“Here’s a sobering thought: Much—and perhaps most—of the money you’ll accumulate for retirement will reflect the raw dollars you sock away and not the investment returns you earn,” begins the author of today’s article, who proceeds to outline some examples to illustrate this fact, as well as examine its implications. For more – including the “perverse conclusion” this leads the…
You may have a will in place, but what about a power of attorney, an advanced directive, or a financial plan? A recent survey found that few people actually use these tools that the author of today’s article argues “are so important for successful lives” – and which can ease financial and retirement worries. He proceeds to outline how to…
When it comes to the ultimate size of your retirement nest egg, the author of today’s article notes that “Calculating future savings requires numerous factors, including current age and predicted retirement age, any current assets, how the portfolio is invested and at what rate a person can realistically expect that money to grow.” And it’s this latter factor – the…
“Because the average retirement length in the country is 18 years, we can project that the typical retiree will need an $828,000 nest egg to pay the bills upon leaving the workforce,” notes the author of today’s article. But if you find that number daunting, he proceeds to outline the major expenses one can expect to encounter in retirement and…
There’s a consensus that Americans are not saving enough for retirement. But what are the obstacles – including the mental obstacles – that are preventing them from doing so? What can they do to save more for retirement (including those who are close to retirement but haven’t saved enough)? What’s the “wrong picture” many may have of the FIRE (Financial…
$1 million is the figure commonly cited by financial experts when it comes to how much you need for retirement. In today’s article, however, the author outlines a way in which you can retire on less than half that amount — $405,000 – with just five buys which, in combination, “hand you a 7.4%-yielding portfolio that will pay you reliably…
When Social Security’s trustees issued their annual report on the program earlier this year, it forecast that costs will exceed income next year for the first time since 1982 and that, if no action is taken, the program will run out of money by 2035. Given this, is it time to rethink the common financial wisdom that says it’s best…
Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders may or may not become president. And Democrats’ chances of taking complete control of Congress appear slim. Still, the author of today’s article expresses concern that “If the Dems take over, the top federal bracket goes to 50%, the cap on payroll taxes goes away and dividends and capital gains lose their favorable rates. Would…
How do people who save 20% or more of their incomes for retirement – so-called retirement “super savers” – manage to do it? New research provides a big part of the answer, identifying “the single biggest difference between what super savers spent less on, as compared to the rest of us” – something super savers spend just 14% of their…
The difference between running a marathon race and preparing for retirement, the author of today’s article observes, is that “When you cross the finish line in a marathon, you know the race is over. But when you quit the workforce, it’s much harder to figure out whether you’ve successfully reached retirement.” So how can you get a good sense of…