It just might be. Here’s why baby boomers are considering immediate annuities. Worried about outliving your money? You share that fear with many baby boomers. No one wants to spend their last dollar before the last day of their life. Since you can’t tell when that day will be, and since you may need more…
Today’s retirees must be more self-reliant than their predecessors. Decades ago, retirement was fairly predictable: Social Security and a pension provided much of your income, you moved to the Sun Belt, played tennis or golf, and you lived to age 70 or 75. To varying degrees, this was the American retirement experience during the last…
When stocks struggle or tread water, going Roth gains merit. Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is no easy decision. After all, it is a taxable event. When the stock market is down or sluggish, however, a Roth conversion has more appeal. Traditional IRA owners “go Roth” for some very good reasons. A…
It may be the best retirement planning tool you have. Do you have a million dollars? At the moment, probably not. But if you invest and save diligently and let your assets compound, who knows? You may be a millionaire someday. In fact, you may need to be a millionaire someday. If you stay retired…
Just how gloomy does its future look? Will Social Security run out of money in the 2030s? For years, Americans have been warned about that possibility. Those warnings, however, assume that no action will be taken to address Social Security’s financial challenges. Social Security is being strained by a giant demographic shift.…
Examining a long-held retirement planning assumption. In one word — NEVER! A classic retirement planning rule states that you should retire on 80% of the income you earned in your last year of work. Is this old axiom still true, or does it need reconsidering? Some new research suggests that retirees may not need…
What steps might help you sustain and grow your retirement savings? “What is your greatest retirement fear?” If you ask retirees that question, “outliving my money” may likely be one of the top answers. Retirees and pre-retirees alike share this anxiety. In a 2014 Wells Fargo/Gallup survey of more than 1,000 investors, 46% of…
How much might health care cost you someday? “Financially speaking, what would be the worst thing that could happen to you?” If you ask a hundred people in their forties that question, you may get a dozen different answers. Some may say “my business going under” or “losing my house.” Some might say “a…
What to check (and double-check) before you leave this world. Create a will if you do not yet have one. A valid will may save your heirs from some expensive headaches linked to probate and ambiguity. A solid will drafted with the guidance of an estate planning attorney will likely cost you a bit more…