The long-awaited Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act has been passed by Congress and signed by President Trump – and several of its many provisions affecting 401(k)s, IRAs, annuities and more take effect as soon as 2020 begins. So what are the new rules of retirement saving? Today’s article outlines some of the most important provisions of…
“Money and rationality don’t always mix…That’s especially true with retirement,” notes the author of today’s article. Just one example of many: The fact that nearly half of Americans claim Social Security benefits as soon as possible (age 62), foregoing a significantly larger benefit had they waited. Fortunately, insights from behavioral finance can help “nudge” individuals towards making more rational decisions…
“Maybe your retirement plan is on track, but that doesn’t mean you can rest easy. We all exist within a society and an economy. Its problems are ours, too, as we may find out when taxes rise to help pay for others to retire,” warns the author of today’s article. He proceeds to examine the state of retirement in the…
If you are in your 60s, retirement is nearing – and, however you may feel about retirement, the author of today’s article states that “it is important to think about what your dream retirement will look like. Equally important is determining whether or not your finances are up to the task of providing that retirement for you.” He proceeds to…
If, like many Americans, you find yourself behind when it comes to having enough saved for a financially secure retirement, one potential way to increase your retirement savings is by taking advantage of catch-up contributions. The author of today’s article cautions “Don’t fall into the trap of underestimating how much these extra contributions can potentially benefit your upcoming retirement” –…
The author of today’s article used to joke that he had “the most depressing job in America”: writing about issues surrounding retirement. In fact, he argues that no progress has been made over the last two decades in improving the retirement picture for Americans, despite a variety of new laws and financial products introduced over this period that sought to…
There was a time when a million dollars would have seemed like a mythical amount of money. Today, however, despite the fact that many retirement savers have arbitrarily set $1 million as the amount they need to amass for a secure retirement, many financial advisors caution that a nest egg of this size could still leave people short in retirement.…
April is Financial Literacy Month, but the author of today’s article believes that an understanding of five “big picture principles” is even more important when it comes to achieving one’s financial goals (such as having enough money for a secure retirement) than knowledge of specific financial concepts and processes. The first of these big picture principles? While investing is important,…
There’s a new special on retirement – The Truth About Retirement – that begins airing on public television stations this month that the author of today’s article recommends tuning into. The program, from financial planner Ric Edelman, focuses on investing, Social Security claiming and estate planning strategies for a secure retirement. However, if you want a sneak peek (or just…
With it being so often repeated that the key to a secure retirement is to start saving early and put enough into your 401(k) to get your employer’s match, today’s article argues that many investors are overlooking (or underutilizing) another important savings tool – health savings accounts: “According to some advisors, HSAs are also the Holy Grail of savings vehicles…