2016 was a banner year for 401(k)-related lawsuits, as employees felt the need to take legal action in order to have issues with sub-par retirement plans rectified – and, as the author of today’s article acknowledges, the issues that prompted these lawsuits are unlikely to improve under the current regime in Washington. As such, he outlines three things to look…
The author of today’s article notes that Individual Retirement Accounts have become a lot more complicated in a number of critical ways since their introduction in the 1970s. As such, he provides a comprehensive overview of the internal workings of IRAs – including the various types of IRA accounts, funding options and distribution of funds. He then proceeds to outline…
There is no end of lists purporting to identify the best cities or states in which to retire – but, for those planning on relocating to a warmer or less expensive locale in retirement, today’s article cautions there are a number of factors to consider that could lead to unexpected consequences – both financial and non-financial. The big one? Taxes…
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…
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…
Here’s a disturbing reality highlighted in today’s article: “As our ability to make sound financial decisions decreases with age, our self-confidence in this area actually increases.” So what steps can both adult children and their parents take to protect the latter from making bad financial decisions (including becoming the victims of fraud) as a result of them being unaware of…
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…