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How To Select An Annuity That's Right For You

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:04:00 -0400

Annuities solve some key challenges for retirees. Chiefly, some provide fixed income that does not fluctuate with the market. Some offer a death benefit for your heirs. Some offer income that you can't outlive. Some offer income that you and your spouse can't outlive. Drawbacks? Many annuities are inflexible. Many are complex. And many have high fees. Also, surrender charges are commonly levied when you withdraw money from a variable annuity

The 2013 Retirement Portfolio Candidates: Starbucks

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:30:04 -0400

The 2013 Retirement Portfolio Candidates: Starbucks

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:30:04 -0400

The king of coffee shops is in great shape, and has been for a few years. The stock is pricey, but might be right if you don't mind paying the premium.

'Grandparent Scams' Are Conning Thousands of Seniors Out of Cash

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:42:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy By MELANIE HICKEN Across the country, law enforcement officials are warning seniors to beware of so-called "grandparent scams," in which fraudsters are impersonating a grandchild in distress -- and begging for cash. Such scams have become ... Read more

Midday Market Minute: Average 401k Balance Reaches Record High

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:15:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: The retirement game: Who can play, and who thinks it's an unrealistic dream? Let's start with the good news. Fidelity Investments says the average balance for 401k retirement funds has jumped to a record high of nearly $81,000 dollars in the first ... Read more

How Ben Bernanke Is Destroying Your Retirement

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:24 -0400

Uncle Sam has an unfunded pension liability of $800 billion.

Corporate pension funds have an unfunded liability around $400 billion.

State and local pension funds have an unfunded liability in the tony neighborhood of $3 trillion.

That's over $4 TRILLION in UNFUNDED pension funds.

And if you're not lucky enough to be in a "defined benefit" pension plan (which fewer and fewer people are these days) there's undoubtedly an "unfunded liability" in your own savings - in other words, you haven't saved enough to retire.

It's a huge problem and it's getting worse. And there's one individual to blame for all that $4.2-plus trillion of money we need to find - Ben Bernanke.

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How Ben Bernanke Is Destroying Your Retirement

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:24 -0400

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3 Dividend ETFs That Are Right for Retirement

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:19:03 -0400

3 Dividend ETFs That Are Right for Retirement

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:19:03 -0400

The goal when buying a dividend ETF is not to buy one that is too heavily weighted in one sector. Financial, utility, communications and energy stocks are most likely to pay dividends, but each of these sectors carry stocks that run the gamut across the risk spectrum.

Forget Stocks - Japanese Yen Is Moving the Markets

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:43:00 -0400

Forget Stocks - Japanese Yen Is Moving the Markets

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:43:00 -0400

Facebook Gets Defriended By The Market

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:39:00 -0400

Facebook Gets Defriended By The Market

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:39:00 -0400

5 Ways Money Can Buy Happiness

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:47:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy By Philip Moeller Psychologists have been busy testing the premise that money can't buy happiness. Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman has garnered lots of attention with research that says this largely is true. Beyond about $75,000 ... Read more

Don't Worry About Today's Retirees: Boomers Are Fine, (but Gen X Isn't)

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:37:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy By NIN-HAI TSENG When the nation's financial system almost crashed back in 2008, it's easy to see why anyone approaching retirement would have panicked. They saw their lifelong savings plummet as home and stock prices spiraled. For ... Read more

Benefits Cuts and Higher Taxes for Seniors in Obama Budget

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:00:51 -0400

Benefits Cuts and Higher Taxes for Seniors in Obama Budget

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:00:51 -0400

Social security is always a hot topic, and proposals to "save it" are floating around the Capitol. None of the ideas are very good, so beware of the results

Four Steps For Boosting Your 401(k) Account Balance

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:31:00 -0400

Members of 401(k) plans nationwide are feeling richer. The average account balance in plans run by Fidelity Investments hit $77,300 in the fourth quarter. That was an all-time high since Fidelity -- the largest operator of 401(k)s -- began to track this data in 2007. Workers ages 60 to 64 averaged $134,600. Studies of other plans industrywide show similar trends. Still, even that balance for older workers would not be enough by itself to pay for

Tax Rate Reminder

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:47:50 -0400

From Wesley Gray at Turnkey Analyst comes a reminder about tax rates. Tax rates are going up, and how your investment is taxed may be as important as how it performs.

401(k) Auto-Enrollment Is No Cure-All for Our Retirement Woes

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:00:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: DailyFinance By Eleanor Laise If your 401(k) is on autopilot, it may be time to grab the wheel. A growing number of employers are adding automatic features to these workplace retirement-savings vehicles, typically sweeping new hires into the ... Read more

From the Archives: Life Expectancy at Retirement

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:15:58 -0400

Source: The Economist, via Greg Mankiw. Americans, as well as citizens of many other advanced nations, now spend about twice as many years in retirement as they did a generation or two ago.

Medicare Explained: Understanding the Basics from Part A to Part D

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:00:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: MCT / Getty Images Health care is one of the toughest financial challenges you'll face in retirement. For millions of retirees, Medicare coverage that takes effect for most people at age 65 is the key to being able to afford health care costs that ... Read more

Preparing to Retire – Wealth Management Carnival #12

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:12:45 -0400

BY AUSTIN FEY Today’s carnival is all about retirement: saving for it, where to open accounts, how much to withdraw once you do retire, and more. Read on for more details! A Fresh Perspective on Employer Retirement MatchesEmily presents Should You Count Your Employer’s Contribution into Your Retirement Savings Percentage? posted atEvolving Personal Finance.“If you get an employer [...]

The 2013 Retirement Portfolio Candidates: Southwest Airlines

Fri, 10 May 2013 07:47:13 -0400

The 2013 Retirement Portfolio Candidates: Southwest Airlines

Fri, 10 May 2013 07:47:13 -0400

Southwest Airlines has been one of the most consistently profitable airlines. But does that make it fit for your portfolio's long haul?

How to Better Understand Your Social Security Check

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:10:56 -0400

How to Better Understand Your Social Security Check

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:10:56 -0400

For those of you unsure about how it all works, here's a basic road map showing how Social Security figures out how much (or little) to pay you.

Why Are So Many Seniors Still Working?

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:09:17 -0400

Why Are So Many Seniors Still Working?

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:09:17 -0400

More retirees are working as monthly income from investments is getting harder to come by for retirement investors.

The Market Correction Might Be Tardy, But It Won’t Be Absent

Thu, 09 May 2013 07:00:20 -0400

The Market Correction Might Be Tardy, But It Won’t Be Absent

Thu, 09 May 2013 07:00:20 -0400

The straight-up rally since December has made stocks extremely overvalued. It's time to take profits -- especially if you're a retirement-minded investor.

Money Lessons From Mom

Wed, 08 May 2013 01:00:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy My mom passed away 10 years ago. She never had the chance to meet her granddaughter, but she did leave a valuable inheritance for my daughter and our entire family for generations to come. Before you jump to the wrong conclusion, Mom wasn't ... Read more

How to Find a Financial Advisor, Step by Step (PBS Newshour)

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:30:29 -0400

BY DAVID JOHN MAROTTA There’s a great article by Paul Solman of the PBS Newshour entitled, “How to Find a Financial Advisor, Step by Step” which reads in part: Zvi suggested contacting the NAPFA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, for someone in your area. He also recommended his own online library of resources for getting started with [...]

Reaching for Yield in Retirement

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:19:24 -0400

Reaching for Yield in Retirement

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:19:24 -0400

With the Fed's policies continuing to tamp down interest rates, finding yield and income for seniors is getting harder. Here's a look at ways to get through

The ‘Right’ Time for Social Security

Tue, 07 May 2013 02:15:30 -0400

The ‘Right’ Time for Social Security

Tue, 07 May 2013 02:15:30 -0400

Unsure about when you should start collecting your Social Security benefits? Here are a few things to consider that will help your decision.

Best States for Retirement Aren't the Ones You Might Think

Tue, 07 May 2013 01:00:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Getty Images By MELANIE HICKEN Despite its overwhelming popularity with retirees, Florida may not be the best place to spend your golden years, according to a report released by Bankrate Monday. Instead, Tennessee and Louisiana topped Bankrate's ... Read more

How To Avoid Higher Taxes On Appreciated Securities

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:20:00 -0400

One retirement planning strategy is to sell assets and use the proceeds for spending money. But under new rules, gains can trigger higher taxes and lower deductions. And those with moderate incomes also can feel the bite, if they make a large profit on a sale. But there's a way you can cut or avoid higher taxes, boosting your retirement cash flow while supporting a worthy cause. Take a hypothetically retired Jim Hill, whose annual income is around

Financial Repression Primer

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:17:15 -0400

Research Affliliates published a very nice primer on financial repression on Advisor Perspectives. It’s well worth reading to get the lay of the land. Here’s how they define financial repression: Financial repression refers to a set of governmental policies that keep real interest rates low or negative and regulate or manipulate a c...

Want a Comfortable Retirement? Move to Australia

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:39:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy Australia is not only the home of the koala, the kangaroo, and the duck-billed platypus, but may also be home to that other rare and exotic animal: the secure retirement. What does Australia have that America lacks? For starters, its retirees ... Read more

Forget About CD’s: Here’s How to Profit from Risk

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:23:49 -0400

Forget About CD’s: Here’s How to Profit from Risk

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:23:49 -0400

Retirement investors must find ways to take prudent portfolio risks to generate income. Take some chances, but do so cautiously: here's how...

20 Dividend Stocks I Purchased for my IRA Rollover

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:00:04 -0400

20 Dividend Stocks I Purchased for my IRA Rollover

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:00:04 -0400

I recently rolled 401k funds into an IRA and decided to distribute the funds into 20 dividend stocks: here are my picks for the IRA

Turning America’s Retirement Dreams into Nightmares

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:55:44 -0400

Turning America’s Retirement Dreams into Nightmares

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:55:44 -0400

President Obama has proposed setting a cap for IRA and 401k reductions as part of his budget. The idea punishes those earnestly saving for retirement

Three Reasons Medicare Advantage Can Be Called Medicare Dis-Advantage

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:57:54 -0400

BY MATTHEW ILLIAN Only a quarter of all Medicare participants have opted to use the private Medicare Advantage (MA) insurance option, and this number is expected to drop drastically over the next four years. As mentioned in an earlier column, the primary reason many choose MA is to minimize their monthly premiums. However, this monthly premium advantage [...]

13 Money Lies You Should Stop Telling Yourself By Age 40

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:06:00 -0400

DailyFinance.com: Alamy By Mandi Woodruff Though most of today's workers have already accepted the fact that they'll work well past the age of 65, there's just something about that number -- 65 -- that still feels like an unofficial finish line. And by 40, the ... Read more

How To Decide When to Buy a “Buy”

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:30:39 -0400