Robert

MarketReview author profile

Robert Paulsen

Personal Finance Writer

Active

Robert Paulsen has spent more than a decade writing about the financial choices people make in everyday life. His work covers income, spending, saving, debt and long-term goals, with close attention to the circumstances that can make the same advice sensible for one household and unsuitable for another.

Personal finance is often reduced to slogans: spend less, save more, avoid debt, follow a fixed rule. Robert looks beyond those formulas. He examines the trade-offs behind a decision, the priorities it serves and the costs or constraints that may not be obvious at first glance.

At MarketReview, his articles are intended to help readers organise choices around their own needs rather than an idealised financial plan. He does not treat good personal finance writing as a list of instructions; he treats it as a way to make the reasoning behind competing options clearer.

Areas of coverage

  • Personal finance
  • Income and spending
  • Saving
  • Debt
  • Retirement planning
  • Insurance
  • Mortgages

Published work

Latest work by Robert Paulsen

News, analysis and evergreen financial guides credited to this author.

Cash, a calculator and a notebook labeled 401k on a desk.
Guide

Retirement and Tax Planning

Retirement tax planning is about coordinating account types, withdrawals, Social Security and investment taxes to improve after-tax income over time.

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Editorial illustration of an investor organizing a balanced portfolio for long-term retirement savings.
Guide

Managing Your Own Retirement Savings

Table of ContentsWhat managing your own retirement savings involves Start with the retirement plan rather than the investments Use retirement accounts deliberately Build an allocation around the risks…

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Editorial illustration of a balance scale weighing time against financial resources during retirement planning.
Guide

Allocating Resources to Retirement

Retirement saving is not just a percentage-of-income decision. It requires balancing current obligations, future income needs, tax-advantaged accounts and an investment mix you can sustain.

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Guide

Managing Your Mortgage

Good mortgage management is not just about paying the balance down quickly; it means controlling the payment, protecting liquidity, reviewing avoidable costs and knowing when a change to the loan actually improves your finances.

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Guide

Paying Off Mortgages vs. Investing

The better use of extra cash depends on the mortgage’s true after-tax cost, the investment opportunity, your time horizon, liquidity needs and tolerance for market risk.

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Guide

Second Mortgages

A second mortgage lets you borrow against home equity without replacing your first mortgage, but the lower-cost secured borrowing comes with a second payment, added fees and the risk of putting more of your home behind debt.

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Guide

Collateral Mortgages

A collateral-charge mortgage can make future borrowing against home equity easier, but the broader security can also complicate switching lenders, discharging the charge and managing revolving debt.

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Guide

Mortgage Features

The interest rate matters, but loan term, rate structure, points, prepayment rules and other mortgage features can materially change a loan's cost and flexibility.

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