My Retirement Blog

Category: Retirement

  • Best Companies to Retire From

    Fortune has published a list of the best companies to retire from and the companies they list come as no surprise to me: IBM – They cite the 401(k) plan as a “gold-standard” with automatic contributions of 4% plus a match of contributions up to 6% of en employee’s salary. P&G – P&G has the…

  • 2010 Income Tax Brackets

    Every year in mid-September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases inflation data for the last year and tax mavens get to calculating how much all the various tax numbers will move. It turns out inflation was a mere 0.19%, meaning most of the figures won’t change at all. For referential purposes, the 2010 IRS Tax…

  • Kiplinger’s Retiree Map

    Kiplinger’s has published a retiree map that might be helpful for you if you’re nearing retirement. It gives you a visual representation of states with favorable tax (or unfavorable) tax situations for retirees. It will show you: 7 states with no income tax 4 states with no sales tax 5 states with the lowest overall…

  • Most Affordable Places to Retire

    These days, the idea of retirement can be a little scary. With the stock marke’s fall last year, taking 401(k) and IRA account balances with them, and the cost of everything going up, the thought of going onto a fixed income and retiring from your job is very daunting. Fortunately, one thing you can do…

  • Social Security & Medicare in Financial Distress

    Earlier this week Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner revealed that the Social Security trust fund might be exhausted as early as 2037, which is four years earlier than the estimate last year! The main reason for this adjustment comes from the rising unemployment rate, which affects how much is being paid into the trust fund, tax…

  • Earning $20,000 Equals Half Million Dollar Nest Egg

    With the recent stock market fall, a lot of near-retirees are seeing their nest eggs fall below their “Number,” the amount they need to retire comfortably. This has, rightfully so, a lot of near-retirees worried. What should a near-retiree do? Draw on Social Security early so that the retirement assets can recover? Pull out of…

  • How To Buy Annuities

    Annuities aren’t all bad. They get a bad reputation because some of them charge high fees and are bad investments, but the idea behind an annuity isn’t bad at all. For many, it’s a way to turn retirement savings into a constant and reliable stream of monthly income similar to a pension, so that you…

  • How the Stimulus Package Affects Retirement

    If you’re retired or getting close to retirement, the stimulus package recently signed into law has a few perks in it that could benefit you a little bit. While much of the focus and discussion was on the infrastructure spending, there’s quite a few provisions in there for folks in or nearing retirement. It’s not…

  • Roth IRA & IRA Contribution Deadlines Approaching

    Just a helpful reminder to everyone thinking about a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA, the deadline for your contribution is coming up. Not surprisingly, it’s April 15th. When you go to make your contribution, the maximum is $5,000 this year ($6,000 if you are 50+), be sure to mark down that you are making…