How long might you live in retirement? Think carefully. Your answer could influence whether you have enough money for a comfortable retirement or just scrape by. According to pension mortality tables, at least one member of a 65-year-old couple has a 72% chance of living to age 85 and a 45% chance of living to […]
There are two great reasons for buying a vacation home: You want one and you can afford to buy it. Buying a vacation home as an investment, however, should not be your primary motivation. Some vacation properties can also be good investments. Others aren’t. As recent history has shown, real estate prices can go down as […]
A penny saved is a penny earned, right? Not necessarily. Thanks to inflation, over time that penny could be worth less than when it was first dropped into the piggy bank. That’s why if you’re investing — especially for major goals years away, such as retirement — you can’t afford to ignore the corrosive effect […]
The times they are a changin’ for baby boomers. The generation that lived through and influenced the revolution in the retirement industry is now poised to begin withdrawing money from their retirement-saving vehicles — namely IRAs and/or employer-sponsored retirement plans. If you were born in the first half of 1946 — you are among the […]
Actively managing your debt is an important step, and your student debt may be one of the biggest financial obligations you have. There are many strategies that could help you manage student loans efficiently. Here is a checklist. Choose a federal loan repayment plan that fits your circumstances: The Standard Repayment Plan requires a fixed […]
Consider these facts on aging from the 2010 Census¹: The highest growth rate for a 10-year age group within the older population (age 65+) was for men 85 to 94 years old (+46.5 percent). Women in this age group grew by 22.9 percent. Men 90 to 94 years old had the fastest growth rate (+50.3 […]
Americans, it seems, are spenders. Although personal savings rates have increased recently, they remain low by historical standards, as many people continue to spend beyond their means. If you’re among those Americans who can’t seem to save, it might be time to create a budget. A budget allows you to understand where the money goes […]
Investors are exposed to financial risk in two ways: company-specific risk or market risk. Long-term investors can virtually eliminate exposure to company-specific risk by diversifying among many different securities in the same asset class.1 Market risk is managed — but not eliminated — by holding investments in several different asset classes. Both types of risk […]
Americans are on the move, not only in their leisure pursuits, but in their jobs as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 38% of U.S. workers change jobs every year. If your employment situation changes, do you know what your choices are for managing the money in your 401(k) account? Generally, workers […]
