401(k) fees are back in the news. These plans still make sense for many workers, especially if there is a company match. But it’s tough to make the case for sticking around once you retire or find another job. Here are four ways to treat your 401(k) assets.
Financial Planning
5 Ways to Avoid Hidden 401(k) Fees
A new report says that investors lose up to 30% of their savings to hidden 401(k) fees. That’s probably a stretch. But outlandish fees are a definite problem. Here’s how you can avoid them.
6 Steps for Building a Financial Plan for Aging Parents
In this week’s TIME Magazine cover story, columnist Joe Klein tells his story of caring for, and eventually losing, his elderly parents. The article is powerful in part because it deals with an issue that — if we’re lucky — most of us will face.
Sandwich Generation: Old Story, New Problem
Boomers were the first to struggle en masse with both the financial needs of kids in college and retired parents outliving their nest egg. Now, the kids may be out of college—but moved back home. Meanwhile, mom or dad has not …
Retirees Taking Early Social Security Benefits Hits 35-Year Low
Boomers have got the message: For most people, it makes sense to delay Social Security benefits to age 70 if possible. More made the choice to delay in 2011 than at any time since 1976. Here’s how you can afford to wait too.
What President Obama Wants You To Tell Your Kids About Money — and When
A useful new government website has just gone live, offering easy teaching points for parents who want to help their kids grow up knowing a thing or two about compound interest and 19 other key financial concepts.
The Future of Retirement? 401(k)s That Look Like Old-Fashioned Pensions
One of the biggest flaws in most people’s retirement plan is something that previous generations rarely worried about: monthly income guaranteed for life. But the fix is in, and before long your 401(k) may look a lot more like …
The American Dream Gets Another Facelift
The American Dream of home ownership has taken some hits in the recession. But it remains alive and well, though with some twists that will help shape the nature of the budding housing recovery.
How to Get the CFPB to Address Your Most Pressing Money Needs
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is testing a new website that it hopes will answer all your money questions in the near future. Here’s your chance to let them know what you need most.
New From Social Security: Find Benefits Information Online
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.
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.