Personal finance for people who want to be great with money — written by the friend who already is.
Spent a career helping people navigate the five years on either side of retirement. The most under-planned decade of most lives.
About Linda
Linda writes about the human side of retirement — the identity shift, the spending recalibration, the Medicare maze, and the conversations most couples never quite have until it's late.
Her lane on the Retirement Desk is the softer stuff that has hard financial consequences: the go-go years, health care, housing decisions, and where to actually live.
In their own words
“Retirement is a project, not a finish line.”
— Linda Park, The Retirement Coach
The money story
Linda spent her early career in HR benefits before pivoting to retirement transition coaching. Watched too many people hit 65 with a plan for the money and no plan for the life. Now she writes about both, because you can't separate them.
Signature playbook
The two-and-a-half years before and after retirement are the most consequential of the decade. Treat them as a distinct planning phase.
Year -2: Test Drive
Live for a year on projected retirement income. Find the gaps before they matter.
Year -1: Health Setup
Sort Medicare timing, supplemental coverage, and long-term care before the last paycheck.
Year 0: The Handoff
The identity shift. The calendar shift. The relationship shift. Named, planned, discussed.
Year +1: The Recalibration
First full year of actual spending, compared to plan. Adjust before habits set.
Year +2: The Go-Go Plan
The next ten years of health and energy get spent on purpose, or they get spent by accident.
A taste of the beat
Sample headlines from Linda's desk.
Rules I won't break
The non-negotiables — the things Linda refuses to recommend, no matter how good the pitch.
Filed by Linda
The weekly dispatch
The kind of financial advice you'd get from a friend who's already figured it out. No hot takes, no leaderboards, no affiliate hustle.