You probably have money saved up for retirement in a 401(k) plan, but do you have any idea how long that money will last? Or how much it would provide each month in retirement? Probably not — until no...
Tag: Retirement planning
5 Common Questions About RMDs in Retirement
Required minimum distributions have been in the news lately as Congress works to pass the Secure Act 2.0, which would raise the age at which seniors must begin making withdrawals from employer-sponsor...
The Bear Market Has Brought ‘Fear and Uncertainty’ for Gen Z. How They’re Coping.
Ella Gupta made her first investment when she was 10. With the help of her parents, she took half the profits of her bracelet-making business and invested in the stock market. At 14, she opened a Roth...
Raymond James’ Darren Coleman: How I Serve Cross-Border U.S.-Canada Clients
Americans mulling a move to Canada might think the financial transition would be a piece of cake. After all, both countries are democracies with advanced banking systems. What could go wrong? Actually...
I’m 40 and married with 2 kids. How aggressively should I invest my money right now, and should I own crypto? Here’s what 5 financial advisers told him to do now.
Should crypto be a part of your overall investing strategy? Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I’m 40, married with two kids and gainfully employed. I’m wondering how aggressively I should be investin...
Weekend reads: Prepare for a big week — a crucial Federal Reserve decision, tech-company earnings and a GDP report
It was mostly a week for stocks, particularly a rebound in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index, as companies topped expectations on second-quarter earnings. The coming week brings a heavy dose of t...
My wife inherited a 401(k)–what’s the best way to avoid a big tax hit?
Q.: My wife inherited a 401(k) from my mom who died recently. How do we handle this? If she takes her share out will it count as income for us on our taxes? I read that we can’t roll it over into our ...
We have $1.5 million we don’t intend to ever use in retirement – how do we invest it if we plan on giving it to our kids one day?
I’m 59 years old, and my wife is older (retired early). I will be retiring next year after 40 years of Naval service and government contracting. After the recent market crash in 2022, we still have a...
Some older workers are being welcomed back to the workforce
Tad Greener’s career and expertise was mostly related to electric and natural gas utilities. Toward the end of 2019 he unexpectedly found himself subject to a “reduction in workplace” at the universit...
Bear Market Have You Down? Here Are 3 Tips for Managing Anxiety During Tumult.
While investors and retirement savers grapple with a host of stressors from a bear market to surging inflation, financial advisors and psychologists say there are steps to take to ease anxiety. Illust...
Why Retirees Should Worry More About Longevity and Less About the Markets
A research paper by Wenliang Hou finds that retirees have an exaggerated sense of market volatility. Dreamstime Text size Market volatility may keep retirees up at night, but the biggest risk to retir...
Why the bond market should be given the benefit of the doubt
The bond market’s rout has gone too far, so look for interest rates to decline in coming months. If that happens, it certainly would be good news to beleaguered retirees and near-retirees who have an ...
7 financial planning steps to take in the decade before retirement
The decade leading up to your retirement is one of the most critical periods for retirement planning. There are a number of financial planning issues to consider during this time period to help ensure...
I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?
I’ll be 65 in a couple months. I retired at 63 and am currently receiving survivor Social Security payments (from my late husband). I plan on switching over to my Social Security at 70. I receive abou...
A psychologist’s 5 steps to stop panicking about your 401(k)
In the fall of 2008, when global stock markets were imploding, I happened to be in New York. I switched on the TV in my hotel room and saw financial commentator Suze Orman on Larry King Live. She took...
We have 25 years until retirement and are saving 25% of our income — are we doing it right? And are we saving too much?
My wife, 33, and I, 40, have our own 403(b)s, Roth accounts (maxing their contributions this year for the first time) and pensions as part of our retirement plan. My wife contributes 14% of her pay t...
Paid Off College and the Mortgage? Here’s How to Allocate Your Freed Up Cash.
Retirement savers who’ve paid off their mortgage or have made their last college payment should take a moment to celebrate. Then they should get busy putting their newfound windfall to work. Given th...
Opinion: Medicare is broken — and not in the way you might think
For nearly every retiring American, Medicare is both universal and universally complex. Yet, Medicare is broken – and not in the way most people think. Every few years, news organizations raise the a...
How you can avoid bond fund losses when rates rise
Bond funds that don’t lose money when interest rates rise? Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Such funds do exist, and my guess is that right now you’d jump at the chance to invest in them. That’...
Your retirement portfolio is fundamentally flawed: GMO
All across America, retirees and near-retirees are reeling. They were assured by simplistic “McMoney” financial advisers that bonds were “safe,” that bond returns were steady and predictable, and that...
Here’s how much cash you need for a recession, according to advisors
designer491 | iStock | Getty Images With the threat of a recession looming, more financial experts are sharing how to prepare — including how much cash it may be smart to set aside. The end of June ...
The DOL has a new IRA rollover rule for advisers to follow
IRA rollovers are common, whether they’re from an old 401(k) or just one account to another, but a newly implemented Department of Labor rule says financial advisers suggesting the move have some expl...
Watch out — this one mistake could cost you thousands when you rollover your 401(k) to an IRA
Here’s a pro tip that can hardly be said often enough. When you change jobs and you think about rolling over your old company’s 401(k) to an IRA…watch out for all the extra fees. “Thousands of dollars...
A prominent economist on how much inflation could be eating into your savings
What is inflation doing to your savings? Getty Images/iStockphoto Inflation stubbornly remains at a 40-year high, with the latest numbers showing that the U.S. inflation rate hit 8.6% in May, compared...
How to Minimize Your Heirs’ Tax Burden on Inherited IRAs and 401(k)s
The stretch-IRA strategy largely went away after the Secure Act of 2019, leaving heirs less maneuverability on taxes. Financial pros have some solutions. Illustration by Barron’s: Dreamstime(5) ...
S&P 500 had worst half in 50 years, but the 60/40 portfolio isn’t dead
Stock trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images The S&P 500 Index, a barometer of U.S. stocks, just had its worst first half of the year ...
Should You Roll Over Your 401(k) to an IRA? It Can Cost You Tens of Thousands.
Text size Retirement savers would do well to check the fees on fund holdings in 401(k) accounts held at former employers before rolling over to an IRA. Workplace savings plans tend to have more favora...
Have retirement savers been fooled by the bull market?
Today in Weird Retirement News: 75% of those currently saving through a workplace plan, such as a 401(k), are apparently expecting to make it through their entire golden years without even having to t...