Retirement Savings and Investments

Generating enough retirement income is a top concern for many Americans. In fact, the number of Baby Boomers who are confident in their efforts to prepare financially for retirement has dropped nine percentage points, from 44% in 2011 to 35% in 2014, according to the Insured Retirement Institute’s fourth annual report on retirement preparedness of…

It seems that time goes by faster as the years march ahead. For people who haven’t yet started saving for retirement, or who haven’t stayed committed to saving, the future can arrive even faster and a bit more unsteady. But fortunately, it’s almost never too late to get on the right track. At LearnVest, retiree…

NBC Today Show’s financial editor, Jean Chatzky, knows how to break down complex financial topics so that everyone can put them into action. And for 2015, she’s shared a handful of creative ways to save more money. Better yet, they’re nearly foolproof. Saving can be difficult, or it can be easy. Here are 5 ways…

Are you saving enough for your retirement? Maybe. Maybe not. Clark Howard, a financial expert whose nationally syndicated radio show helps people manage their money, recently commented on how much he believes you should be saving, and why. The Clark Howard retirement calculations suggest that even if your current plans are not perfect, if you…

Sometimes it’s hard to know who to trust in the world of finance. You don’t know whose hands are in whose pockets, or if the financial advisor even has a vested interest in your portfolio. It can be difficult to get an unbiased, expert opinion. That’s where Colorado’s Bason Asset Management comes in. Bason Asset…

Hidden fees are like a hairline fracture in your retirement plan – undetectable at first, but able to grow and spread to undermine all of your financial preparations. FeeX began when co-founder Uri Levine detected $230 in hidden fees on his credit card statement. He went after these fees with a vengeance in the vein…

We asked financial advisor Ryan Monette about the biggest mistakes Americans make when saving for their retirement. His advice was to listen to whoever said to save eight percent to 10 percent of your wages right away. Although he was joking, saving something is better than saving nothing (of course). But Monette doesn’t believe in…

Miron Lulic always thinks ahead. On his blog SuperMoney, he’s constantly on the cutting edge of retirement planning, among other financial topics. He laid out for us how to plan for your retirement while balancing your other financial needs. What are some mistaken beliefs about retirement planning you often see? Probably the most common misconception…

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” And if you consider retiring in your golden years a goal worth having, well then you better be prepared to work for it, says best-selling author Kurt Rosentreter, senior financial advisor for Manulife Securities.…

If you contribute regularly to a 401(k) plan, you’ve already begun to take control over your retirement. Each contribution adds up. And with interest, you could increase your retirement income substantially by the time you’re ready to use it. But because few things in life are free, 401(k) fees could take a bigger bite out…

Personal finance expert Laura D. Adams knows about money. She’s been featured in dozens of magazines and on several television programs where she discusses financial practices that help people of all backgrounds. Adams helps individuals to better understand money without the fear that comes along with worries about debt, bills, and having enough money to…

Investing can be confusing business, especially when you’re just starting out. But the good news is that if you’re starting early and have a long-term investment strategy you’ve got time on your side. With a direct stock purchase plan, your investment dollars can go a lot further. First, the sooner you begin the more time…

Jeff Helms, founder and managing partner with First Coast Wealth Advisors, LLC, said of all the customers he has ever helped, no one has ever come to him and said they saved too much for retirement. In fact, many people worry that they haven’t saved enough. At least not enough to maintain the lifestyle they…

We’re guessing there might be one or two readers out there who are overwhelmed about the amount of money they need to save to retire comfortably. But there’s no need to panic, says Robert Henderson, president of Landsdowne Wealth Management in Mystic, Conn. “It’s one step at a time,” he says. “There are options to…

When it comes to retirement planning, men and women exhibit some stark differences. At most income levels, women are more likely to participate in their employer retirement plans, yet women’s account balances tend to be lower, according to recent research by The Vanguard Group, Inc. Women contribute more And not only do women participate more…

Rick Pendykoski, founder of Self Directed Retirement Plans LLC, doesn’t think retirement savings will look all that different in the future than it does now. But he hopes there’s a big difference in how children are educated about money management in the coming years. “If only high school students were taught how interest works, compound…

Toronto Star columnist Ellen Roseman has made it her job to understand the ins and outs of personal finance and consumer affairs. Which is why we checked in with her to ask about the most common consumer problems seniors and retirees are facing today. Her response? Fraud. Scam artists are savvy about finding new easy…

Today, Americans look at retirement as an entitlement – a reward for a lifetime of hard work – but that wasn’t always the case, says CFA Charles Lewis Sizemore, principal of Sizemore Capital Management. “Workers started getting retired during the industrial age as a way of avoiding industrial accidents and to make way for younger workers…

 Reassess, review and reallocate for the best retirement plans. The fourth quarter is upon us, which marks the ideal time to start coming up with year-end retirement saving and planning strategies to help beef up your accounts. The best retirement plans are made with the benefit of time and careful consideration. While there are plenty…

It’s no secret how crucial investing in retirement savings is in order to live a comfortable life in your Golden Years. While such savings accounts are extremely helpful in building a financial cushion for later in life, an important retirement planning question you should be asking is, “How much is my retirement savings accounts costing…

A majority of Americans have changed how they manage their money as a result of the Great Recession, says Philip Taylor, founder of PTMoney.com. On the positive side, we’re saving more and have less interest in taking on a lot of debt. But on the other hand, we’re more reluctant to become home owners and…

As the Budget Blonde, Catherine Alford is all about saving and keeping your finances in good shape, and that includes retirement planning. She spoke to us about how younger workers should fit retirement into their sometimes tight budgets. What are some common misconceptions you’ve seen about saving for retirement? Many people believe that retirement is…

The importance of saving up for retirement goes without saying, but sometimes the task can seem daunting. You need the discipline to set aside money every month, but you also need to know how to invest it.  Luckily, there are financial experts available who can offer sound advice when it comes to retirement investments. While…

Americans fear running out of funds in retirement even more than public speaking, suggests a recent report.  So, how to overcome that fear?  Should you imagine yourself in an old folks home with everyone else in their underwear (like pretending your audience is naked when you are making a speech)? Um… no.  Those images probably…