401(k)s Shouldn’t Be Neglected When Switching Jobs. Here’s What to Consider.

Many workers changing jobs in the wake of the pandemic—whether it’s for more money, better advancement opportunities, or flexible scheduling—risk overlooking one important factor: their retirement sav...

Best of Barron’s: Social Security Claiming, Retiring on Dividends, Info on RMDs

Barron’s Retirement’s 10 most read stories of the year include items on retiring abroad and retiring on dividends. Apologies to David Letterman and his Top 10 List segment on the ‘La...

How retirees can survive a bear market

Wait until the VIX gets a lot lower before putting any sideline cash back to work in the stock market. That’s the implication of a 2019 academic study in the Journal of Financial Economics. Entitled “...

U.S. states fall short of pledges to cut ties with Russia

Driven by moral outrage over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, U.S. governors and other top state officials made it clear: They wanted to cut their financial ties with Russia. A few stat...

‘Home prices where I live are close to $600,000.’ Is it a smart move to buy a house with all-cash — or better to take out a mortgage?

Dear Big Move, I’ve recently been thinking about purchasing my first home at 35.  I have a nest egg of about $1.8 million that I’ve accrued over the past 14 years. This money is completely invested in...

How to save $1 million for retirement on an annual salary of $70,000

Consistently saving a small percentage of your salary is a simple way to ensure you’re prepared for retirement. As a rule of thumb, most financial advisors suggest you save 10% to 15% of your ea...

‘You don’t want to die at your desk sending an email.’ Beyond the numbers, are you ready to retire?

Nancy Schlossberg attended a retirement party for a colleague, and afterward heard people remarking how the guest of honor should have retired years before because she was “so old.” “People were sayin...

Six things that could change your mind about retiring early

Robert Johnson, a professor of finance at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, retired from a career in financial education in 2018 but recognized that he wasn’t comfortable spending his...

9 ways the Inflation Reduction Act affects Medicare coverage, and what it means for you

Major changes to prescription drug affordability for more than 50 million beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D are likely on the way because of a new law. The Inflation Reduction Act “finally del...

I’m 65 and want to retire in 6 months. I have a $125K annuity, plus $100K of money that I’m not sure what to do with. Should I get professional help?

Is a financial planner right for you? Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I had $225,000 in my 401(k) and then I rolled over $125,000 to an annuity at 7%, as I wanted income. I just turned 65 and want ...

Why target-date funds may sabotage your retirement

If you’re like most of the 30 million or so people investing in a target-date fund mutual fund inside your retirement account, you’ve likely adopted a set-it-and-forget-it attitude toward your nest eg...

Should You Do a Roth Conversion? How It Can Help With Your Taxes.

The first half of this year marked the worst performance for the S&P 500 since 1970. With inflation soaring and interest rates rising, the index posted a loss of 20.6%.  The dire sentiment may hav...

‘I’m in a very lucky position’: I will receive a $300,000 inheritance. Should I pay off my mortgage or invest the money?

I currently owe $300,000 on my house with a 2.5%, 30-year mortgage. I am maxing out my retirement accounts — IRA and 401(k) — and looking to retire in less than 10 years. I will receive an inheritance...

‘I fear that between the two of us, that’s not enough.’ We want to quit working in 10 years, but only have about $175K saved. Do we need professional help?

Some things to consider if you’re thinking about hiring a financial adviser. Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I’m 54 years old and have an IRA account with $27,000 in it, but it’s been decreasing ov...

Do I Need A Financial Advisor Or Should I Go It Alone?

Do you need a financial advisor? The answer depends on different factors — the complexity of your finances, how comfortable you are managing investments, where you are in your wealth journey, and wher...

Public Pension Systems Join Those Stung by Crypto Crash

Listen to article (2 minutes) Among the investors who bet on cryptocurrency over the past year are pension funds that manage public workers’ retirement savings. Now those funds are navigating the cras...

An investor’s guide to the Inflation Reduction Act — and what the bill means for your portfolio

If investors thought they were finding their footing in a volatile stock market, a new tax, climate and healthcare spending bill from Capitol Hill might have them trying again to regain their stabilit...

Opinion: Inflation report brings 2 pieces of good news for retirees and retirement savers

Retirees and those seeking secure income got two items of very good news this week, though you may only have heard about one. July’s inflation came in below fears (although a debate now rages on what ...

Social Security Benefits Are Projected to Increase. Here’s How Much.

Text size The cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security beneficiaries this year was 5.9%, well below the annualized pace of inflation in recent months. Dreamstime Social Security recipients are on...

This is the ‘Jay Leno rule’ of saving money. You don’t have to be rich to do it

Comedian Jay Leno Getty Images/iStock Comedian Jay Leno has openly shared that while collecting two salaries — one from his ‘Tonight Show’ hosting gig and one from the 150 annual comedy shows he’d app...

Why Advisors Say It’s Best to Let Social Security Max Out, Even in a Down Market

A senior may claim Social Security spousal benefits based on a younger spouse’s earnings history, but the younger spouse must have already claimed benefits. That’s the short answer to our second...

When can you retire? This beginner’s guide can help you find the answer.

“I want to know if I can retire,” Marie said, dropping her investment file on my desk and sitting down across from me. She was typical of many preretirees everywhere, trying to figure out when they co...

We have $1.1 million to spend on a new house for retirement, but we also want to travel – is buying a home even worth it right now?

Dear MarketWatch,  My wife and I are 64 and 65 years old, respectively. I plan on retiring in two years when I’ll be fully vested with my current employer, avoiding early stock withdrawal penalties, a...

My boyfriend, 68, has almost no ‘mad money’ for fun activities and trips. He lives with his father, 95, and expects to inherit his house. Is it unreasonable to expect him to get a part-time job?

I am a 65-year-old retired woman with modest Social Security and annuity payments. I also own my own home and have savings. I’ve been seeing a 68-year-old retiree since just before the pandemic. He li...

IRS Changes Guidelines for Inherited IRAs, Causing Confusion and Pushback

Figuring out the most efficient way to navigate the tax impact of inheriting individual retirement accounts has become more complicated since the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed new rules in ...

Giant Pension Bought Apple Stock. It Sold Tesla, Microsoft and AT&T.

Text size An Apple store. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Oregon’s public pension recently made big changes in some of its biggest stock investments. The Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought more s...

I want to refinance my mortgage, but I’m about to turn 70. Is it wise to refinance at my time of life?

I hope you can help me figure this out. I am 69 years old and will turn 70 at the end of the month. I’ve been offered a cash out refinance loan and need to decide whether to take a 15- or 30-year loan...

Opinion: Fidelity’s bitcoin move getting all the wrong publicity

What would Ned Johnson do? The late, great Fidelity Investments honcho built his family’s Boston-based money management firm into one of the biggest in the world over the course of a long career. John...

Public pension hole now $11,000 per U.S. worker

Top state and local pension funds lost $250 billion on the markets during the month of June and are down more than $600 billion for the year, according to a new study. The 100 biggest public sector pe...

Should you roll over your 401(k) to an IRA? Here are 3 tips for this key retirement decision.

In his classic tune “Roll Over Beethoven,” Chuck Berry famously belted: “Roll it over then move on up.” Well, if you’ve saved for years in a 401(k) plan, you’ll want to know how — or whether — to roll...