How to Prepare for the Possible Upcoming Federal Tax Changes
Explore the proposed tax increases on the wealthy and find out what to do about it if you might be at risk of a higher tax burden.
Category: Retirement Savings and Investments
Empty Nest? Why It’s a Great Time to Fill Up Your Retirement Nest Egg!
As you prepare for children to fly the coop, it is worthwhile to consider what type of empty nest parent you might be. Are you: Super proud that they are setting out on their own? Still supporting them financially? Relieved and happy to have more time on your own? Sad and lonely that your children…
Over Saving for Retirement: Advice from Real People Who May Have Saved Too Much
Over saving is by design by some and a mistake for others. Get advice for what to do if you think you are over saving from people who know.
Impact Investing Returns: Do Well — Financially and Socially — by Doing Good
Impact investing! The name sounds exciting. Who wouldn’t want to make an impact with an investment? But, what is it exactly? Are impact investing returns on par with any other investment? And, is it right for you and your retirement? What is Impact Investing? Impact investing, related to socially responsible or ethical investing, conscious capitalism,…
Pros and Cons of ETFs: Are Exchange Traded Funds a Good Retirement Investment?
If you do not know about Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)… it may be well worth your while to learn about them. There are many compelling pros and cons of ETFs as a retirement investment. ETFs have become a very popular investment vehicle and they can be a good place for retirement savings. In a nutshell,…
14 Low-Risk, High-Return Investments: How to Make Money in a Low Interest Rate Environment
When you are retired, or near retirement, it is generally a good idea to have a percentage of your savings in investment vehicles that are lower in risk. However, it can be difficult to find low-risk, high-return investments — especially now with Certificate of Deposit (CD) and savings account rates at less than one percent.…
What is Your Money Personality Type? Will It Impact Your Retirement Security?
Whether you know if or not, you have a type — a money personality type. And, your attitudes about finances will likely impact your retirement. Knowing and learning about your money personality type can help you avoid pitfalls and use your strengths to your advantage for a secure and happy future. What is a Money…
Podcast: Brooke Southall — The Past, Present & Future of Wealth Management
Episode 53 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Brooke Southall — Founder and Principal Reporter of RIABiz.com — and discusses the past, present and future of wealth management. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future episodes: subscribe on iTunes subscribe on Stitcher And, join our private Facebook Group to discuss this podcast, suggest…
Early Retirement Income: 5 Ways to Make Penalty-Free Withdrawals from Your Retirement Accounts BEFORE You Turn 59.5
Early retirement is a dream for many. However, a really early retirement is fairly rare. According to research published on LIMRA, only about 20% of all Americans retire in their 50s or before — with most of those happening after age 55. For those that do retire early, figuring out how to fund expenses can…
How Much Should I Save for Retirement? Average Retirement Savings Rates for Every Age
Keeping your retirement savings on track helps you meet your retirement goals. That seems like a very simple concept, and in a way it is. But living with that plan every day isn’t quite so simple. Knowing how much one should save for retirement is useful — it can motivate you to take action. And…
8 Ways to Invest in Real Estate for Retirement
Let’s get real about investing in real estate for retirement. Investing of any kind can be complicated at any point in your life. However, investing in or near retirement can be especially arduous. At retirement you need your assets to be relatively free of risk while keeping pace with inflation. In many cases, you need…
How to Use the I.R.S. to Figure Out Safe Withdrawal Rates in Retirement
The Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) is not usually thought of as an institution that adds a lot of value to our lives — to the contrary in fact. However, a few years ago, the researchers at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College came up with a simple and relatively safe retirement withdrawals strategy…
What is a Self Directed IRA? Is it a Good Idea for Retirement Savings?
What Is a Self-Directed IRA? A Self Directed IRA is a type Individual Retirement Account (IRA) that allows you to invest in a really wide variety of alternative investments. Traditional IRAs require that you invest in traditional asset classes — mainly stocks, bonds, funds, treasuries, annuities and certificates of deposit. Self Directed IRAs and Self…
How a Biden Presidency Might Affect Your Retirement
Joe Biden is now President elect. There are several ways a Biden presidency might affect your retirement, including lower tax benefits on 401(k) accounts and more generous Social Security benefits. Biden’s Plan for Older Americans gives specific details on what Biden would like to do as President to overhaul the nation’s retirement system, shore up…
How Making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) Can Save You Tax Money
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are not only a way to help great causes and those in need, but they are also a way to manage your tax exposure and avoid unpleasant surprises. For people who are at least 70 ½, and who don’t need income (or who simply want to avoid the income tax) from…
What Are the Effects of Low Interest Rates on Your Retirement?
You may have seen the news: Interest rates in the United States are at historic lows. That sounds great. But is it really? What are the effects of low interest rates on your retirement? Read on to see the pros and cons of low interest rates on your retirement plan. And, how to make the…
How Are Different Retirement Income Sources Taxed? And, How Does Tax Withholding Work in Retirement?
Retirement tax planning is a critical part of preparing for a secure future. The good news is that with so many possible retirement income sources, you have many different opportunities to potentially reduce your tax burden. And, you may even discover that reducing taxes can enable you to retire a little earlier than you might…
The Pros and Cons of Dividend Stocks for Retirement Savings
There are many guidelines around how to drawdown your savings in retirement (the 4% rule, the multiply by 25 rule), but what if you don’t have to spend your savings? You can generate retirement income with dividend stocks, and in a world where savings accounts produce less than a 1% return, dividends can provide a…
How Do You Compare? Average Cash, Savings, Home Equity and Other Balances
According to reporting from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, retirees have a wide variety of savings and investments. Here are the average cash, savings, and home equity balances in the U.S. How do your financials stack up? Keep reading to see how your accounts and investment types compare to that of most retirees. Use…
Podcast: Steve Vernon — Don’t Go Broke In Retirement
Episode 47 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Steve Vernon — a writer and research scholar at the Stanford Center of Longevity — and discusses the Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy that Vernon came up with and, secondly, his new book, Don’t Go Broke in Retirement. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future…
Big Wealth-Building Lessons From the 5 Most Recent Financial Crises
They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The bad news is that the last 50 years have seen 5 major financial, market, or economic crises. The good news is that each crisis has lessons that you can apply today to help you build more wealth and feel…
Podcast: Jerry Patterson — Making the Most of Your 401(k)
Episode 46 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Jerry Patterson — Principal Financial’s senior vice president of workplace savings and retirement solutions — and discusses how to make the most of your 401(k), workforce savings trends, financial independence and retirement income. Listen Now: Don’t miss out on future episodes: subscribe on iTunes subscribe…
The Unlucky 13: Bad Investments for Your Retirement
We have a lot of choices about where to invest our money, both before and after retirement. Some options are clearly bad investments. Others seem like a good bet, but they probably aren’t. While we would all like to find a shortcut to massive wealth, a more steady approach is probably the best route to…
Sample Asset Allocations: What Is Right for You?
Diversification should be one of your retirement mantras. After all, if you have all your eggs in one basket, they’re more likely to all break if something goes wrong. That is why you want to try to achieve the right asset allocation mix for your particular situation. Continue reading for some rules of thumb as…
28 Retirement Investing Tips from Today’s Financial Geniuses
Were you the kid in kindergarten that secretly ate paste in the corner? Or were you the one solving all the math equations from the end of the book on your first day in class? (I knew those kids. Both of them were in my class, and I’m not yet admitting to being one of…