Of the $25 trillion held in U.S. retirement accounts, less than 2% of that amount is invested in alternative assets – and new research suggests that this low allocation to alternatives may be a mistake on the part of those approaching or in retirement as alternatives can reduce risk and enhance returns, thus helping to ensure that retirees don’t run…
While there seems to be a constant stream of news and market developments (and presidential tweets) that those nearing retirement need to keep up with today, the author of today’s article asserts that “to be successful in retirement today requires a much more holistic view of what you are facing and what the investment realities are” – and he proceeds…
This Social Security claiming strategy was eliminated by Congress as part of a 2015 law, but a few million Americans are still eligible to use it thanks to a grandfather clause – and those individuals (married couples and some divorced people of a particular age group) may well want to consider taking advantage of this strategy while they still have…
“For the investor, taxes represent a real threat to wealth and a cost that must absolutely be controlled,” asserts the author of today’s article, who points out that a critical assumption underlying most tax minimization efforts – that most people will be in a lower tax bracket during retirement – may be a false assumption given today’s historically low income…
If you’re looking to retire abroad, you likely want some place with a suitable climate and a low cost of living – including low health care costs. But another important consideration is health care efficiency. As such, in seeking to identify the best places for Americans to retire abroad, the author of today’s article factored in how contender countries rank…
Three things happened around the time that the last two bear markets began: the 2-to-10-year part of the yield curve inverted briefly, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time in years, and the S&P 500 peaked in value, before plummeting from that peak. Sound familiar? However, while recession worries are mounting, the author of today’s article argues…
A financially secure retirement requires making a number of critical decisions – and if you want to ensure that you make the right decisions at the right time, the author of today’s article advises that you think of retirement as consisting of four phases, with Phase No.1 beginning at age 55. From opening a Roth IRA to buying long-term care…
Today’s article contains some good news and some bad news for retirees whose portfolios suffer substantial losses (such as the 17% loss incurred by one of the model portfolios from a top-performing newsletter over the first six months of this year). The good news? Even the worst performers are likely to eventually recover their losses. The bad news, however, has…
The FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) movement ignites feelings of skepticism in many. And “skepticism” might be putting it mildly. As the author of today’s article observes, “it seems that some just can’t help hating on FIRE. They claim few can save the amounts of money needed to retire on time, let alone early. They complain about the return assumptions used…
If someone saves nothing for retirement, enjoys their hard-earned money during their working years, and then unexpectedly inherits a windfall at age 60, was not saving a good decision? Conversely, if someone saves diligently for retirement, lives frugally during their working years, and then dies suddenly from a heart attack at age 60, was saving a bad decision? This type…