To save on costs, last year the government stopped mailing future Social Security benefits estimates to workers each year. Now that information is online. It’s a good starting place when planning your retirement.
Financial Planning
Why Annuities are the Answer (But Such a Tough Sell)
The decline of traditional pensions and steady erosion of Social Security benefits has begun to leave most retirees without a source of guaranteed lifetime income. Plugging that hole is emerging as the most important retirement issue of our day.
Alumni Credit Card? First, Lose the Greedy Pitch
Colleges are slamming graduating students with credit card offers that sound sincere but amount to a hard sell. Yes, the right card will help build a good credit score. But watch out for the accompanying advice on how to go about it.
5 Key Financial Questions for People in Their 50s
We spend most of our working years accumulating savings for retirement and after that spending them carefully so they last. We need to spend a little more time managing the transition. Here’s how.
How an Ad Will Persuade You to Talk to Your Kids About Money
Coming soon to a magazine, newspaper or Web page near you: emotionally charged public-service messages designed to jolt parents into having “the talk” with their kids. Not that talk. The tougher one about how to budget, save and …
Retiring Abroad Is More Hype Than Reality
For years we’ve been hearing about the advantages of retiring abroad: low taxes, low cost of living, great climate and exciting cultural attractions. It’s all true in certain countries. Yet there hasn’t exactly been a mass exodus of retirees from the U.S.
How to Stop a Slow-Motion Disaster: Learning to Live With Global Aging
Global aging threatens to lay waste to your retirement plan. Here’s why you need to stay healthy and write your congressman.
Feeling Old? 6 Simple Ways to Stay Healthy
Here are six low-tech healthcare services readily available to seniors and which will vastly improve their quality of life, according to the Hartford Foundation. Did you know that Medicare pays the full cost of one wellness checkup each year?
Retirement Income: 5 Steps to Fill the Gaps
It’s never too late to start planning your retirement security. Here’s a one-size-fits-all strategy that will help secure an adequate stream of income in your later years.
Financial Literacy: U.S. Trails … Brazil and Mexico?
A new survey from Visa ranks 28 nations by their commitment to financial education. The U.S. finishes fourth. But everyone fails.
More Americans ‘Flunk’ Themselves in Personal Finance
Financial advisers have a saying: When the stock market is going up, everyone looks like a genius. These days, folks aren’t feeling so smart—and not just about their investments, but about many aspects of their personal finances.
The Crazy Way We Think About Taxes
Taxpayers like to say one thing and do another. They also have some interesting requests as the filing deadline hits. Here’s how crazy we are.
