Category: Retirement

Business Week has a great article today in which they summarize the plans and programs of each of the presidential candidates with respect to retirement and share their results. They discuss everything from Social Security to Medicare to Pensions to Long-Term Care. It’s a very good summary if you’re looking to learn the positions of…

The latest Chairman’s Corner article at Vanguard.com is out and in it John J. Brennan, Chairman of Vanguard, warns that retirees have to be careful not to increase spending as they enter retirement. There’s a temptation, a reasonable and totally understandable temptation, to increase spending to “reward” yourself in retirement. Going on lavish vacations, buying…

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on Wednesday, said that employers could cut the medical coverage of those retirees eligible for Medicare. Whether or not an employer decides to cancel coverage for those over 65 with Medicare is up to the employer but this opens the door to the option of canceling coverage if they want…

Were you one of the few who was eligible for and received a bonus this year? If so, congratulations on your hard work, you deserved it. Now that we’ve gotten those formalities out of the way, I want to stick a little bug in your ear as to how I believe you should be spending…

If the recent housing problems hasn’t woken many Americans up to the idea that your home isn’t you nest egg, perhaps a recent article to The Mole, Money Magazine’s undercover financial planner, will. In it, a reader asks if they should invest their entire net worth into a half-million dollar home they intend to live…

The latest question into Walter Updegrave comes from a recent college graduate who wants to make sure he’s on the right track to retirement. Richard in Washington DC contributes 5% to his 401(k), which is matched in full by his employer, and puts $200 a month into a stock fund. So, what did Walter say…

Now that it’s the end of the year, it’s time to do some revisiting of your accounts and one great, and quick, thing to look at is your listed beneficiaries on your retirement accounts. This is part of the process of checking and keeping your estate documents current, in the event of any changes, and…

Last week I discussed the Social Security full retirement age, why is that important? You can begin taking Social Security payments as early as when you’re 62 if you’re willing to take a reduction, a real penalty unlike the earnings test deferral, because you’re taking payments for a longer period of time. If you are…

Consumerist had a great post last week about the order of retirement withdrawals, a post inspired by Vanguard’s recent Autumn 2007 report. The order they list is: Taxable accounts Tax-deferred accounts Tax-free accounts So, why taxable accounts first? Because you want your tax deferred and tax free accounts to be able to grow as long…