$3.4 trillion. According to a new study, that’s how much retirees have lost, and are losing, by not making the optimal decision when it comes to when to claim Social Security benefits. That’s $111,000 per household! According to the study, “the average Social Security recipient would get 9% more income in retirement by making the ‘financially optimal’ decision about when…
Thirty-four percent of workers who have calculated how much they need to save for retirement concluded their magic retirement number is $1 million – and the author of today’s article has some encouraging words for those striving to amass $1 million for retirement on modest salaries: “building your nest egg to that size can be easier than you expect…All you…
Calling it “a transformative science”, the author of today’s article outlines some of the ways in which “you and your employer and plan sponsors can hack your retirement” using the principles of behavioral economics – including how simply visualizing your future (older) self can help you boost your retirement savings and how, when it comes to 401(k) plans, it’s important…
The fastest-growing demographic in the developed world is people over the age of 100 – a positive development for those desiring a long life but a challenging one when it comes to funding a retirement that could last 20 to 30 years or longer. With the average 65 year old American estimated to only have enough savings to fund about…
If you’re one of the fortunate Americans with a pension, you are faced with a critical question: are you better off receiving it as a lump sum payment or as an annuity? In attempting to answer this question, the author of today’s article runs some numbers to illustrate the costs and benefits of each payout method at different points of…
“The riskiest day in your entire financial life is the day you retire,” declares one investment manager cited in today’s article, which examines the critical conundrum that retirees face today: “How to invest in retirement with enough risk to maintain your purchasing power for 30-plus years while not taking so much risk that you leave your underbelly exposed.” So what…
Nearly 40% of U.S. consumers (and nearly 60% of millennials) see winning the lottery as a reasonable way to fund retirement, leading the author of today’s article to scoff that “You might as well bet on the tooth fairy paying off your credit card balance every month.” However, he also outlines how Americans’ lotto habit can actually help fund their…
If Social Security benefits replace approximately 40% of your pre-retirement income, where do you find the other 60% –and, of particular relevance today, where do you find the other 60% when interest rates are near historic lows? Today’s article outlines one “simple solution” to this challenge, noting that “It can be more volatile than a savings account. And it can…
“Sell in May and go away”. “The January effect”. The “Santa Claus rally”. “Financial hurricane season”. When it comes to whether these seasonal investing adages work, the author of today’s article argues that they work “just often enough to sustain their myths” – and just often enough to negatively impact your retirement savings if you make investment decisions based on…
How can you go about building a portfolio that would provide your loved ones with reliable income while requiring little to no maintenance? The author of today’s article lays out one option: A “three-fund portfolio [that] will hand us a diverse collection of investments built to hold up in any market, throw off a steady 8% dividend and pay dividends…