According to a report by NerdWallet, in 2018 84% of people made financial resolutions. If you are among these planners, but haven’t quite achieved your goals, it’s not too late. And, it can even be relatively easy! September, October, November, December… You still have four months to achieve your 2018 money related resolutions! Here are…
Retirement Budget News, Information and Guidance
If you made it into the ranks of high income earners, you are probably going to be okay in retirement. If you are part of the working class, the news is not as great. The first victims of the income gap are beginning to retire and feeling financially secure in retirement will be difficult for…
Contrary to what many financial planners suggest, you can live on a lot less than 100% or even 80% of your pre-retirement income. In fact, a survey by T. Rowe Price of new retirees who have 401(k) account balances or rollover IRAs found that you can live comfortably on a lot less. The report suggests that nearly…
To gain financial independence for retirement, use the lessons of those who have retired early… like really early… The Big Takeaways… Financial independence can be achieved, but it’s about combining lifestyle ambitions with reasonable financial strategies. Financial independence comes with some sacrifice, so it’s important to consider the consequences before committing yourself to an early…
Scarcity can be a big problem in all kinds of situations, including retirement. You’re busy – probably more so than you’ve ever been. There are meetings to attend, important emails unread, and looming deadlines that seem more and more impossible with each passing day. You have absolutely no time to yourself, and you do everything…
You were probably a teenager when it happened – the moment when you opened your first paycheck and officially started the cycle of earning and spending your own money. Since then, the following process has never stopped: Work. Earn money. Spend some. Save some (hopefully)… Repeat. And now, just because you are ready to retire,…
One of the biggest fears you probably have about retirement is will your money last as long as you do. It is likely that you are also asking: How much can I spend? How much do I need? How much do I actually have? There are so many questions. Good news: the Stanford Center on…
In some ways, managing money in retirement gets a little easier than before. You only have the money you have, so your options are somewhat simpler and more limited. On the other hand, the rules of money management shift in retirement so it may seem more complicated to you. No matter whether you find it…
You’ve probably heard the standard money-saving advice: If you want to save money, eat out at restaurants less and cook at home more. But it’s almost as easy to blow your budget at the grocery store as it is when dining out. Stores use some crazy shopping tricks to make you buy more. You know…
Retirement income doesn’t just grow on trees… But you can make it grow! The Big Takeaways… Overall, average retirement income has increased in the past year, likely due to gains in the stock market and rising home prices. That being said, lowered interest rates have cut into the ability for retirees to save as much…
Regardless of where you are in life, it’s always nice to make some extra money. And that is especially true in retirement. But, how to make money in retirement when your supposed to be simply enjoying the easy life? The retirement gigs listed below won’t be quite enough to cover retirement expenses, but they won’t…
Need a helping hand? Find help for seniors with low income The Big Takeaways… A significant amount of qualifying seniors don’t participate in low income benefits because often it’s hard to know what’s available. Tools like Benefits Checkup and the Eldercare Locator can help connect seniors with the services and benefits they qualify for. To…
Ah, the holidays. The festive time for family gatherings, great food, a little sparkle… and year end tax advice. As if the season wasn’t hectic enough, this is the time you need to make sure that you do everything you can to minimize your tax burden. Make room in this hectic season for following year…
For many, the season of spending is upon us and I don’t just mean Christmas and the other winter holidays. If you are nearing or already in retirement, you are indeed permanently in the season of spending. You have spent a lifetime amassing savings and other resources and now is the time to use these…
Most of us could benefit from cutting retirement costs. When living on a fixed income in retirement, it is very important to make sure that your income does not exceed expenses. Living more frugally can be done no matter your income bracket. And while the idea of a more modest lifestyle may not appeal to…
If you want a secure retirement, you need to predict how much you will spend on retirement expenses. Some might say that trying to predict your costs for every month for the next 15-30 years is preposterously impossible. However, it is probably no surprise to tell you that the closer you can get to predicting…
You are probably worried that you have not saved enough for retirement and the the #1 piece of advice from most financial experts is to tell you to Save More! What if I tell you that this focus on savings has it all wrong? There is something MUCH more effective you can do to to…
When planning for retirement, it’s important to save enough money to cover the essentials. While a financial planner may discuss earmarking funds to pay for daily living expenses, housing and health care related costs, one of the biggest expenses in retirement is something that many advisers may overlook. What Are the 3 Biggest Expenses in…
Passive income streams are income sources that you benefit from without too much effort — the money just flows in. Create passive income streams and just enjoy retirement…Passive income streams are therefore ideal for retirement. In retirement we are trying to maximize the time we spend on leisure activities while minimizing work or burdensome endeavors.Here…
As the saying goes, nothing’s certain but death and taxes. But, there is good news! Retirement taxes may not be as much of a burden as you may think. In fact, the peak of your tax-paying years is around age 50, when about 80% of American households pay federal income taxes. At age 65, that…
If you are worried about how to save money, you are far from alone. In case you missed the survey released last month by the Federal Reserve Board, 47% of American consumers report they would not be able to come up with $400 for an emergency without borrowing or selling something. That’s half of the…
You might not think of it this way, but most of us get scammed — somewhat tricked — out of our hard earned money every single day. These little expenses can add up to big bucks that we could be saving for retirement and spending in our golden years.Whether it’s spending money on dumb stuff,…
Your retirement spending will evolve… Retirees expect that their expenses will change once they retire, but they may under-estimate just how much they will change, and in what spending categories. Overall, your spending is likely to decline once your retire, but spending may increase for part of the time and not all areas of your…
Do you actually know how much you spend every day now? What about every week? Throughout your life, you have probably at least looked backward to assess how much you have spent — even if it is just a running tally in your head. However, figuring out much you will consume in the future can be…
Scottish poet Robert Burns famously said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” That’s true about most everything that you undertake in life, but hoping for the best isn’t the greatest retirement budget strategy. You need a real strategy, and one that’s based on your life and the life that you want…
