When it comes to investing for retirement, the author of today’s article argues that “While there has been an explosion in passive investing in recent years, investing specifically in your area of expertise can give you a leg up.” How? By using a self-directed account that allows you to make investments in alternative asset classes associated with that area of…
Can you retire on the S&P 500 alone? This is the question that the author of today’s article examines, stating the following: “For investors just starting out and dollar-cost-averaging into their ROTH IRAs or 401ks, an S&P 500 Index Fund can be a good foundational holding. But what about as you age and prepare to retire? Can a well-diversified large…
While some argue it’s not enough – and others argue it’s needlessly high – the figure of $1 million is frequently cited as the amount to strive for when it comes to retirement savings. And with the average 401(k) and IRA accounts having balances of around $100,000, today’s article lays out scenarios to get from this starting point to $1…
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…
“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…
“Owning a home is wonderful, but don’t bank on real estate as your chief retirement investment,” advises the author of today’s article, which looks at the reality when it comes to looking to real estate as a source of retirement riches. What’s the problem with banking on homes for retirement income – especially given the fact that many people have…
The author of today’s article likens them to an “elite Navy SEALs team of retirement savers”: those with $1 million or more in their 401(k). And after membership in this elite group decreased in the final months of last year as volatility in the stock market took its toll, the number of 401(k) millionaires ticked back up in the first…
When it comes to credit scores, buying cars (and buying homes), 401(k)s (and Roth 401(k)s), savings accounts, life insurance (and auto and homeowners and long-term care insurance), wills and beneficiaries (and powers of attorney), Social Security and more, the author of today’s article poses the following question: “What does a good financial life look like?” For his 45-step roadmap to…
It’s an unwelcome surprise for many retirees: having to pay more taxes in retirement than when they were working. In fact, one financial security expert cited in today’s article warns that “tax-deferred retirement accounts such as a 401(k), IRA, or 403(b) can be like sitting on a tax time bomb”. What are the two main reasons Americans are paying higher…
“Save as much as possible as early as possible” is a generally accepted principle of retirement saving – and widely viewed as the most important principle. There are, however, exceptions – and today’s article details how “contributing too much to your 401(k) or similar retirement plan too early in the year may be hazardous to your retirement-savings health” and cause…