Dear Quentin, I recently sold my house and had to leave my job due to a medical issue that was easily resolved, and I am now fine. I have approximately $150,000 in my checking account from the sale of...
Tag: Labor/Personnel Issues
‘We are not sure how prepared we are for retirement’ – we are 60 and 61, and don’t know how much longer we can work, have $360,000 in retirement savings and a pension
I am a 61-year-old teacher in Missouri who plans to work 3-4 more years before retiring. Depending on what option my husband and I choose from the Public School Retirement System, we should get betwee...
Retired? Here’s when you don’t have to file your taxes – and when you do
Not all seniors need to file a tax return, but others may incorrectly think they fall in this category – don’t make that mistake. Retirement Tip of the Week: If you don’t plan to file a tax return th...
I’m 41, my partner is 50. We have $800,000 in retirement savings and make $250,000. We want to retire ASAP but know our money won’t last us our lifetimes – what can we do?
I love reading your responses to everyone’s retirement questions, but realized that I haven’t seen one that matches up closely to what I’m hoping to do. I am 41, and my partner is 50. We are both empl...
Don’t burn bridges: Companies are welcoming back older workers
Chris Thorson, age 55, is very busy. He has a side hustle making Scandinavian knives; he’s a high school volunteer mountain bike coach in Minneapolis; and he’s board chair of the nonprofit National Ce...
Should I use a 401(k) or an IRA to save for retirement? A traditional account or the Roth version? Here’s what to know
You can save on taxes while saving for retirement by using an IRA or a 401(k). But deciding the best account is not always straightforward. There’s also the Roth option for both, meaning four choices,...
I’m 67 and retired with $57,000 left on my mortgage and $600,000 saved for retirement — should I pay off my home now?
I am 67 years old, single and retired at 66. After taxes, I receive $3,100 per month from a pension. After taxes and my Part B Medicare payment, I receive $2,100 per month from Social Security. I have...
‘I can tolerate him for 7 months — at the most’: My husband and I live apart in the summer. Should I refinance my house and set up a joint savings account?
Dear Quentin, My husband of seven years owns a home in Minnesota, and has a mortgage. I own a home in Florida with no mortgage. We have no savings or retirement accounts. Should I pull my equity from ...
What happens when the kids leave home?
A key part of your retirement financial plan may be based on a faulty assumption. I’m referring to whether you’ll save and invest more for your retirement after your children become financially indepe...
Many companies are enriching their retirement benefits
Workers may be in for a treat – some companies plan to boost their retirement benefits in the next few years, as they look to hire and retain talent, according to a new survey. U.S. employers are imp...
Will the Fed rate increase mean higher interest on your savings and not using your travel card rewards may not be such a bad thing
Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories. Weekend reads: There’s a recession warning as the Federal Reserve fights inflation Also, value stocks, the wild market for crude oil and a U.S. compan...
France is considering raising its retirement age to 65
French workers may see their legal retirement age jump from 62 to 65 if President Emmanuel Macron gets his way. Macron, who is running for reelection, said the move is a natural progression. “We are ...
‘Where should I live and what am I going to do?’ Retirement advice we’re not getting from financial advisers
Retirement is one of the Top 10 most stressful life events, according to the psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. As someone who recently began unretirement (or semiretirement), I concur. But...
Planning to retire? Don’t get hit with a surprise tax bill for this common mistake
How much of your salary is withheld from your paycheck affects what you receive, or owe, at tax time – with the wrong number selected, you could be in for quite a surprise. Retirement Tip of the Week...
Opinion: Businesses subject job candidates to so many indignities — and then they wonder why they can’t find people?
Business leaders in organizations large and small are facing a common challenge: they can’t find enough workers to fill all their open positions. According to September Labor Department statistics, it...
Opinion: How to invest like a millionaire and build wealth for retirement
Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with multiple self-made millionaires. Though they come from varied backgrounds, these investors have a few key habits in common—ones that...
Retirees, pay attention – inflation is on the rise
Americans are spending more money because of high inflation — this can be a big problem for older individuals living on a fixed budget. Inflation is at a 40-year-high, at around 7.5% in January, acco...
These end-of-life planning forms will save your family a lot of heartache, the trouble with Alaska’s oil fund and more retirement news
From MarketWatch: Opinion: Big money trouble with Alaska’s $80 billion oil fund: A major political row has broken out at Alaska’s Permanent Fund, the state’s giant $82 billion oil fund, where the firi...
‘This is not 1980’: What investors are watching as next U.S. inflation reading looms
Investors next week will be closely watching for the latest reading on U.S. inflation, which has been running hot against the backdrop of a volatile stock market in 2022. “Inflation will be the data p...
Opinion: These 2 numbers sum up why the housing market won’t get back to normal for a long time
Last week I got a letter in the mail. Like you, I’m surprised this still exists as a practice but desperate times call for desperate measures: Courtesy Ben Carlson Now I would like to think our house ...
The ‘best job in America’ pays $145,000, has 14,000 job openings — and offers a generous work-life balance
A six-figure salary and the option to work from home? It sounds too good to be true. Job openings are rising, while workers continue to quit. The number of vacant jobs hit 10.9 million in December, up...
More than one-third of Americans say they’ve never had a retirement account
Never had a retirement account? You’re not alone – 36% of American workers said they’ve never had a retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, a new Bankrate survey found. Generation Z and ...
The IRS will stop sending out one type of taxpayer notice to try to cut down on aggravation this tax season
Trying to minimize aggravation during a tax-filing season that could have plenty of challenges, the Internal Revenue Service said it is pausing one of its notices that could ferment taxpayer frustrati...
Opinion: Retirees in the U.S. do not live on ‘fixed incomes’
As inflation has gained traction in the last year, commentators constantly remark about how it is particularly hard on retirees who live on a “fixed income.” Please stop. Retirees do not live on fixe...
Odell Beckham Jr. took his $750K salary in bitcoin — how much did it cost him?
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made headlines last November when he announced he would be converting his 2021 salary into bitcoin. The problem for Beckham: that bitcoin BTCUSD, -0.41...
As food prices hit an all-time high, more Americans have abandoned online grocery shopping and returned to supermarket aisles
More Americans are browsing again — in grocery-store aisles rather than online. With U.S. states abandoning mask mandates in public places, and more retailers dropping requirements for masks — and the...