<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Barksdales Retire]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Barksdales Retire is a practical, funny look at retirement planning, money, marriage, and building a good life after work. Follow Dudley and Betty as they figure out how much is enough, turn retirement savings into a real-world plan, navigate Social Security, healthcare, taxes, spending, family, and estate planning—and learn that retiring from work is only the beginning.

Through relatable stories, simple retirement planning tools, cartoons, and lessons learned along the way, The Barksdales Retire helps people approaching retirement think beyond the numbers and answer the questions that really matter: What do we have? What do we need for the life we want? Will our money last? And what are we going to do with all this time?

No financial guru promises. No perfect retirement formula. Just one family figuring out money, life, and what comes next.]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:00:29 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Barksdales]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley Barksdale liked problems. Not actual problems. Actual problems were terrible: broken furnaces, sick parents, water appearing where water had no business appearing, or the glowing check-engine light on a car three days before a road trip. Dudley preferred problems that could be researched, analyzed and eventually organized into something unnecessarily comprehensive. Give Dudley uncertainty and he would ask questions. Give him enough questions and eventually a spreadsheet would appear....]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/meet-the-barksdales</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6e1743454f88d57df697e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:50:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_4584e66f3f3e44538bd36ebddbb4269d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty Goes First]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Well…not yet.” That was what Dudley eventually said. He meant something very specific: I have not looked carefully enough at the numbers to give you a responsible answer. Betty heard: No. Marriage contains a surprising number of these translation problems. One spouse transmits a sentence. The other receives an entirely different message. Both are technically discussing the same conversation. Betty did not argue. She simply nodded. Dudley recognized the nod. It was not an angry nod. It was...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-goes-first</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6f6020ef0c897c4658f6d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:52:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_c7330f3588d6437a939019c1cc0bdc36~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dudley Wants to Retire]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley wanted to retire. This part required almost no analysis. Knowing whether he could was harder. He was fifty-six. Fifty-six did not look like retirement in Dudley’s head. Retired people had always been older. Exactly how much older was unclear, although he did now qualify for the over-55 menu at Perkins. Unfortunately, tomorrow also seemed far too soon to return to work. Betty had retired, and within weeks had begun looking noticeably more like herself. Dudley had begun looking...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/dudley-wants-to-retire</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6f8483454f88d57df96ca</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:52:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_ba7f257ca69145e9a41c50b4c031102b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty Wants a Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Retire and do what?” Betty had asked a reasonable question. Dudley had spent several days figuring out whether they had enough money for him to stop working. He had spent considerably less time thinking about what they would do if he did. Betty did not have this problem. “I want to travel.” Dudley nodded. “Not vacations where we spend the first day getting there and the last day thinking about going home. I want to stay somewhere.” “How long?” Betty looked at him. “I don’t know. Long...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-wants-a-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6f9d03454f88d57df9a25</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 20:52:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_29a0456279724eb1a3c867da9e17473e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Close Enough]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley now had enough information to ask the question he had been avoiding. Would the money last? He knew they had about $1.2 million in retirement accounts. He knew the portfolio was roughly eighty percent stocks and twenty percent bonds. He knew where the money would come from once the paychecks stopped. He also had a reasonable idea what it cost to be them. The house and cars were about thirty-five hundred dollars a month. Essentials, utilities and insurance were another two thousand....]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/close-enough</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6fd72d587b0fb46ad28fa</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:53:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_06382e75db224c829a42bb017b60cdea~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dudley Discovers the Internet]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley was retired. This created a new problem. He had spent several weeks trying to determine whether he and Betty could afford to retire. He had gathered the accounts, estimated what their life would cost and run enough scenarios to conclude that things would probably work out. Probably had eventually been good enough. Now he had to manage it. Dudley had spent most of his career managing complicated things. Projects involving dozens of people who could attend the same meeting and leave with...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/dudley-discovers-the-internet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6ff12f448a9cd17b934e2</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 20:53:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_3dbe527c11c54ab69d24bc6f2c55d539~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty's Money is Betty's Money]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley had spent several days assembling his financial tools. Lunch Money knew what they spent. ProjectionLab knew when they might die. Their investment companies knew where most of the money was. Several spreadsheets knew things no spreadsheet should reasonably need to know about two people living in Iowa. Then he discovered a governance problem. Some of the money belonged to Betty. Not metaphorically. Actually. Betty had worked for decades. She had retirement accounts, a checking account,...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-s-money-is-betty-s-money</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa7018df688f98da0f07f8d</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:53:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_d83fb3a3891145f8bb2236f6d15f6c5a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dudley Gets Some Help]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley had learned a lot about retirement. This was becoming a problem. He knew about asset allocation. Sequence risk. He had spreadsheets. He had software. He had opinions.  What Dudley did not have was complete confidence that any of it was right. So Dudley did something unusual. He decided to ask for help. He found financial advisors. Many of them. This was encouraging. Then he discovered what some of them charged. One percent did not sound particularly threatening. Then Dudley multiplied...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/dudley-gets-some-help</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa703613454f88d57dfae9e</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:53:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_e31de0d9cc9f45f1961f1f6561ccd396~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty Needs a One Pager]]></title><description><![CDATA[Betty pulled a legal pad from her purse and clicked her pen. Jingo settled beside her at the kitchen table. Borris was asleep in the chair Dudley had intended to use. Betty looked at Dudley. “Are we okay?” Dudley turned toward his laptop. “No.” He stopped. “I didn’t do anything.” “You were going to open something.” “I was going to answer your question.” “You were going to explain my question.” Dudley looked at the laptop. This was possible. Betty wrote three things on the pad. What do we...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-needs-a-one-pager</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa705fef688f98da0f087e8</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:53:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_c28741a531eb430bbd0f8d7ce138ed4f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty Would Like to Eat]]></title><description><![CDATA[Betty wanted to go out to dinner. This should not have required a financial analysis. “Can we afford to go out tonight?” she asked. Dudley looked up. It was a perfectly reasonable question. They had asked each other versions of it for thirty years. Can we afford the new couch? Can we afford the trip? Do we really need the better grill? Why are paper towels eight dollars? They had spent most of their adult lives paying attention to money. They compared prices, waited for sales and saved before...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-would-like-to-eat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa89cf5c1c672fb6740fd22</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 01:19:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_cd3d826c20394cc994f8fffad063ea4f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Pays for the Groceries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Betty pulled a small notebook from her purse. "What do you want for dinner?" This was how the list usually started. Betty's lists were different from Dudley's. Betty wrote down what they needed. Dudley preferred to know everything they already had. He considered this more reliable. Betty considered it unnecessary. Dudley also had a habit of proofreading Betty's lists for logistical intent. Was the route efficient? Were they buying something they already owned? Had she accounted for what was...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/who-pays-for-the-groceries</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa89f84657220a88276c54f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 01:54:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_29f74f42acc3459698bdc5484a5c14c2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Not Cool]]></title><description><![CDATA[The third floor of the house was trying to kill them. That wasn't technically true, but in July it was accurate enough. The house had been built in 1897, back when insulation was apparently more of a suggestion. The third floor was a remodeled attic with vaulted ceilings, old farmhouse character and enough charm to make Dudley and Betty love sleeping up there. It also got unbelievably hot. Heat rose through the house and collected under the roof as though it had been invited. By late...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/not-cool</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa8a5a5f448a9cd17bcca1d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 02:23:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_90509d65ebdc4067a193dd372d755337~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Doug Asks for Some Advice]]></title><description><![CDATA[Doug called Dudley with a money question, which was an exciting moment for Dudley. He had been training for it his entire life. “Dad, I got a credit card.” Dudley sat up. “What kind?” “I don’t know.” Dudley sat back down. This was going to require some work. “What do you mean you don’t know?” “It’s a credit card.” “I understand the category.” Doug had recently started working while he was in college. He was making his own money, paying for more of his own things and discovering that adulthood...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/doug-asks-for-some-advice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa8ac79abcfc8d624a49005</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2026 02:56:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_be89d513f014441abc2c218c9b47c555~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ray Is Making Too Much Money]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bonnie got the mail. Dudley and Betty were at Ray and Bonnie’s for dinner when Bonnie came in from the kitchen carrying an envelope. She handed it to Ray. “Somebody took out more money.” Ray looked at the envelope. “Who?” “Medicare.” Dudley kept eating. He had learned that not every financial conversation occurring within hearing distance required his participation. “How much?” Ray asked. Bonnie told him. Dudley stopped chewing. Betty noticed. “No.” “I didn’t say anything.” Betty took another...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/ray-is-making-too-much-money</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa8b469abcfc8d624a4a8e1</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 03:06:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_70092692323e4627923bdb46b8aca743~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Accidentally Watched the News]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley and Betty accidentally watched the news. This was rarely helpful. They hadn’t intended to. The television was on, they were drinking coffee, and one thing led to another until several professionally concerned people were explaining why everything was bad. Inflation was up. Interest rates were rising. Stocks were falling. Consumers were worried, businesses were worried, and economists were worried about how worried everyone was. Betty looked at Dudley. “That doesn’t sound good.” “No.”...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/we-accidentally-watched-the-news</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa94abf80158fe9e81d6d70</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:50:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_3c742f8f4ace49f28128f19d633b2f7b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Barb Inherits a Cat]]></title><description><![CDATA[Barb called Dudley with a financial question. This was exciting. “Dad, what do you think about pet insurance?” Dudley sat up. He had opinions about insurance, cats and, more recently, veterinary medicine. This was an unusually favorable combination. “What happened?” “My roommate moved out.” “Okay.” “And I inherited her cat.” Dudley paused. “How do you inherit a cat from someone who’s still alive?” “They couldn’t take him.” “Ah.” “He’s twenty-three.” Dudley paused again. “Years?” “Yes, Dad.”...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/barb-inherits-a-cat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa94f7dd4b5f4ca1b6a7871</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:06:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_4d579ecfdb2f4362bbec1b7fa334a16d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dudley Gets a Side Hustle]]></title><description><![CDATA[Winter arrived in Iowa. Not decorative winter. Not Christmas-card winter, with fluffy snow sitting politely on pine trees while someone drinks cocoa near a window. Iowa winter. The kind where the wind comes across several hundred miles of frozen farmland, finds your house, and begins looking for weaknesses. It was cold. Unbearably cold. Admiral Byrd cold. Dudley stood at the back door one morning and looked toward the shed. Somewhere out there were projects. There was a greenhouse to think...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/dudley-gets-a-side-hustle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa9545cd87eedf23ac5dc31</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:32:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_122c833d238f41038ceb0d4c1353640d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_887,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Annual Shareholder Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was the week between Christmas and New Year’s when nobody was entirely sure what day it was, and cookies had become an acceptable breakfast food. Both kids were home. Doug had brought enough clothes to suggest he was staying until March. Barb was visiting for a couple of days and had to get back to work in Minneapolis. The house was full again, which Dudley liked. He also liked the last week of December because it was time for the annual shareholder meeting. Dudley had prepared. There was...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/the-annual-shareholder-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa9590672df05405685daea</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 14:42:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_fba7027a6f99423188680155d0a6fc45~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_887,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Betty Asks About Giving]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dudley and Betty had gotten pretty good at retirement. They had a plan. They knew what they had, what they wanted to spend and roughly how long it would last. More importantly, they were actually living the life they had planned. The money moved when it needed to. The bills got paid. The world had not ended. One morning, Betty sat at the kitchen table with her coffee. Jingo was beside her, watching with the intense devotion she normally reserved for Betty and anything that might contain...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/betty-asks-about-giving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa95bcfd7d2dc331684b062</guid><pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_a498dfdd37934176ad5a491a82c4f3fc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_887,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bonnie Makes Quilts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bonnie made quilts. A lot of quilts. Dudley had occasionally described this as somewhere around a hundred quilts a year. This was not true, but it felt true. She hadn’t even been quilting her whole life. She picked it up after she retired. A hobby. But Bonnie did not have hobbies. Bonnie had production capacity. One day Dudley was visiting his parents when his mother said, “Hold on a second. I have something for you.” She disappeared downstairs. Dudley followed. In the basement were two small...]]></description><link>https://www.thebarksdalesretire.com/post/bonnie-makes-quilts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa95f1aea197c9ac25adb2a</guid><pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 15:10:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0b69c8_00ba0ad0beb947ff8105a1bb88811fa8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>shanepschulte</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>