Chances are you’ve spent a lot of your working life dreaming about retirement. You’ve been diligent in putting a financial plan in place so that you’d be able to retire in comfort. But, have you thought about what your day-to-day life will look like once you retire? Retirement is a huge lifestyle change – your time is suddenly your own, instead of being dictated by the demands of your career. As much as you’ve been looking forward to it, the sudden end to your old routine can be really … [Read more...] about A Different Kind of Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
Wondering When to Start Social Security? Consider This
The vast majority of American workers are eligible for social security. For most people, 10 years of work means that you and your spouse will be able to count on payments from social security as part of your retirement income. But when should you start collecting benefits? The Social Security Administration determines your “full retirement age” based on the year you were born. For example, if you were born between 1946 and 1954, then your full retirement age is 66. Everyone is eligible to … [Read more...] about Wondering When to Start Social Security? Consider This
Borrowing From Your 401(k)
Although many employers have programs that let employees to take out loans on their 401(k) plans, there are often a number of different rules governing the loan so it is important to be aware of what those rules are. The first thing to remember is that it is, in fact, a loan and you’ll be required to pay back whatever you withdraw. Often, that payment will be deducted directly from your paycheck. There are also limits on how much can borrow, which is usually about half of what you have … [Read more...] about Borrowing From Your 401(k)
How the Windfall Elimination Provision May Affect Your Social Security
Are you eligible for a pension from a job where Social Security was not withheld from your paycheck? If so, the Windfall Elimination Provision, part of the Social Security Amendments of 1983, may affect your Social Security payment. This change was introduced to eliminate the unfair advantage of those who did not pay into Social Security but still received a pension and full Social Security payment. When you receive your yearly Social Security Statement, you will see an estimated payment … [Read more...] about How the Windfall Elimination Provision May Affect Your Social Security
Three Ways to Diversify Your Retirement Portfolio
Money doesn't grow on trees, but it can grow in the right investment. Choosing the right area to increase your investment can be a tricky venture. For safe retirement investing, you should allocate your assets in a variety of areas. Stocks, bonds, and short-term investments are all good areas for investing retirement funds. The stock market has the reputation of being a scary speculation arena. This is often true for short term investments where losses and gains are more abrupt. For long term … [Read more...] about Three Ways to Diversify Your Retirement Portfolio
Financial Q&A: What Is An Annuity?
An annuity is a contract that gives a person (called an annuitant) the right to receive fixed, periodic payments, either for life or for a set period of time. Many people choose to include an annuity as part of their retirement plan, to make sure that they’ll have a stable source of income once they stop working. You can pay for an annuity either in one lump sum, or by making a series of payments, and the annuity can be set up to give you payments either monthly, quarterly, biannually, or … [Read more...] about Financial Q&A: What Is An Annuity?
Medicaid Myths
The rules concerning Medicaid qualification and coverage can be complicated, and there are plenty of myths and misconceptions to confuse people even further. These are a few of the more common myths, along with the facts about Medicaid. 1) Myth: I don’t need to worry about Medicaid, because Medicare will cover my nursing home costs. Fact: Medicare only covers a very small portion of nursing home bills. The rest will need to be covered either by private long-term care insurance, out of … [Read more...] about Medicaid Myths
