Tag: retirement plan

What Is an Annuity? Hype or Hope for Your Retirement?

What is an annuity? An annuity is technically an insurance product, not an investment.  Instead of trading money for financial protection from fire, flood or a health emergency, you are trading a lump sum in exchange for guaranteed income payments. The insurance company is taking the risk for downside in financial markets and for you…

how to retire abroad

How to Retire Abroad: 12 Tips for Retirement Overseas

Are you wondering how to to retire overseas? If so, you’re in good company! Retiring Overseas Has Almost Doubled in Popularity Retiring abroad has become increasingly popular.  According to the Social Security Administration, the number of retirees who draw Social Security outside the U.S. jumped 40%, to more than 413,000 between 2007 to 2017. And,…

Retirement plan

401(k) Rollover: To Keep or Not to Keep Your Ex-Employer’s Retirement Plan

If you’re leaving one job and moving to another, or if you’ve lost or quit a job, there’s a decision to make. Should you keep your money in your ex-employer’s retirement plan, or should you move it? The answer lies in whether the old plan is performing well, or whether you’d be better off cutting…

retirement planning

The Dismal State of Retirement in 2020: How to Turn Lemons into Lemonade

The retirement outlook has changed drastically since your grandparents, and even parents, retired. In fact, by some measures, retirement might seem as sour as lemons. The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and the Global Pandemic of 2020 have sharply changed people’s attitudes towards and expectations of retirement. The Trans-America Center for Retirement Studies found in their…

Is Age Discrimination a Threat to Your Retirement Plan?

The growing population of older Americans, and a lower propensity for retiring early, seems to create a bit of a problem for some employers. Although discrimination against older workers is fully against the law under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Workplace age discrimination affects the best and brightest…

retirement spending

How to Create a Reliable Retirement Budget: Plan for Evolving Spending

Your retirement budget determines how much you will really need to have saved for a secure retirement. It is very important to get this right. While accurately estimating your expenses for the rest of your life is a daunting prospect, the right tools and advice can make it easy. Your retirement budget will evolve… Detailed…

preparing for retirement

Feelin’ Groovy? Slow Down. Don’t Move Too Fast Preparing for Retirement

It seems that we are “feeling groovy” these days about our retirement prospects. Groovier and groovier over the past few years in fact. The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s (EBRI) retirement confidence survey reports that the percentage of workers who feel very or somewhat confident about having enough money to live comfortably in retirement has been…

healthcare costs in retirement

How to Plan for Healthcare Costs in Retirement: How Much Do You Need in 2016?

Retirement planning is hard. You have to account for 20-30 years of expenses that are difficult to predict and make sure you have enough money to pay for them. How to plan for healthcare costs in retirement is particularly challenging. These costs continue to rise and it is difficult to know what kind of care…

fixed income annuity

Fixed Income Annuity: Solve 3 Big Problems with 1 Investment

Fixed income annuities can have many key benefits for retirees.  Of all the challenges we face in preparing financially for retirement — creating a steady income stream, gaining tax leverage, and reducing risk of losing money — are at the top of the list.And, the promise of fixed income annuities – an investment tool that…

Christmas or Retirement

Christmas or Retirement? Put Your Holiday Spending in Perspective

The holidays are right around the corner, and while that involves the excitement and cheer of family get-togethers and festive parties galore, for many it also means the financial stress of buying presents for their children. Often, parents spend more than they intend to on their kids during the holiday season. Some people resort to…

Retirement calculator

Retirement Calculator Advice for Self Employed with Irregular Income

Self employment offers surprises everyday.  New challenges and often a different income every month.  As anyone who is self employed with an irregular income knows, retirement financial planning isn’t something that comes easy when you’re just not sure from one month to the next. Today might be a boon, and tomorrow might be a bust.…

Improve your retirement plan

Know Your Social Security Choices to Improve Your Retirement Plan

Choosing the right time to claim your Social Security benefits could improve your retirement plan. If you review your Social Security choices — your options for claiming Social Security benefits, you will find that you can increase your monthly Social Security income by waiting until after you are 62 years old to claim your benefit.…

reverse mortgage

Home Equity Can Give You Choices for Retirement When the Stock Market Goes Crazy

The stock market may have seen historic gains and ongoing rallies following the recession, but it’s still never a sure thing—especially when it comes to investing for retirement. Stocks can be up one day and down the next. The problem isn’t that dips, dives and swings existing in financial markets.  The problem for people approaching…

asset allocation

What is Asset Allocation? Diversification? Rebalancing?

Asset allocation is a term that refers to the strategy you use to put your money into different types of investments. You are dividing your money across different asset classes like stocks, bonds and money market securities. Asset allocation tries to achieve the right balance of risk and reward as defined by your: Risk tolerance…