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There's plenty of medical research that suggests that half to two-thirds of Americans' medical bills result from lifestyle decisions that people make every day regarding nutrition, exercise, stress management, smoking, alcohol abuse and so on. By making healthy decisions in these areas, we can dramatically reduce the odds of incurring some expensive medical conditions.
Banks share of the 401(k) rollover market has nearly doubled since 2007. If you're considering rolling over your money to a bank, be aware it is not as nearly safe, or smart as you may think.
"Invest amounts you can't afford to lose in bonds and cash, but invest in stocks only money you can afford to lose 50 percent or more of." This was one of the investing lessons taught to me by my grandfather, who was a stockbroker during the Great Depression. And the lesson still applies today.
Thirty years ago the 401(k) was heralded as a great extension of the American way: Workers would have the freedom to make their own investment choices-including the choice of whether to invest for their retirement in the first place. Freedom apparently has its limitations. A new survey reports that most Americans now want their plan to take over all the decision making.
With record amounts of money pouring into bond funds, how do you protect yourself from risky bond market behavior.
It can pay to make a few financial moves in the calendar year BEFORE the year you submit the FAFSA. Doing this takes planning and foresight so you'll need to think and plan ahead. Read on to see how making a few well-timed moves can help increase financial aid eligibility next year.
This blog offers 10 steps to generate an income that covers your living expenses, no matter how long you live and no matter what happens in the economy.
It looks likely that married couples with joint income above $250,000 and individuals with income above $200,000 will see their federal tax rates rise in 2011. That means, the standard practice of pushing more income in the next tax year-thereby delaying when tax is due-doesn't look too smart in 2010. The wealthy might want to pay more tax in 2010 if it means having to pay less in 2011 and beyond.
Old fashioned pension plans outperform 401(k) plans by an average of one percentage point a year. That adds up to a huge difference in the potential nest egg you'll have 20 or 30 years down the line. Since you can't go out and buy yourself a pension, your next best move is to understand what pension managers do better than you, and put that to work in your own 401(k)
The problem for most Americans is that the money and benefits just aren't there for the traditional retirement of "not working." This article shares some statistics on these challenges, and then suggests goals for older Americans that are more realistic than the traditional retirement.
Do you find yourself a bit depressed now that the Dow has slipped under 10,000 again? I have to confess that it makes me mildly anxious, even though I know that the five-figure mark means nothing. That happens to be the mirror image of a point I made in a post a few months back, when the Dow passed ...
If you are preparing to submit the FAFSA, there are some financial moves you can make that could help to increase the potential amount of financial aid for your student year.
Tim Geithner has gone on television to defend the Treasury bond's credit rating. But only a better fiscal policy can really protect it, and do you think Congress is up to it?
Do I need a professional financial advisor? by Jane Bryant Quinn I can think of some circumstances where a planner is a must. For example: 1. You earn good wages but cannot manage to save a dime. You need a reality check. Someone has to show you — in dollars and cents — how little...
Can you trust online retirement calculators? by Jane Bryant Quinn I have mixed feelings about the retirement-planning calculators available on the Web. You enter certain financial data and the calculators purport to tell you how much more you ought to be saving for your retirement. Their weaknesse...
