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Your Retirement: How Long Will it Be?
For so many years, you’ve had your eyes on this lifepoint called “retirement,” where you step out of the world of career and settle in to a life of leisure. You’ve spent quite a bit of effort planning the “nest egg” that…
Social Security 101: The Basics
The Motley Fool’s Matthew Frankel, in a post on www.nwitimes.com, recaps a series of nine very basic, yet frequently misunderstood, Social Security parameters. From determining if (and when) you’re qualified to the myth of Social Security’s impending “bankruptcy,” it’s a good idea…
Social Security Collaborates with America Saves Week
(Source: Social Security Administration) A secure retirement is created from a lifetime of planning and saving. Each year, American Savings Education Council and America Saves coordinate America Saves Week. The week is an opportunity for organizations to promote good savings behavior…
The Mystery of 401(k) Fees and Details You Should Know
Saving for retirement is hard enough, and it takes quite a bit of detailed planning in order to get to where you want to be.For those reasons, it’s critical that anyone using 401(k) plans as a key part of their…
Another Look at the Social Security Earnings Test
Kiplinger editor Rachel L. Sheedy examines the two stages of Social Security’s earnings test for early filers in a post on www.kiplinger.com, explaining the basic test applied up until the year in which full retirement age is reached, and then outlining the…
Taking a Look at Spousal Benefits and the Rules
Forbes contributor Laurence Kotlikoff, in a post today on Forbes.com, responds to a series of questions regarding spousal benefits and the rules associated with certain situations, including re-marriages and waiting periods, the application of earnings test criteria in child in-care situations,…
Thoughts on Improving Your Retirement Finances
Running out of money late in life is a worry for millions of Americans, but there are steps you can take prior to retirement that can help you overcome this fear. For example, as Stanwood Camano News reporter Elisabeth Azpeitia suggests…
The Savings Crisis and an Inevitable Outcome
Alana Semuels, staff writer at The Atlantic, offers a real-life account of the one person severely impacted by America’s “savings crisis,” noting that “Increasingly, we’re seeing folks who are becoming poor for the first time in old age.” The statistics are covered…
The Original Intent of 401(k) Plans
Morphing is an incredible process. We see original creations evolve over time under the pressure of things around them, and such is the case with the tax-qualified, defined-contribution 401(k) plans introduced in the late 1970s as a means for workers to defer…
Does Early Retirement Equal Early Death?
Researchers at Cornell University and the University of Melbourne, studying a spike in death rates at age 62, have developed conjecture that there may be a causal relationship with early filing for Social Security benefits. Seeking Alpha’s editorial staff explores this…