All Retirement Articles

The notion of a traditional, leisurely retirement is fading fast. The precipitous drop recently in retirement investment accounts, rising health care costs, a dearth of traditional pension plans, faltering Social Security and Medicare systems and the fact that Americans just are not saving enough have shattered the hopes of millions of Americans who dreamed of spending their days on a golf Read more...

One of the greatest dangers to any retirement plan is that insidious erosion of purchasing power commonly known as "inflation." A weekly trip to the gas station or supermarket is enough to drive home the point. While younger, working Americans have opportunities -- often through increased earning power -- to overcome inflation, those in retirement or close to it are particularly Read more...

You may have planned to sip margaritas on the beach during your retirement, but if the recent stock market tumble has taken a good chunk of your savings with it, you may need to explore other options. Part-time work can help you pick up a few extra paychecks to cover basic expenses or perks such as travel and entertainment while your retirement portfolio rebounds. While the job market has had Read more...

When it comes to retirement, no nest egg is ever too big. But with an economic crisis draining the life from 401(k)s, IRAs and pension plans, a lot of people are asking themselves if they can still afford to retire early, on time or at all. Individuals "can still set any goal they want," says author and economist Ben Stein. "The question is, can they get to Read more...

By The Motley Fool Staff Do you have the facts on retirement? Let's find out. We've pulled together four questions related to the topic. Break out your pencils and write down the answers to each, then see how much you know about life during the golden years. The Questions 1. How many Americans are financially prepared to retire when they reach the age of 65? A. Nine out of 10 B. Seven Read more...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Retirement accounts already battered by a steep market decline may get hit again as several companies suspend or reduce their 401(k) match to save cash. Workers at General Motors Corp. and Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc., for example, could potentially lose thousands of dollars in company contributions from their retirement accounts. GM, which recently announced it was Read more...

With the future always clouded by uncertainty, planning for it is difficult. By understanding and preparing to deal with uncertainty, however, we can still look forward to a future where anything is possible. For example, we have to make certain assumptions when planning for retirement. What will be our living expenses? How much income will we have? What numbers should we use for inflation and Read more...

DES MOINES, Iowa - With the market seesawing daily, you may have seen your retirement savings -- that money you've been counting on, and expecting to grow -- shrink to disturbing levels in recent months. Retirement funding has been tied very closely to the stock and bond markets in an effort to provide the potential for significant growth, but now a lot of Americans are learning the Read more...

WASHINGTON - Social Security checks are going up $63 a month for the typical retiree -- the largest increase in more than a quarter-century but likely to seem puny to the millions who have been watching in horror as Wall Street lays waste to their retirement nest eggs. Every little bit helps, but the boost is coming after a year when people living on fixed incomes have been pounded by Read more...

What should you do about big losses in retirement accounts? The typical 401(k) account balance fell between 19 percent and 25 percent this year through mid-October, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Conventional wisdom suggests that you stay the course and not sell out of downtrodden investments, only to see them rebound when the economy recovers. Selling out Read more...

According to a U.S. Labor Statistics report, there is a new generation of entrepreneurs usurping the lead in business startups. The ranks of the self-employed aged 55 - 65 rose 33% in 2006, while the number of self-employed 25 - 35 year-olds fell 2%. Furthermore, an earlier Baby Boomer survey conducted by AARP in 2003 found approximately one in three self-employed workers aged 51 - 59 Read more...

See also: buying a business, Entrepreneurship, franchise, retirement

Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman once said, "The question isn't at what age I want to retire, it's at what income." While Foreman was savvy enough to parlay a fading boxing career into one that made him millions selling fat-reducing grills, most of us will probably need a well-defined savings strategy if we expect to retire comfortably. And many people still have Read more...

Oct. 8, 2008 -- What happened to the stock market -- and what has happened to your retirement plan? As the stock market continues to tumble to historic lows, many are considering what is the best move for their 401(k) and other retirement funds they may have invested. We asked AARP spokeswoman Kathy Keller, Vanguard senior investment analyst Donald Bennyhoff, and Motley Fool officials what Read more...

Marcia Duhart, 64, is something of a rarity among early retirees. Merrill Lynch, her former employer, has been paying 60 percent of her health care benefits for most of the last nine years since she retired in 1999. Although Duhart's health care insurance premiums have risen from $258 per month to $465 per month during that period, the Monroe Township, New Jersey resident says she is happy Read more...

Like everyone else, I have been depressed watching the value of my retirement savings steadily fall during the current melt down on Wall Street. That's the bad news. The good news is this awful bear market we are in has gotten me to rethink my retirement planning. And what I have concluded might be of some help to you. Below you will find a letter I am sending to my agent this Read more...

Two years ago, "Stephen" felt that his company's 401(k) plan was "dismal." The worker -- who prefers to remain anonymous to protect his employer's identity -- was unhappy with many aspects of his plan. "(It) offered problematic fund choices and an inscrutable cost structure," Stephen says. At first, Stephen didn't mention his concerns to anyone. But Read more...

When adult children ask their parents for money, it creates a quandary: To give or not to give? For T. Scott Gross, a motivational speaker and management training consultant in Knoxville, Tenn., the choice is easy: "My answer starts at no, then hell no, then, over your dead body," he says. Such an answer is nothing new for his grown son. "Because we made him Read more...

Consumers have plenty to worry about during a challenging economy, and making a wrong move in personal finances could make a bad situation worse. Obtaining cash through credit cards, retirement plans and home equity could end up being a costly quick fix. And complacency over personal investments and looming college costs could lead to missed opportunities for keeping hard-earned Read more...

If the government says the cost of living went up 4 percent last year and you get a 4 percent pay hike, you're breaking even, right? Not necessarily. There's more to inflation than meets the eye, particularly as it relates to the wallet of the everyday consumer. It probably comes as no surprise to you that prices have been going up -- about 4 percent over last year, according to Read more...

Dear Dr. Don, I am 31 and want to pay off my house as soon as I can because I don't like owing people money. I have $195,000 left on my mortgage at 6-1/8 percent. Would it be wise to pay off my house? (My goal is to do it within six years.) Or, should I start saving for retirement? I am not currently saving for retirement because I'm putting my savings toward paying off the house. I Read more...