Retirement Planning

Calpers, the nation's largest pension fund, recently reported a $139 billion shortfall - but is the actual shortfall more likely to be $500 billion to $1 trillion when we adjust their investment assumptions - that ignore how the Federal Reserve has changed the markets - for our current reality. If so, then there is an explosive increase in pension obligations - and taxpayer obligations - that greatly exceed what is being reported by the governments or in the media.

Too much debt, too little income, expenses too high, cost of living increasing every year, and retirement income increases (if any) not keeping pace with increasing cost of living? Then do something about it! Here's how.

Below is an infographic on Avenues to Retirement which focuses equally on gold IRAs, annuities and other non-gold related options. You will find it a valuable resource for preparing for retirement.

There are a number of conventional reasons why a segment of people have always resisted the urge to hire an investment advisor. Nevertheless, there comes a time in virtually everyone’s life when circumstances change at which time finding a trusted advisor may well become a priority and a rewarding proposition that leads to less stress, superior execution, or simply a safety net for your family.

Although I have a few years before I am eligible for Social Security, I’m close enough that I am now thinking about three key issues: 1.At what age to start claiming it; 2.Whether it will still be there when I request it; and, regardless of Social Security, 3.how much does one need to live on in retirement?

Below is an analysis of the past and present retirement scenarios and specific ways to offset the income gap of today.

Preparing for, and living in, retirement halfway is a dead end. The richest and most successful retirement experiences and outcomes occur when taking on life and activities full-circle. Thinking in completion mode inspires endless loops of satisfaction. Closure is an accomplishment. It allows you to move your life and those of others, forward. It allows others to do the same. Here are five circles to an enriching retirement.

A study by the consulting firm McKinsey suggests that one can expect lower market returns over the next 30 years than we’ve experienced over the past 30. Does that automatically spell doom for Millennials who are investing their money? Not necessarily. Here's why.

Differences in U.S. state taxes result in residents paying considerably more or less than their neighbors in other states. Here is a ranking of the most & least burdensome tax rates by state and the District of Columbia.

There is a crucial component of the investment process that gets surprisingly little attention: our investment default settings. We can use them when we aren’t sure what to do, when we’re deciding what to do, when our circumstances have changed but our plan hasn’t (yet), or when we’re just starting out. Here they are.