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April 2017

Creating An In-Retirement Financial Plan

The transition from building up savings leading up to retirement to spending down those savings once in retirement can be challenging, both strategically and psychologically – and thus mapping out an in-retirement financial plan is critical, notes the author of today’s article. To aid in this complicated endeavor, she lays out “the key tasks to tackle” when devising such a… 

Are You Following The Herd Into Retirement Tax Trouble?

“The savings decisions you are making today have far more implications than you might be seeing,” warns the author of today’s article, who points out that many people decide to save the maximum allowable in their 401(k)s because “that’s what everyone does.” The problem with following the herd in this regard, according to the author? 401(k)s were not designed to… 

Is Your Retirement At Risk Due To Overly Rosy Rate Of Return Expectations?

A recent survey of 401(k) participants found that almost 70% believed they would be able to save enough for a financially secure retirement. The problem? Two-thirds of those surveyed believed that returns going forward will be in line with – or higher than – returns in the past, while most analysts expect that returns will be lower – perhaps significantly… 

5 “Big Picture Principles” For Reaching Your Financial Goals

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,… 

How 3 Simple Steps – Requiring Less Than An Hour – Can Help Improve Your Retirement Savings

Are you willing to give up an hour (actually less than an hour) of your time in the interest of helping to ensure that your retirement savings will be sufficient? If so (and who wouldn’t?), today’s article lays out three easy steps to complete in this regard. Those three steps? Estimate your life expectancy, determine the appropriate equity percentage for… 

Should ETFs Accompany You Into Retirement?

Exchange-traded funds are becoming an increasingly popular vehicle for accumulating assets for retirement. But what should be done with ETFs (which carry a certain degree of risk) as one moves into retirement (where risk aversion is the name of the game)? The author of today’s article notes that “your first instinct may be to edge away from volatility, but there’s… 

Wall Street & Washington’s $17 Billion Retirement Rip-Off – And How To Counter It

“It’s nothing less than a war they’re waging on retirement – and it’s going to cost you,” cautions the author of today’s article in regards to the shelving of the Department of Labor’s “Best Interest” rule, which aims to protect retirement savers and their nest eggs from shifty agents and unnecessary fees (to the tune of $17 billion) by requiring… 

Want The Guarantee Of Income For Life? Consider This Pension-Style Product

“Defined contribution plans like 401(k) accounts are great at helping employees save for retirement, but they provide no guarantee of income as pensions do,” notes the author of today’s article. While private sector pension plans have largely disappeared, the author highlights a pension-style retirement product that offers guaranteed lifetime income, but which only recently has entered the mainstream of retirement… 

The Winning Combination For An “Income-Rich” Retirement – And 7 Stocks That Seem To Have It

“If you want to have an income-rich retirement, you’ve got to have a diversified basket of dividend stocks that will deliver both capital appreciation and income growth,” states the author of today’s article – and this assertion is backed up by a study that looked at the returns of S&P 500 stocks over a 33-year period. The author proceeds to…