April is Financial Literacy Month, but the author of today’s article believes that an understanding of five “big picture principles” is even more important when it comes to achieving one’s financial goals (such as having enough money for a secure retirement) than knowledge of specific financial concepts and processes. The first of these big picture principles? While investing is important,…
Are you willing to give up an hour (actually less than an hour) of your time in the interest of helping to ensure that your retirement savings will be sufficient? If so (and who wouldn’t?), today’s article lays out three easy steps to complete in this regard. Those three steps? Estimate your life expectancy, determine the appropriate equity percentage for…
Exchange-traded funds are becoming an increasingly popular vehicle for accumulating assets for retirement. But what should be done with ETFs (which carry a certain degree of risk) as one moves into retirement (where risk aversion is the name of the game)? The author of today’s article notes that “your first instinct may be to edge away from volatility, but there’s…
“It’s nothing less than a war they’re waging on retirement – and it’s going to cost you,” cautions the author of today’s article in regards to the shelving of the Department of Labor’s “Best Interest” rule, which aims to protect retirement savers and their nest eggs from shifty agents and unnecessary fees (to the tune of $17 billion) by requiring…
“Defined contribution plans like 401(k) accounts are great at helping employees save for retirement, but they provide no guarantee of income as pensions do,” notes the author of today’s article. While private sector pension plans have largely disappeared, the author highlights a pension-style retirement product that offers guaranteed lifetime income, but which only recently has entered the mainstream of retirement…
With 401(k) account balances rising, more employees are wondering how they can get their hands on that money. However, whether it’s from borrowing from their 401(k)s or pulling the money out when they leave jobs, the result is one of the biggest threats to Americans’ retirement savings: leakage. Today’s article notes that, according to one analysis, such leakage “threatens to…
“If you want to have an income-rich retirement, you’ve got to have a diversified basket of dividend stocks that will deliver both capital appreciation and income growth,” states the author of today’s article – and this assertion is backed up by a study that looked at the returns of S&P 500 stocks over a 33-year period. The author proceeds to…
“When it comes to important life transitions like retirement, perspective, judgment and objectivity are vital to prevent mistakes that can lead to disaster,” asserts the author of today’s article. The problem? Too many people forego the aforementioned in favor of overly simplistic (and overly optimistic) “back-of-the-envelope” planning. What are some critical steps many people fail to take – and important…
The statistics outlined in today’s article regarding baby boomers and retirement aren’t all disconcerting, but most of them are (90% to be exact!). Nonetheless, the author believes these are facts that boomers planning on retiring in the not-so-distant future need to be aware of. What “pretty scary” amount does the average boomer have saved for retirement? What percentage of 65-year-olds…
Are you unknowingly passing up a tax credit from Uncle Sam that could help you pad your retirement account? Today’s article highlights a special tax break aimed at helping those with modest income save for retirement, but one expert cited notes that “only an estimated one out of four people who could get money from the credit are getting it….”…