The author of today’s article argues that the investments in your retirement account are likely not as diversified as they should be. Rather than the traditional approach to diversification (a mix of stocks, bonds and mutual funds), the author advocates “extended diversification”, which “requires a different set of resources than the traditional investment approach.” For more on how you can…
Americans on the whole are not contributing enough to their 401(k)s to fund retirements that will not require a reduction in their standard of living. As such, the author of today’s article looks at “how you can meaningfully begin saving more today for your retirement”. For his insights – including what he identifies as “the simplest and most effective way…
The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates once again and another two rate hikes are now likely before the end of the year. Against this backdrop, the author of today’s article acknowledges that “many market participants, especially retirees with fixed-income-heavy investment mixes, are reasonably concerned about what a period of rising interest rates could mean for their portfolios and for…
Whether one is in the pre-retirement accumulation stage or the retirement decumulation stage, retirement planning seems to be getting increasingly complicated. At a recent investment conference, research and innovations related to the challenges posed by the evolving retirement planning landscape were discussed. For some key takeaways from this discussion – pertaining to target-date funds, Social Security, safe withdrawal rates, annuities…
A firm with a cult-like following, a “beloved ‘industrial’ firm” with a seemingly attractive dividend, and a group of high-growth names make up the seven stocks highlighted in today’s article as being ones that those in – or those going into – retirement may be wise to avoid, according to experts. For these seven stocks – including “one dividend payer…
Trying to tap a lifetime’s worth of savings—enough to enjoy retirement but not so much that you imperil your later years—has never been easy, but it’s about to get a whole lot harder,” warns one retirement researcher cited in today’s article, who sees a confluence of factors coming together to make this “the worst time to retire since just before the…
The author of today’s article argues that retirees should be viewing higher interest rates favorably. This, however, is not how many retirees are reacting to higher rates – and the author suggests that this negative reaction “betrays a fundamental misunderstanding about investing in bonds.” What, in the author’s view, are many retirees getting wrong about investing in bonds, specifically when…
The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, which seeks to track companies that have consistently increased their dividends for ten consecutive years, may seem like a great pick for retirees looking for reliable income. As today’s article points out, however, there is a problem: despite holding companies that have a track record of raising their dividends for ten consecutive years, the ETF…
A large chunk of people around the globe are not prepared for – and do not understand some of the key concepts related to – retirement. This is one of the conclusions that can be drawn from the Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey – and a financial literacy test given as part of it, which many participants failed. For more –…
The author of today’s article outlines how retirees – or any bond investor – “can construct a portfolio of bonds whose total return will almost certainly be higher than the average of those individual bonds’ yields.” How does one accomplish this? By bond laddering – and while you are probably familiar with the concept of bond laddering, you may not…