In a new survey conducted by Fidelity Investments, 75% of respondents reported feeling only somewhat confident to not confident at all about their retirement finances. Ultimately, those that lacked a financial plan for retirement lacked confidence, while those that had a plan also had confidence. As such, today’s article lays out “five small, practical steps you can take to boost your confidence in your retirement finances by creating a financial plan for retirement”. For more, CLICK HERE.
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Preparing Your Retirement For A Market That Goes Down (And Stays Down)
When it comes to periods of extended market weakness, the author of today’s article notes that “Retirees…tend to experience [them] differently, and more viscerally, than their still-working counterparts” as they are living off the finite balances of their portfolios. So while those who are still working may be able to ride out – or even take advantage of – market weakness, what are retirees and those nearing retirement to do? The author outlines “some key steps to take in the event of serious market volatility–or better yet in advance of it.” For more, CLICK HERE.
Completing A Comprehensive Stress Test Of Your Retirement Plan
Stress tests aren’t just for banks – they’re useful for retirement plans too! And a comprehensive stress test of your retirement plan involves more than just stress testing your portfolio: the author of today’s article advises that “you should stress test your venue, your retirement and income portfolios, and anticipated leisure pursuits.” For more on carrying out a comprehensive stress test of your retirement plan – including how to test whether your portfolio can survive a market shock and how many times it may be prudent to visit prospective retirement venues – CLICK HERE.
These REITs Are All Fun And Games (And Income!)
“Gaming companies are a tough group of stocks to own,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, pointing to, among other things, how sensitive casino profits are to changes in economic conditions. For those looking for gaming related income stocks, however, gaming-focused real estate investment trusts may be a lucrative investment – and the author highlights three specific gaming REITs to consider. For more, CLICK HERE.
What Social Security Is, What It Isn’t – And Why The Distinction Matters To Your Retirement Plan
“Social Security is what it is — and it isn’t what it isn’t,” states the author of today’s article who argues that, while Social Security is an asset, it is not a bond – and thus investors are ill-served by considering Social Security part of their retirement portfolio’s bond allocation. What is Social Security, what isn’t Social Security – and how does the author recommend fitting it into an overall retirement portfolio? CLICK HERE.
Retirement Income Planning, From The Floor Up
“The bottom line is that generating secure income to meet our retirement goals for an uncertain period of time is extremely challenging,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, who likens this task to “trying to hit a moving target in the wind.” He proceeds to outline one approach to doing so – the so-called flooring approach. How does the flooring approach to retirement income planning work, who is this strategy suited for, and what are some important flooring “flipsides” so consider? CLICK HERE.
The Problem With Safe Withdrawal Strategies – And A Better Way To Lifetime Income
Strategies for accumulating wealth receive much more attention than strategies for decumulating wealth despite the fact that, as the author of today’s article points out, nowadays the decumulation phase of one’s life can be just as long as the accumulation phase. He also acknowledges problems with safe withdrawal strategies, including the fact that there’s a good chance you’ll end up leaving money on the table when you die. Instead, he states, “If that’s not what you want — if your goal is only to spend as much as you can in your lifetime without running out — my calculations show that there’s a much better way.” For more, CLICK HERE.
Think First Before Embarking On An Encore Career
An encore career in retirement can provide many advantages, financial and otherwise. On the financial front, for example, income from an encore career can help retirees delay claiming Social Security benefits – and thus increase the benefit amount they ultimately receive. However, the author of today’s article cautions that, when considering embarking on a postretirement career, “there are some important tax and other financial considerations to understand before taking this route.” What are some of the potential financial drawbacks of an encore career to be aware of? CLICK HERE.
Retiring At The (Market) Peak: How Bad Is it?
What happens if you have the bad luck to retire at a market peak, right before a brutal bear market (a scenario that many approaching retirement right now may be especially concerned about)? The author of today’s article runs the numbers to determine what effect this has on a portfolio’s value over the course of a retirement – and his findings may surprise you. For more – including what leads the author to conclude that “Retiring just before a stock market peak could be ruinous to your financial health but it doesn’t have to be” – CLICK HERE.
A Disturbing Warning About Retirement In America From “The Sam Spade Of Money Management”
He’s been called the Sam Spade of money management, the financial watchdog, and the pension detective. And now he’s warning that “We are on the precipice of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of the world”, with millions of elderly in the United States alone at risk of falling into poverty in the coming decades as a result of being staggeringly unprepared for retirement. For more on what financial fraud whistleblower Ted Siedle is warning of – including why the new normal for many Americans may become “Too frail to work, too poor to retire” – CLICK HERE.
