Retirement Planning

The 401(k) plan gives 90 million Americans a way to make tax-deductible contributions to a retirement account directly from their paychecks with 71% of them believing that there are no fees at all associated with their plan. Nothing could be further from the truth! The vast majority of plans are characterized by huge commissions, expensively managed funds, and layer upon layer of additional – and often hidden – charges

Americans aren’t getting their medical money’s worth - not by a long shot! According to an annual Bloomberg analysis in almost 200 economies the U.S. will cost you the most for treatment, both in absolute terms and relative to average incomes.

Do you really want to spend more than 40 years of your life working? Do you really want to wait until after age 65 before finally allowing yourself to retire? There's no rule you have to wait that long. What do many early retirees have in common? Let's examine some common characteristics.

When a company matches the money you contribute to your 401(k) plan, up to a certain amount, these matching funds can be a very powerful way to save money over time for retirement and, as such, it's important to take advantage of a company's full 401(k) match if you can. Every company has different policies regarding these matching funds, and things can often be confusing for new investors. Here are some key things to know.

What makes your 401(k) plan the best place to invest your money for the long term? In this post I will show you all of the reasons why this type of investment account has the greatest impact on the growth of your money.

Pensions are run like Ponzi schemes; as long as the cash coming in to the fund is equal to or exceeds beneficiary payouts, the scheme can continue but it’s a catastrophe when economic conditions deteriorate and tax revenue flattens or declines, as is occurring now. When the stock market inevitably cracks, it will wipe pensions out.

If you're caught in two minds about what sort of life you want when you wave goodbye to your work commitments, here are 7 reasons to retire abroad.

Most boomers are painfully aware of how badly prepared they are for retirement. Almost half of them have saved virtually nothing for their golden years. The only solution for many is to work full-time to age 70 (and beyond for some) or to transition into part-time employment after their full retirement age. We may not have done a good job of planning for retirement, but we can make the next 15 or 20 years even more rewarding than our previous work lives were. Here's how.

There are all sorts of rules of thumb about saving for retirement but, while they can be helpful as a baseline for setting expectations, you need to make a plan and monitor your progress as you age to be effective in the real world.

With longer life spans, inflation, and increasing health care costs, it's possible that many retirees won't have enough to comfortably sustain their retirements. Here are 7 smart moves that will help you catch up on savings even late in the game.