TOD or Living Trust?
A look at two basic methods for shielding assets from probate. How do you keep assets out of probate? If that estate planning question is on your mind, you should know that there are
Are You Retiring Within the Next 5 Years?
What should you focus on as the transition approaches? You can prepare for your retirement transition years before it occurs. In doing so, you can do your best to avoid the kind of financial surprises
Three Key Questions to Answer Before Taking Social Security
When to start? Should I continue to work? How can I maximize my benefit? Social Security will be a critical component of your financial strategy in retirement, so before you begin taking it, you should
When You Retire Without Enough
Start your “second act” with inadequate assets, and your vision of the future may be revised. How much have you saved for retirement? Are you on pace to amass a retirement fund of $1 million
Is Generation X Preparing Adequately for Retirement?
Future financial needs may be underestimated. If you were born during 1965-80, you belong to “Generation X.” Ten or twenty years ago, you may have thought of retirement as an event in the lives of
Bad Money Habits to Break
Behaviors worth changing. Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns, year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, now is as good
Long-Term Investing Truths
Key lessons for retirement savers. You learn lessons as you invest in pursuit of long-term goals. Some of these lessons are conveyed and reinforced when you begin saving for retirement, and others, you glean along
How Retirement Spending Changes With Time
Once away from work, your cost of living may rise before it falls. New retirees sometimes worry that they are spending too much, too soon. Should they scale back? Are they at risk of outliving
Your Emergency Fund: How Much is Enough?
An emergency fund may help alleviate the stress associated with a financial crisis. Have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing, and your family ends up
Tax Considerations for Retirees
Are you aware of them? The federal government offers some major tax breaks for older Americans. Some of these perks deserve more publicity than they receive. If you are 65 or older, your