By Vinton Fountain
July 2010
You’re age 36. Or perhaps you just turned 43.
Whatever the case, this part of your economic life, which we call the Middle Years, isn’t completely defined by how old you are.
It’s more about the complexity of the financial issues you’re facing today, as well as those that are bearing down on you so rapidly that you feel deer-in-the-headlights anxiety.
You’ll know you’ve reached the period we’re discussing when you look around your desk one evening and see the monthly 401(k) statements from three past employers, a pamphlet your daughter asked you to read about college applications, and your book of mortgage-payment coupons.
That moment, or one similar to it, comes earlier for some than for others. If you’re there, we have four recommendations for you.