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You may have heard this little piece of retirement advice: you should spend all of your money while there is still time to spend it. Though the notion of “dying broke” may appeal to many Americans, it is not the best advice for those who are approaching retirement. People are living longer and experiencing increased…

Are you worried about outliving your money? Join the club. This is one of Americans’ biggest retirement fears. More than half (57%) of CPA financial planners cited running out of money as the top concern for their clients, according to the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Personal Financial Planning (PFP) Trend Survey. The 2015 survey…

It’s no secret that many older Americans are working past traditional retirement age. Whether working later in life is due to financial necessity or a desire to stay active, it’s clear that many people are trying to retire later. A recent Gallup poll shows that nearly four in 10 Americans plan to still be working…

Planning for retirement should not just be about how to pay your bills once you retire. You have worked most of your adult life, and chances are, you have been waiting for retirement to come. Take advantage of the time away from work to do things that you have always wanted to do and enjoy…

No life is perfect, and things happen. Life happens. For whatever reason, the traditional retirement planning advice of starting early and contributing often doesn’t always work out. Many Americans get a later start than what’s ideal, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope. There is a solution in most cases, and a retirement calculator can…

Doing more with less has never been so enjoyable. That’s all, folks. For those of us over sixty, the dream of an easy retirement is now officially deader than a doornail. According to the Pew Research Center, two thirds of us are having to say farewell to the lifestyle we’d hoped to have at this…

In 2009 my grandmother in law was a 91 year old widow.  She had 7 children, 19 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.  She loved family parties, playing golf and reading. It was at this time, however, that she began to experience financial stress. Her house was worth $500,000, but she was having trouble paying the…

Have you ever overheard someone trying to win an argument with completely wrong facts? This happened to me recently while having dinner with the family at The Old Spaghetti Factory. We were celebrating Nana’s 86th with nine grown grandchildren and their spouses and six great grandchildren in attendance. There were also a few family friends…

A reverse mortgage is a loan that enables homeowners aged 62 or older to borrow against the equity in their home without having to sell the home, give up title, or take on a monthly mortgage payment. These loans  are very popular but are often misunderstood.  A common reverse mortgage misconception has to do with…

The retirement that you’ve always wished for won’t happen on its own. Unless you’re independently wealthy, or have a wealthy benefactor, it takes discipline and thought to save up for and plan retirement. Planning takes much more than one act, one decision, or one goal. It’s a lot of actions that evolve over time, ending…

Health care costs are one of the largest — if not the largest — expense you will face in retirement. Over the course of the an average married couple’s lifetime, out of pocket health care costs could total a staggering $394,954 — $463,849, according to recent research from HealthView Services. If these numbers terrify you,…

Annuities can be a great addition to any retirement plan, and many people decide to invest in annuities because they can offer higher payouts than other investments and typically have less risk. One thing to consider before buying an annuity is how annuity rates will affect your investment and, ultimately, your retirement income. Annuity rates…

If you watch TV, you have probably seen commercials that promote the various benefits of reverse mortgages. Usually, it’s a well-known celebrity spokesperson, explaining how reverse mortgages work and how to become eligible for these loans. But what you have heard in these ads may be misleading. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently conducted…

Want to amp up your efforts to save money for retirement and take care of your financial health? Luckily, it’s all in your hands. W. Patrick Jarrett, COO of HealthSavings Administrators, was kind enough to answer our questions about retirement and health savings accounts. What is your professional background? How has it served you in…

Preparing for retirement can be a daunting task, so it helps to know what advice the best financial advisors have to offer. Here is retirement planning advice from 10 of the best-known personal finance experts. Suze Orman: Prepare for the Emotional Aspects of Retirement Suze Orman suggests that at least part of the decision about…

Your retirement goals aren’t like anyone else’s, but you can still use guidelines to help find the right plan. We all know that saving is important, whether we’re just starting out or growing close to retirement age. What a lot of us don’t know is “how much do I need for retirement.”  Is my plan…

Even if your earnings aren’t what you’d like, you can still save toward a healthy retirement. Planning for retirement isn’t a luxury that only the wealthy can afford. In fact, the less we earn the more important our retirement savings becomes to our futures. While we need our income now for day-to-day essentials, we’ll need…

Many people decide to include annuities as part of their retirement portfolio. These investments can often be a great way to complement other retirement income, such as pension plans and Social Security payments. But is an annuity right for you? It’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages before investing.     Advantages of Annuities…

If you have visions of spending your retirement years on a sunny beach or in a sleepy, small town—you are not alone. Many retirees decide to pack up and relocate away from their primary residence when they’re no longer working. Three in five Americans (60%) want to spend their retirement years in another city or…

A reverse mortgage can be used to tap into home equity, and can allow aging Americans to remain in their homes. The proceeds of a reverse mortgage, including the line of credit option taken by many reverse mortgage borrowers today, can also be used for a very important purpose: home improvements. Whether updating features to…

The costs of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can be staggering. And not just for the person suffering from the disease, but for those around him or her who serve as primary caregivers. Dementia can easily derail a family’s finances, and it can quickly drain retirement savings for those who have not prepared.…

Whether you’re new to planning or have a few years under your belt, a retirement advisor can help you meet your unique goals. A financial advisor and retirement advisor are the same in many ways. But there’s one significant difference. Where a financial advisor is concerned with your finances and goals generally, a retirement planner…

Retirement calculators give you a quick peek at what you will need to retire, and how your current plan is helping you reach that goal. But it’s more than just a snapshot tool. The real benefits come in the insight they offer. Retirement planning is more than following a step-by-step procedure to get from point…

“You will never retire.” Those are four dreaded words no person wants to hear, especially those nearing retirement — even those who have not saved for retirement have hopes of retiring. One in five people who are near retirement age have no money saved, according to a survey last year from the Federal Reserve. The…