A blazing resignation at Goldman Sachs shows us once again that financial advisers too often put their own interests first. Here’s how to make sure you get good advice.
Financial Education
Sandwich Generation: 6 Money Messages for Your Parents and Kids
Boomers are making a lot of the same mistakes their parents made when it comes to discussing money with family. That is, they aren’t doing it. But it’s time to have the The Talk, with aging parents and grown kids. Here’s how.
Bonds Are on a Roll — Is it Time to Give Up on Stocks?
A well-known academic argues against stocks, even for the long run. But it feels a bit like arguing that Warren Buffett doesn’t know what he’s doing. Whose side would you take?
3 Simple Steps to the Perfect IRA
Choosing the most efficient tax-favored retirement savings strategy can be challenging. Here’s how to get it right in 3 simple steps.
Drug Prices Up — or Not? Either Way, Treatments Will Chew Up Retirement Savings
A report on rising drug prices set off alarms among retirement planners. Pharmaceutical companies dispute the findings. But either way retirees must plan on an ever increasing outlay for health care.
With a Pension Shortfall, Companies Want to Kick in Even Less
Just a decade ago pension plans were flush. Today there is a $400 billion shortfall and companies want to do what? That’s right — cut their pension contributions.
Privacy? Here’s How Data Mining Might Actually Help Consumers
With so much concern over privacy in the digital world, it’s worth noting how the careful disclosure of consumer data might actually help. This is especially true in the area of personal finance, where the newly minted federal …
How a Digital Picture of Your Future Self Can Change Your Saving Habits
A realistic vision of what you’ll look like years from now prompts workers to boost their savings rate. Here’s why company HR departments will soon have employees coming face to face with their future self.
Door Opens to Tax on IRA and 401(k) Gains
From the beginning, questions have swirled around the future tax standing of retirement savings. In an age of soaring deficits, would Congress really be able to keep its hands off hundreds of billions of dollars of tax-advantaged …
Why Giving Your Kids an Allowance May Not Teach Them Anything
Parents have been paying their kids an allowance since the Industrial Revolution on the theory that it will help kids better understand budgets and spending choices as adults. Now a prominent academic says it’s all been a waste of time
Finally, A Convenient Way to Get Income for Life: Feds Push A New 401(k) Option
With traditional pensions disappearing, securing reliable low-cost lifetime income for retirees has emerged as a top issue among financial planners and policymakers. Finally, a solution is in sight. The federal government has issued new regulations designed to encourage two important changes:
- Allow 401(k) plan participants to easily
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Pension Income Is Guaranteed, Right? Yes, But …
As if we needed another reminder that our safety net is threadbare, AMR Corp., the American Airlines parent company, says it will shut down pensions covering 130,000 employees and retirees as part of a reorganization in …
