“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…
With high-dividend-yielding stocks feeling the pain as interest rates rise, the author of today’s article argues that, while older investors should not scale back on their dividend holdings, “the challenge is to pick the right dividend stocks and funds” – and the right dividend stocks and funds right now might not be the usual suspects! As such, she proceeds to…
In some (rare) positive retirement news, Wells Fargo’s 2016 retirement study found that the average 401(k) balance is at a new high – $92,000. So, with Americans looking to improve their financial futures and steering more dollars into their retirement accounts, how should they be investing these additional funds? In aggressive stock plans? Conservative bond funds? Low-cost index funds? To…
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.…
Americans are living longer. In fact, many may end up spending more years in retirement than they did working – and the author of today’s article warns that this new reality demands a new approach to retirement planning if Americans don’t want to “run out of money before they run out of life.” Specifically, the author advocates for a shift…
Based on the findings of a recent analysis conducted by human resources consultancy firm Aon Hewitt, half of 401(k) investors using target-date funds may be using them wrong. What exactly are people getting wrong when it comes to target-date funds? They “spread their dollars across other investments available to them in their plans” rather than using the target-date fund –…
Senior citizens are leaving millennials in the dust – at least when it comes to the returns on their portfolios. Today’s article highlights data from TD Ameritrade which shows that, while “there is a high overlap between the top 10 holdings of the millennial generation, Generation X, baby boomers and senior citizens…there’s also enough divergence that the gains of seniors…
“Getting rich begins with the way you think and what you believe about making money.” This assertion comes from Steve Siebold, a self-made millionaire and author of “How Rich People Think”, which he penned after studying millionaires for over 25 years and conducting hundreds of interviews. Today’s article highlights six “psychological tricks rich people use to make more money”, as…
While many investors will not begin to think about taxes for several more months, today’s article argues that “anytime is a good time for tax planning” and that this time in particular – the fourth quarter of the year – is a particularly good time for this, stating that “planning before the end of the year increases the number of…
With their low default risk, high dividend yields – with some paying yields above 6% – and ability to provide most Americans with tax-free income, the author of today’s article describes municipal bonds as having “the retirement income trifecta.” Recognizing that it can be difficult to buy quality individual municipal bonds, the author recommends seeking out the kinds of municipal…