Retirement Planning
How to Cope With a Lousy 401(k)
Morningstar’s Christine Benz explains how to size up plan costs and investment options as well as key workaround strategies.
How To Turn Your Retirement Savings Into Retirement Income
Cutting out the middleman typically represents progress. Can you imagine depending on a telephone operator to put your call through? (Come to think of it, going through an operator might save us from making those calls we really shouldn’t make.)
But back to the point: Who wants to deal with a third party when you don’t have to?
Does The Retirement Buckets Strategy Really Work?
Many investors have either heard or read about the retirement income strategy that uses three buckets. Each bucket represents a pot of money with a time frame for its use. The first bucket is typically designated for years 1-5, the second for years 5-15, and the third bucket for 15+ years.
Breaking Up (the Pension) Is Hard to Do
In a divorce, splitting up the pension is trickier than dividing the house.
Divorcing couples and their advisers “who aren’t hip to divorce splitting of retirement plan assets often do it improperly,” said Howard Phillips, a Delray Beach, Florida, actuary and author of “Dividing Retirement Plan Assets in a Divorce.” He knows, because he values pensions for couples negotiating their divorce settlements and then drafts the order that will be entered into the court.
What Is The Alternative To An Annuity?
A reader asked:
A salesman wants to sell me an immediate fixed annuity which will start paying me $1,300 for the rest of my life.
I’m turning 66 years old in April and that sounds nice, but I’ve always thought that annuities are not the best option. It will cost $260,000 and pay $15,600 each year. Is that a good deal? Isn’t that a 6% guaranteed return each year? If not, how should I think about it?
Social Security Q&A: After Remarriage, Can I Claim a Survivor’s Benefits on My First Spouse’s Record?
Social Security may be your largest or one of your largest assets. How you manage it, by deciding which benefits to collect and when, can make an absolutely huge difference to your lifetime benefits.
Social Security Q&A: Am I Entitled to a Survivor Benefit if I’m Still Working?
Social Security may be your largest or one of your largest assets. How you manage it, by deciding which benefits to collect and when, can make an absolutely huge difference to your lifetime benefits. And those with the highest past covered earnings have the most to gain from maximizing their Social Security
Social Security Q&A: When Will I Qualify for Survivor’s Benefits and What Effect Will Working Have?
Social Security may be your largest or one of your largest assets. How you manage it, by deciding which benefits to collect and when, can make an absolutely huge difference to your lifetime benefits. And those with the highest past covered earnings have the most to gain from maximizing their Social Security.
Planning Your Long-Term Care Strategy? 5 Things Every Woman Should Know
When we think about retirement, we tend to accentuate the positives: growing old in our own home, visiting the grandkids—finally traveling the world.
Is It A Good Idea For Teens To Open A Roth IRA?
One of the biggest concerns I hear from my clients is how to prepare for their kids’ financial futures.
Most of the time, it’s in the context of college savings or estate planning, but I do occasionally have clients who are looking far into the future and are concerned not only about their own retirement—but also their children’s.
