This blog post is all about keeping your money alive and kicking; thriving while you get older than you thought you would ever be.  

This hit home for me when my dad died at age 72. This caused me to believe when I was in my sixties that I would be gone by 75.  But here I am today just 6 months from 90.  How did that happen?  It certainly was not because I eat right because I don’t. I still eat a Snickers and a Butterfinger candy bar once a week, and my ice cream has to have some caramel on it, and I definitely consider chocolate chip cookies almost a daily necessity.

I am not bragging here but instead just saying how lucky I am. Lucky in the sense that I would have died but for the fantastic doctors who kept me alive.  For example, in 2006, I had open-heart quadruple bypass surgery. And anyone who also had this medical procedure, knows it’s a “let me outta here” type experience.

Research statistics indicate that of the four million or so people reaching the age of 65 this year, most, if not all of them, will try to figure out if they have enough money to live on until the day of their death.  

Few people know when they will die. As they look at the research, they are told that if you are 65, depending on numerous variables, you might live to 78. And if your 75 you might just make it to 90……maybe, that is, if you’re lucky like me. I’m being optimistic here with six months to go.

So the questions therefore are, how much income will I have?  At what rate will I or should I spend it? And how much can I earn through a good investment plan?

It is at this point of reasoning that almost all people realize, and are convinced,  that they need the right kind of financial planner to address these questions and provide financial guidance.

In my new book, “How Do I Know You Won’t Steal My Money” I addressed these questions in chapter 24.

Over the past 56 years I have come to know a lot of financial planners.  I was Chairman of the College for Financial Planning and also on the Certified Financial Planner Board and the Financial Planners Association Board. 

And as you might have already concluded, there are some bad CFPs, but then again, there are also many who are very good. When it comes to financial investment planning the most important step is the first one, which is to find a very good, well proven, highly experienced, truthful, honest, qualified, certified financial planner (CFP).

Today when people ask me to recommend a very good CFP, I always refer them to Bill Brancaccio CFP. He has lots of experience, very intelligent, and a good ‘people person’.  I have introduced him to all my clients over the years, and everyone really likes him. He can be trusted hands down. Check out these search results Bill Brancaccio – Search

I also strongly recommend reading five short chapters 2-6 in my book. I am confident that you will gain a foundational background for understanding annuities. 

Then read the Barrons article, “The 100 Best Annuities. How to Avoid Common Mistakes and Pick the Right One.” Published July24.2026 by Karen Hube  – Link The 100 Best Annuities of 2026: How to Buy the Right One – Barron’s

One small example from the article. The current top three annual income guarantees for a person investing $200,000 at age 60, and then after ten years turning on the income stream at age 70, averages $33,702 annually.  That becomes a wonderful supplement to social security.

This is not an easy decision for anyone to make on their own. So again, I emphasize, this very important decision needs to be made from within the context provided by a proven financial planner’s guidance plan.

I’ve always said that “Good Luck” doesn’t just fall out of the sky, but instead is created through intelligence, knowledge, and truth. I have based my career on this financial philosophy and look forward to addressing any questions you might have so please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will do my best to point you in the best direction possible.

Please feel free to use the CONTACT THE AUTHOR – Vern Hayden CFP webpage.

Simplicity is a wonderful thing when it comes to understand something, because it is easier to remember and implement effectively.  When it comes to your money just remember three words: Save, Invest, and Insure.  Those three words create a simple structure for you to implement to do everything important regarding your money and your future plans and goals. 

1. SAVE

   Saving some money does not mean depriving you of anything.  It means you are allocating some money for future use.  It will be like giving yourself a reward and a sense of fulfillment .  Of course there are many possible reasons to save.  You need to know why you are saving money.  The “why” provides the incentive and motivation to do it.  It is important to write down your “whys” and how much money you will need by a certain time.  It isn’t just about traditional retirement or financial independence.  It includes anything you want to accomplish in the future such as a car, a house, kids’ education, vacations and trips. 

I wrote my first book, “Money: Use It or Lose It” in 1979.  My friend, Fred, asked me for a copy.  Fred was a good handball buddy and was a coach at a high school in Marin County, California.  His wife was a school teacher at the same school.  They had more than an ounce of discipline and decided to save her salary and live off of his salary. Today they have met all their financial goals and are more than financially independent. Everyone has to work out their own savings plan but any amount consistently saved over time will create a nice nest egg.

2. INVEST

Investing is not simple. In fact it is one of the most challenging and complex subjects there is. Very few people should try to do this on their own.  A word of caution.  If you are going to pay someone to help  you then make sure they will represent you, and I’m not talking about an institution like a bank or insurance company.

You need to work with someone or some company that is independent and not connected to Wall Street or an insurance company.  The best combination of professionals to use would be a CFA(Certified Financial Analyst) and CFP(Certified Financial Planner) who manage on a fee only basis.

In my book I refer to places to look for these professionals.

The subject reminds me of the two times I was on CNBC with Jack Bogle, the founder of Vanguard Funds and the father of index investing.  In January 1,1989 Jack and I were sitting next to each other on the set at CNBC.  We were taking calls from the public through two hosts. 

Brenda Butner one of the hosts put me on the phone with a lady asking me where to invest $60,000 . After advising her that  I would need to know a lot more about her situation before advising her but gave her the name of three excellent mutual fund managers.

Then Brenda tossed the question over to Jack.  Jack said, “Yes we need to know more about you but you only need one fund, The Vanguard Total Stock Market Fund”. Jack and I represent two different investment philosophies.  So goes the discussion between indexing and active management.  The lady on the phone would do fine going either way.

To look for more information I refer you to my second book “Getting an Investing Game Plan” published by John Wiley and Sons in March 2003. There are still used copies, and e-book versions available online.

3. INSURE

Insuring is all about financial protection from disaster.  Insure your car, your house, your business, jewelry. And your most important asset…yourself.  You do this so it will not be counterproductive to saving and investing. This subject is covered in all three of my books,

Most people need help to do all this.  You would be well served to use a Certified Financial Planner.

Retirement planning is one of the most over used terms in financial planning.  Forget it………and in its place do something that is personal, with a specific focus on you and your future.  To help you get started on this personal journey, it will help to consider the following six questions.

1. Have you been thinking about planning?   

2. Where are you now in that planning? 

3. What is your current situation? 

4. Are you pleased, happy, content, or aspiring for more?  For example, maybe you are a nobody or a somebody in the corporate world but working to climb the ladder.  Or maybe you are a professional but never make the top rankings, but are ok, nevertheless.    

5. But if you don’t like where you currently are in your progression or don’t like what you’re doing, are you thinking about what you would rather achieve or do, perhaps something completely different? And in thinking about doing something else……

6. Are you being honest about your skill set and personal ability, and is there anything else you are qualified to do that will serve your goals?

I am a financial planner, and you must be your own career counselor.  And whatever you do, it will ultimately involve your money. So, should you stay with what you have already planned, or not? In any event, no matter what, you will need to plan your life differently to get the most out of this effort. 

For instance, you don’t want to just plan for the big retirement day. Instead think about your journey to retirement and beyond.  And not just in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality. The latter should be the foundational basis for the former.  

This concept hit home for me in January 1965 when my wife and I took a plane to Nassau in the Bahamas. We were in our middle 20’s. The promoters of Treasure Cay flew us there for free for a 3-night stay.  While there we signed up for a beautiful yacht ride around the Islands. 

There were two couples in their 60’s also on the yacht.  As we got to know each other they made a profound statement to us I never forgot.  They said, “You kids are really smart to do something like this at such a young age.” 

Over 55 years of working with thousands of clients the one question that always came up at some point was, ’Vern is there some simple formula I can use to have enough money to do things in my life?’. The answer is yes, and there are many books written about every step needed to achieve this financial aspiration and personal goal.

But to put it simply, there are three words that summarize how to solve the puzzle of having enough money to do what you want when you want it. They are,

           1. Save
           2. Invest
           3. Insure

In my next blog post, I will explore these three aspects.  

However in the meantime I will leave you with what I know it takes to achieve any goal, and especially the money goals. You must be able to do the following four things or you can forget about achieving anything:

            1. Discipline
            2. Clarity
            3. Consistency
            4. Strong motivational commitment.

Please stay tuned and please consider buying my book. It has all the information you’ll need to achieve success in your financial planning journey ahead.