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Many times we race through the details of our finances and just do what we need to do month to month.  It is easy to forget to focus on the important long term concerns such as saving for retirement. Here is easy retirement planning advice for all phases of life.  Make sure to have a…

As you approach retirement, the financial decisions you make now could mean the difference between comfort and stress as you age. Luckily, financial advisors are available to help ensure that you make the right decisions to enjoy your retirement days. Here are 4 ways a financial advisor can help you effectively plan for retirement. Do…

The smartest thing anyone can do to prepare for retirement is to start early – long before you need it – and to look for sources of income that will sustain you after you’ve officially retired, says Dave Starr, the founder of RetiredPay.com.Even if you have the promise of a comfortable pension, that is no excuse…

While a hard and maybe scary question, it is critical for those approaching retirement to get a really good answer: How much should I save for retirement? With healthcare costs expected to be over $200,000 for the average 65-year-old couple retiring this year throughout their retirement, it’s important that consumers come up with a concrete…

What do you play?  Share your plans and ideas for staying young in the comments section below. (And visit the NewRetirement Calculator to make sure you can afford the fun.)

What will your retirement fund look like when it’s time to leave the work force? Will you have enough money saved up for the golden years? How much should you be saving each month to ensure that you’ve got a nice financial cushion at retirement? Answering these questions can be done easily with the use of…

Generating enough income to live comfortably during retirement is one of the biggest challenges that every American may face later in life. In 2014, the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) asked Baby Boomers what they considered their top-five retirement income sources. They found that Social Security tops their list. In fact, research shows that 65% of…

Financial advisers are everywhere, but some stand out as gurus. These men and women have years of experience, and make their careers from guiding clients, readers and listeners toward sound practices that will help them eliminate debt, build wealth and secure a comfortable retirement. Some of these experts have achieved veritable star status, and that…

If the recent recession taught pre-retirees one thing, it’s that a comprehensive, diversified approach to retirement planning is paramount. Even those who were well prepared with longstanding 401(k) plans or Independent Retirement Accounts (IRAs) found their investments took a hit during the economic downturn. Some people have considered additional products such as annuities to help…

“Freedom 55” was the rallying cry for decades of people working toward an early retirement… However, over the past few years, the U.S. labor market has seen a continual increase in the number of working individuals older than 55 who are delaying retirement. Why is this change happening? What factors are influencing why retire-aged people…

Should you buy an annuity? Investing your capital and planning for retirement are important practices, but there are a ton of options out there for how and where to park your money to realize potential growth in the future. Simply put, an annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company. You essentially give…

While some baby boomers believe paying off a home mortgage is a better financial decision than saving for retirement, industry experts say home ownership is often overrated, and soon-to-be retirees should consider more liquid investments. In part due to the recent housing bubble, Americans are now more likely than they used to be to have…

Retirement can sneak up faster than you think. It’s understandable: Life happens, years go by, and then suddenly you realize retirement is a lot closer than it seemed just a year or two ago. Although most financial advisers recommend at least starting a modest retirement plan as early as in your 20s, that doesn’t always happen.…

Thorough planning helps you make the right decisions about a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a long-term commitment, and one that shouldn’t be entered into lightly. It’s not actually a true mortgage at all, but a loan against the equity that you have in your home. That difference alone is enough to show just…

Three in four middle-class Americans will eventually run out of money during retirement, research shows. And when nursing home and home health care costs are factored into retirement spending, the number of people projected to run out of money is staggering. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s (EBRI) study on retirement shortfalls, by the…

Homeowners looking to use a reverse mortgage to tap their home equity have a new option that could provide more in proceeds than the government insured HECM reverse mortgage product. Scheduled to roll out in September, the HomeSafe is a private reverse mortgage product — also known as a jumbo reverse mortgage — from Urban…

Baby boomers are a a generation of firsts. You were the first to attend integrated schools, the first to take birth control pills and the first to bring feminism to the cultural forefront. You are also the first modern generation to largely manage your own retirement investments and the first generation without widespread access to pensions.…

Most retirement experts advise that retirees plan on securing 100 percent of their pre retirement income for retirement — though annual spending may decrease as retirees age. However, many pre-retirees are not nearly as prepared for retirement as they had hoped—and by no fault of their own. The economic crisis, housing crash and market downturn…

Mapping your path to a comfortable retirement calls for personalization. At its best, financial planning for this life phase should resemble a shopping trip: you decide your priorities, set your budget, then make selections from an array of offerings based on your needs. As with hitting the stores, tastes and desires in planning for retirement…

The 2008 recession and financial crisis deteriorated American baby boomers’ confidence in retirement planning, spurring a shift in their financial goals related to their later years. And while the ability for baby boomers to reach their goals should improve with the recovering economy, not everyone is confident about realizing their priorities in retirement. Only one-third,…

While 71% of Americans say they would consider buying an annuity to meet a variety of needs, more than half admit they don’t understand the product, according to a survey by Phoenix Companies, Inc., a financial services firm. Annuities are used for a number of reasons, but about half (49%) of survey respondents indicate they…

The journal Neurology recently published compelling research showing a strong association between low Vitamin D Levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by Dr. David Llewellyn at the University of Exeter Medical School, found that study participants who were severely deficient in Vitamin D were more than twice as likely…

You want to plan your retirement, but you are probably having some trouble getting started. Here are 4 reasons why an online retirement calculator is a great way to get off the dime and make a better future for yourself: 1. No Judgements, No Negative Feedback When you use an online retirement calculator, no one…

  It is not like you don’t WANT to plan for retirement, right? There are real reasons that make planning for retirement difficult. Taking the first step toward retirement planning might seem like pursuing a major lifestyle change — it sounds intimidating, and you may not know where to start. But there are easy first…