The author of today’s article likens them to an “elite Navy SEALs team of retirement savers”: those with $1 million or more in their 401(k). And after membership in this elite group decreased in the final months of last year as volatility in the stock market took its toll, the number of 401(k) millionaires ticked back up in the first…
“Let me put it this way: you wouldn’t not take your mortgage interest deduction because… you didn’t feel like it? Or it was hard?” points out the author of today’s article. And yet a surprisingly large number of Americans are not taking advantage of major tax breaks available to them – including what the author refers to as “The one…
Believe it or not, Democrats and Republicans in Congress might actually get something done on a bipartisan basis in the coming weeks, and as today’s article notes, that something “has the potential to be a big win for individual investors”. More specifically, there’s a real chance that Congress could pass bipartisan retirement savings legislation that would be signed into law…
In a new survey conducted by Fidelity Investments, 75% of respondents reported feeling only somewhat confident to not confident at all about their retirement finances. Ultimately, those that lacked a financial plan for retirement lacked confidence, while those that had a plan also had confidence. As such, today’s article lays out “five small, practical steps you can take to boost…
When it comes to periods of extended market weakness, the author of today’s article notes that “Retirees…tend to experience [them] differently, and more viscerally, than their still-working counterparts” as they are living off the finite balances of their portfolios. So while those who are still working may be able to ride out – or even take advantage of – market…
Stress tests aren’t just for banks – they’re useful for retirement plans too! And a comprehensive stress test of your retirement plan involves more than just stress testing your portfolio: the author of today’s article advises that “you should stress test your venue, your retirement and income portfolios, and anticipated leisure pursuits.” For more on carrying out a comprehensive stress…
“Gaming companies are a tough group of stocks to own,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, pointing to, among other things, how sensitive casino profits are to changes in economic conditions. For those looking for gaming related income stocks, however, gaming-focused real estate investment trusts may be a lucrative investment – and the author highlights three specific gaming REITs to…
“Social Security is what it is — and it isn’t what it isn’t,” states the author of today’s article who argues that, while Social Security is an asset, it is not a bond – and thus investors are ill-served by considering Social Security part of their retirement portfolio’s bond allocation. What is Social Security, what isn’t Social Security – and…
“The bottom line is that generating secure income to meet our retirement goals for an uncertain period of time is extremely challenging,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, who likens this task to “trying to hit a moving target in the wind.” He proceeds to outline one approach to doing so – the so-called flooring approach. How does the flooring…
Strategies for accumulating wealth receive much more attention than strategies for decumulating wealth despite the fact that, as the author of today’s article points out, nowadays the decumulation phase of one’s life can be just as long as the accumulation phase. He also acknowledges problems with safe withdrawal strategies, including the fact that there’s a good chance you’ll end up…