professionals to do the job for them. Arne Boudewyn, who leads the Institute for Family Culture at Abbot Downing, said his group is often asked to interview clients’ adolescent and young children to "find out what’s on their minds" or to educate them without the influence of family dynamics.

The end goal is to make sure kids are learning about how to be responsible and have a healthy attitude about money.  Read more >>

In a world of average people -- and average salaries -- many of us aspire to join the seven-figure club. Who doesn’t dream of becoming wealthy so they can stop working, go on guilt-free shopping sprees and take endless vacations?

However, most rich people don’t do those things, and that’s part of how they build and maintain their wealth. There’s a difference between living a life of careless spending (which will quickly drain even a wealthy person’s bank account) and living for long-term financial independence and wealth.

The self-made rich aren’t necessarily smarter than anyone else, but they have mastered some important principles that help them get ahead and stay ahead. Most important, they treat building wealth as a learnable skill -- and it’s one that you can learn, too.

So if you’d like to join the ranks of the super wealthy, try honing these 10 habits and lifestyle changes and see what financial freedom truly feels like.  Read more  >>

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