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Federal tax refunds are coming in at a record pace above $3,000. How about a few off-beat retirement-centric ideas for that mini-windfall? Perhaps you'd like to put your your kid on the path to becoming a millionaire (fund a Roth IRA). Or maybe what you really need is a vacation. Yes, I said vacation. After all, if you plan to delay your retirement for a few years you're going to need a strategy for avoiding early burnout.
It was once unthinkable that America's credit standing would be a factor in buying Treasury bonds. Not any more.
Understanding how to use both your Roth and traditional 401(k) accounts can help you lower the taxes you pay in retirement.
Wealthy German retirees were sentenced to jail this week for kidnapping their investment adviser they claimed was at fault for massive losses to their nest eggs. The kidnapping and multi-million dollar ransom demand was their second crime. Their first crime was allowing themselves to be deluded into thinking they could earn steady 12 percent returns with no risk.
Interest rates on fixed rate mortgages remain at historic low levels. But I don't think this situation will last much longer. Homeowners with mortgages with balances up to the conforming limits and fixed rates above 6 percent or an adjustable rate mortgage who ignore this opportunity, do so at their own financial risk and peril.
While working in retirement may sound like an oxymoron, it's increasingly becoming an expectation among America's workers who are realizing they just don't have the money they need to enjoy a traditional retirement. This post summarizes these trends, and then goes on to address an important question...
Our leaders are proudly proclaiming that they've "closed" the hated Medicare Part D donut hole in prescription drug coverage for seniors. Should you feel relieved? I don't think so. And here's why.
The bond feast of 2009 is continuing in 2010. Inflows into bond mutual funds are running about 4x ahead of new cash flows into stock funds. If you think gorging on bonds is a "safe" strategy right now, think again. An insatiable appetite for bonds could lead to an upset portfolio in the near future.
It's hard to argue against some of the expanded benefits in the new law. It's the "paid for" part that troubles me. Specifically it's who will be paying.
Retiree health care benefits are a dying benefit in the private sector, and in the public sector there is a frightening chasm between promised retiree health care benefits and state savings to cover those costs. The bottom line: Your retirement budget should include at least $250,000 to cover potential out-of-pocket health care costs in retirement.
Dropping out to a very-low cost standard of living might be an option to consider for aging baby boomers who reach their retirement years with no pensions and little retirement savings.
As all the world knows, the House voted Sunday in favor of a modified version of the Senate health care reform bill and-assuming the Senate agrees and the President signs-it's all over but the head scratching. What's this tremendously complex new law mean for you exactly, and how is it going to chan...
Who said retirement planning has to be all work and no play? Boomers with an eye on delaying retirement should take the time for some game playing to keep their brains employable. A full lineup of brain-enhancing iPhone apps can help keep your Boomer Brain sharp.
Many Americans are clueless about how much retirement savings they need. Do your own math to determine how much retirement savings you need, given your circumstances and desired lifestyle. It's not that hard using online retirement calculators.
Forty percent of workers polled in a new survey said their dream job is to stay put with the same employer for their entire career, and to keep working well past age 65. Yet the reality is that changing jobs is the only way to ensure you can work as long as you want (and need) to buy yourself a secure retirement.
