The median retirement account balance among all Americans of working age? $0.00. And that’s the median amount, meaning half of working-age Americans have even less than $0.00 to their name. And if the paltry state of Americans’ retirement accounts isn’t enough to convince you that there’s a retirement crisis, consider the fact that total U.S. consumer debt is now sitting…
The author of today’s article advises that “when it comes to selecting investments for each part of your portfolio, you can really skinny things down by focusing on investments that provide a lot of diversification in a single shot.” She proceeds to highlight a number of funds that both retirement accumulators and those who are already in retirement could consider…
Think you need $1 million to retire? The author of today’s article calls that belief the “million-dollar myth” – and shows how, using a “4-pack” of closed-end funds with an average dividend of 8.5%, you can retire on less than half that amount. For the four funds in question – and what the author sees as a big reason for…
“A lifelong, low-cost investment strategy that I believe is likely to produce superior long-term returns without much attention from you” is what the author of today’s article lays out. The strategy in question is comprised of two “building blocks” – a target-date retirement fund at the core and a “booster fund” to generate higher long-term returns with little extra risk.…
Today’s article outlines how an initial investment of $300,000 in six specific funds (from “an obscure corner of the market”) can create a significant, reliable income stream for retirement. Specifically, “this portfolio has a 7.9% yield, meaning our $305,000 initial investment is going to give us $24,000 in annual income—that’s $2,000 per month!” Moreover, these six funds offer growth in…
Amid the low interest rate environment of recent years, many income-seeking investors have turned to high-yield bond funds and dividend mutual funds in the search for higher income. However, with interest rates now rising, these funds are becoming riskier – leading the author of today’s article to suggest an alternate strategy to generate income: investing in pass-through securities, which “are…
The good news regarding mutual and exchange-traded fund fees? Last year saw the biggest one-year decline in fees and several major fund companies have been competitively lowering their fees (with one now even offering index funds without any management fees). The bad news, according to today’s article, “is that many investors don’t realize how much they’re paying in fund fees…
With paltry bond yields on one hand and the risks associated with high-yielding funds and stocks on the other, generating enough income in a low interest rate environment can be challenging for retirees. However, today’s article highlights two “innovative” ETFs that the author sees as offering slightly higher yields while mitigating risks. The first of these two funds seeks out…
“Annuities often get a bad rap,” states the author of today’s article, who acknowledges some of the drawbacks associated with these products. However, he notes that all investments have drawbacks – and that annuities can be “the hedge against the emotion of fear that you will run out of funds before you die.” He proceeds to outline the numerous ways…
With almost half of retirement savers having their entire account invested in a single target-date fund last year, the author of today’s article acknowledges that “Target-date funds are taking over retirement accounts” – and this may not be a good thing. He proceeds to explain how a combination of issues with target-date funds “could easily add up to 1 percent…