While many financial firms recommend that U.S. investors have some exposure to foreign stocks, that entails exposure to the currencies of the countries in question, and the author of today’s article notes “that means in addition to the stock’s performance, your total return will include the performance of the foreign currency translated into U.S. dollars.” With a strong dollar, this…
With the average savings account yielding a meager 0.11 percent – far less than the rate of inflation – one financial planner cited in today’s article describes using a traditional savings account for your emergency fund cash as simply being a way of “losing money safely”. As such, the author proceeds to outline other options for your emergency fund that…
Americans are not saving enough for retirement – and if Republican lawmakers have their way (which they presumably will as they now control Washington), this crisis may only get worse. The author of today’s article goes so far as to call the GOP’s current actions and proposed plans a “war on retirement”. What does the author identify as the three…
If you have a large sum of money that you want to invest for retirement, the commonly-held financial wisdom is that you should use the dollar-cost averaging strategy and move that money into the market gradually so that the entire amount is not at risk of a market setback. But, as today’s article explains, it turns out that this seemingly…
Premium support. This is the term for the GOP Medicare reform plan in which retirees would receive an annual stipend or voucher to purchase private health insurance, and the author of today’s article notes that, after recently analyzing the GOP premium support plan, the AARP Public Policy Institute concluded that “it would imperil retirees.” For the main points from AARP’s…
The author of today’s article believes that, with the outsized dividend yields and predictable sources of income the asset class offers, income from real estate investment trusts “should be part of the retirement process.” However, noting that a dividend cut could be devastating to retirees, he cautions that it is important to properly evaluate REIT assets. He proceeds to highlight…
Large, established companies with recognizable brand names. Dividend yields of at least 5%. Low volatility. Relatively cheap. These are four criteria that the author of today’s article believes make stocks well-suited for investors in retirement – and are thus the criteria that he employed in screening for stocks for retirees. Three stocks that fit the bill and which retirees may…
How much do you need to save in order to fund your desired standard of living in retirement? More than you think, according to a new study. Dramatically more. The reasons for this gap between the rates at which Americans are saving for retirement and the rates at which they should be saving? Low returns, longer lives and legacy goals.…
Everyone everywhere is hypothesizing about what effect the Trump administration will have on everything – including retirement. But the author of today’s article cautions that, while “this unrelenting focus may be understandable (and even possibly helpful)…it can also be a bothersome distraction, perhaps even enticing you to make moves you later regret.” What, then, is the author’s advice for those…
The latest Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 63% of workers express confidence in having enough money for a comfortable retirement. But with the average 401(k) having a balance of less than $100,000, the author of today’s article states that “you have to wonder how accurate their self-assessment is.” He proceeds to outline five things…