Retirement

By Christina Leimer, Next Avenue getty I turned 60 last year, and within months learned that the job I’d hoped would be my last before retirement was being cut. I was angry, afraid, sad, anxious and felt betrayed. My confidence was punctured. But I felt relief too, and an elated sense of freedom and lightness.

It’s smart to think ahead and plan for the time in your life when you might need care. getty Pre-retirees face several potential risks during retirement that require their focused attention and planning, such as outliving their money, stock market crashes, inflation, and the high cost of medical bills. Now the COVID pandemic has exposed

The burden is on you to stuff your retirement piggy bank. getty How much can you save for retirement in 2021 in tax-advantaged accounts? How does $58,000 sound? The Treasury Department has announced inflation-adjusted figures for retirement account savings for 2021.  The basic salary deferral amount for 401(k) and similar workplace plans remains flat at

getty Trusts are an essential part of most estate plans, even the plans of people with moderate wealth. You need to know the basics of trusts, especially the key terms and concepts of the most widely-used types of trusts. Keep in mind that some of these trusts are given different names in some regions or

You can’t assume that your bracket will go down in retirement. It could easily go the other way. Give and take getty Among fans of 401(k) plans it is taken as axiomatic that people’s tax rates go down after they quit work. So you should max out your salary deferral. That way you’ll effectively pay

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about early filing and restricted applications, retroactive spousal benefits, choosing which ex’s record to file on and potential effects of foreign pensions on divorced spousal benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which

We share beneficiary mistakes to avoid to keep your family safe and out of probate. getty It is surprisingly easy and common to make mistakes when designating beneficiaries on retirement and investment accounts. While you may think it isn’t a big deal, mistakes with beneficiaries can be quite costly. You may inadvertently disinherit a loved

getty Do you need 500 stocks when only 30 will do? I have written extensively on the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average. They are perhaps the 2 most common answers to the question “what do you consider to be the stock market?” They help put a framework around investing in U.S. stocks. They

Most employees buy more health insurance than they need and save less for retirement than they should, according to a recent study from the TIAA Institute. This study provides a cautionary tale for millions of employees making benefits decisions during open enrollment. Researchers studied four years of data from a large university to identify mistakes employees made

getty We received the first official estimate of how badly the Covid-19 recession will hurt the Social Security trust funds, and the first government estimate is worse than some of the initial private estimates. The latest annual report from the trustees of Social Security, issued last April, estimated that the trust fund for retirement benefits

If you know in advance that you’ll be moving once you retire, talk to your financial advisor about … [+] how that move can affect your retirement projections. getty It is common knowledge that states and cities have the autonomy to impose their own taxes on their residents. With that autonomy, it is natural that

getty There are many people who feel that Social Security will not factor much in their retirement plans. They feel the benefit is too low to impact the quality of their retirement and that it may not be around much longer. In 2019, the average monthly benefit for Social Security was $1,427 for a single

Should you pay mortgage points in a low rate environment? getty Mortgage points are an upfront payment to the lender, expressed as a percent of the loan amount.  For example, one point on a $320,000 loan is $3,200.   Points are part of the price of a mortgage, along with the interest rate, and can be positive

The Maximum OUt-of-Pocket Limit For Medicare Advantage Plans Will Be $7,550 In 2021. getty The Open Enrollment Period began October 15. It’s the time to pay attention to your Medicare Advantage plan. So many things can change—premiums, networks, copayments, coinsurance, networks, extra benefits and more. But the big change this year, one that many may not

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor The Washington Post via Getty Images Unquestionably, there are plenty of urgent issues in the 2020 presidential election. But there’s one less urgent, yet equally critical one, that hasn’t received much attention: Social Security trust fund to pay retirement benefits is due to be depleted by 2035, perhaps even

Before the fact, the various crediting methods available should be approximately equal in terms of long-term performance. Performance after the fact will be different as the actual index return will be translated into different interest credited as based on the crediting method. But before market performance is realized, the different methods are all using the

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 16: Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot arrives at Wrigley Field on April 16, … [+] 2020 in Chicago Illinois. Wrigley Field has been converted to a temporary satellite food packing and distribution center in cooperation with the Lakeville Food Pantry to support ongoing relief efforts underway in the city as a result

As a consultant to families with aging parents, I hear a lot about abuse of elders, particularly by family members. There are the “good son, bad son” stories and their counterparts of “good sister, bad sister” scenarios. In most cases, an adult child of an elder sees or hears about suspicious financial moves by someone

getty Women in their 40s and 50s will be faced with a big decision this open enrollment period for benefits and it is one on which they need to take the long view. As employees and their families review their medical plan options, many will have the option of a high-deductible-compatible health care plan.  This is a

A careful strategy can help you take calculated investing risks during retirement. getty Today’s uncertain investing environment presents a serious dilemma to many pre-retirees and retirees: How much money can you afford to risk by investing in the stock market? On the one hand, you might be afraid of stock market crashes, since you might