Category: Family and Retirement
By Shannon Keating, Assistant Editor
September 4, 2012 - I’m a college senior, the oldest in my family of five, and I am lucky enough to have something number of friends do not: a deep and lasting relationship with my grandparents.
Retirement is a new stage of life. Your new lifestyle might be an opportunity to spend more time with your grandchildren, or, particularly if you move far away, it could be a challenge for the relationship. Either way, it is up to you to seize the opportunity if you want a stronger connection with your grandchildren (or niece/nephew/godchild), whether they are toddlers or twenty-year-olds like me.
Not to say that there aren't barriers aplenty. In addition to new
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Published on September 4, 2012
Comments 8
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 4, 2012 -- Weather and climate are important considerations for most people when they think about where they might retire. For some folks, as we have learned, humidity is a four letter word. Winter cold is a scourge for many, while others feel the same way about dust and allergens. Other weather considerations are rain, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, lightning, ice storms, snow, number of days of sunshine. Not exactly weather related, but earthquakes are an issue to worry about too. This short article will provide you with some resources to research the weather wherever you might be considering retiring, so you can make the best
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Published on September 4, 2012
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
September 10, 2012 -- With all the discussion going on about the poor state of most retirees' financial preparation for retirement, it seems like this might be a good opportunity to talk about financial risks in retirement. While we are not financial professionals, we have surveyed the literature to prepare this list for your consideration. While you probably are aware all of these risks, it is always worth considering how they might apply to you one more time.
Background
Data from the Federal Reserve’s 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances found that the typical U.S. household between ages 55 and 64 held just over $45,000 in their tax-exempt retirement plans in 2004. In 2010, after the biggest financial crisis in U.S. history, these plans held only $42,000 (this figure is for all Americans, including folks not in an employer-sponsored savings program). Households headed by a baby boomer age 60 to 62 with a 401(k) plan was more - $149,400 – but not even twice their median annual income of $87,700, according to Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research.
The Big One
The chief financial problem in retirement stems from
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Published on September 10, 2012
Comments 10
Category: Retirement Planning
September 11, 2012 — Our surveys have produced some absolutely wonderful suggestions for future surveys. The most support came for this one – What is the best…and the worst.. thing about your retirement. We extended the idea a bit to include questions about retirement preparation as well as actual retirement.
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Published on September 11, 2012
Comments 12
Category: Retirement Planning
Sept. 17, 2012 -- The fun thing about this series of member surveys on retirement is that the results never come out exactly like we predict. Our most recent one, "The Best and Worst Things About Your Retirement" is no different. Its most pleasant surprise: the runaway worst thing about retirement is... "Nothing"! That makes us happy that so many of you are enjoying your retirements. Equally interesting were the hundreds of write-in comments provided by our members, full of insights about the best and the worst aspects of retirement planning. One typical example of a planning tip: "Find meaningful activity you absolutely adore doing and develop a circle of uplifting friends".
But we need to start by thanking the more than 250 members/subscribers who took a few minutes to answer our most recent 8 questions. Without your input, these incredible retirement insights wouldn't have happened - thanks! And to you who are coasting along on this input from your fellow members - next time
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Published on September 17, 2012
Comments 50
Category: Retirement Planning
By Betty Fitterman
Note: This is Part 2 of a series. Part 1 is "Retirement Reality Check"
September 18, 2012 --- Now I don’t want to scare you, but whatever you have saved for retirement, it probably won’t be enough. That’s the opinion of the New York Times, anyway, and I’m here to tell you that I agree.
When I was a little girl, I never thought I’d be a millionaire. Millionaires were rich, for heaven’s sake, and I never thought I’d be rich. Some 50 years after that insight, I was indeed a millionaire, so how come I felt so poor? Too poor to retire, anyway, given that the economy was tanking and some of my friends had many times the
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Published on September 18, 2012
Comments 21
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Sep 19, 2012
Note: This was originally sent in by Doug, a member, as a comment with an alternative approach to retirement, specifically in reaction to Betty Fitterman's article, "Retiring on a Dime". We publish here because it has some interesting and common sense ideas, and appreciate Doug sharing them with us.
Hopefully my example will help others prepare for their retirement. Deciding when to retire is the key. In my opinion you should retire when you realize you've acquired enough assets and possessions to maintain the standard of living you want to live. I "semi" retired at the age of 43. My original plan was age 50 but circumstances led me to retire early. Six years later I don't foresee outliving my money at any point because I not only planned
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Published on September 19, 2012
Comments 19
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
September 25, 2012 -- The overwhelming majority of baby boomers are going to face a painful budget squeeze as their retirements start to become a reality. Used to the high life as many of us are, it will be a very big challenge to support that lifestyle without the income stream we are accustomed to.
This article was an idea from Linda, a member who asked us to try to get ideas from our members on different ways of raising cash in retirement. We've listed some ideas we've seen, including some nutty ones from a recent Wall Street Journal article. But we are really hoping that you, our members, will share what you are doing to bring in extra cash to support your retirement. Please add your ideas to the Comments section below, whether they are tried and true or just a wild idea that you think might work.
Best Ideas for Making Enough Money to Survive Your Retirement
1. Turn what you love to do into a business. So you like to make
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Published on September 25, 2012
Comments 10
Category: General Retirement Issues
Sept 25, 2012 -- The NY Times does a great job of writing helpful features for its readers. This month's special Retirement section is no exception, so we are passing along links to some of the more interesting stories, which are difficult to find unless you know the exact title of the article. We hope you find them useful in planning your retirement.
Heading South, but Stopping Short of Florida. This piece profiles several couples who thought they would retire to Florida, but who decided for a variety of reasons to retire along the way. Indeed there are many parts of the mid-South where the 55-64 and over 65 population is increasing by 60% or more. You will find
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Published on September 25, 2012
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