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The Best Place to Retire Overseas on a Budget
Tweet Share on Facebook April 17, 2012 Comment (11)If an affordable cost of living is your priority in choosing where to retire, take a look at Cuenca, Ecuador. This city is one of the world’s best places to retire overseas on a budget.
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10 Lessons You Learn by Doing Taxes
Tweet Share on Facebook April 16, 2012 Comment (2)Most people do not do their own taxes. They throw up their hands, decide it's too complicated, and go to an accountant or visit H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt. A lot of people also use electronic services such as TurboTax. This is kind of like doing it yourself, but the electronic process does hide some details of the tax system and how it affects you.
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Travel to Discover Your Family Heritage
Tweet Share on Facebook April 13, 2012 CommentEarlier this month, Census Bureau data from the post-depression period was made publicly available for the first time in 72 years. Personal records of 132 million Americans who participated in the 1940 census can now be accessed online.
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Simple Ways to Minimize Lifestyle Inflation
Tweet Share on Facebook April 12, 2012 CommentDo you remember how much you were paid at your first full-time job? If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, your first paycheck was probably just a fraction of your current paycheck. But it was probably enough to cover all your bills at the time. If you’re spending more than that now, you have inflated your lifestyle.
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3 Better Ways to Withdraw Your Retirement Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook April 11, 2012 Comment (1)With so many people not having enough money to retire on, those with retirement assets to draw from are in an enviable position. Yet, this group of people has the unique need to ensure that their retirement sum will last their lifetime. Individuals depending on their personal savings to finance their retirement years need to avoid both spending down their assets too quickly and being unnecessarily frugal in retirement.
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3 Things to Know About Annuities
Tweet Share on Facebook April 10, 2012 Comment (3)One of the worst fears people face in retirement is the threat of running out of money when they get older, perhaps in their 80s or 90s. No matter how big your stock portfolio and flush your 401(k), if the stock or bond markets take a dive at the wrong time, you can lose your savings just when you need it most. In retirement you can no longer replenish your savings, and it's too late to wait around for investments to come back.
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How to Retire Overseas in Stages
Tweet Share on Facebook April 10, 2012 Comment (2)Selling everything you own and leaving your home, family, and friends may seem like a bold, intimidating, and even ridiculous idea. Maybe you don't want to sell your house or be a plane ride away from your grandchildren all year long. Perhaps you have business or family responsibilities in the U.S. that would make it inconvenient to reside overseas full time. Or maybe you’re not looking to leave home, but to escape winter and to organize your life so that you never have to shovel another driveway. These are all good reasons to retire overseas part-time.
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The Science and Art of Investing Can Harm Your Returns
Tweet Share on Facebook April 9, 2012 CommentIn a recent New York Times column, Paul Sullivan commented on a report from Barclays Wealth and Investment Management with the intriguing title of The Science and Art of Manager Selection. The “art” is picking those active managers in the growth phrase, which is when they have had some success but haven’t attracted an influx of funds that might change the way they invest. The “science” consists of a four-part analysis of “investment process”, “organizational structure”, “past returns”, and “due diligence”.
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How to Communicate with Younger Colleagues
Tweet Share on Facebook April 6, 2012 Comment (3)In today’s workforce, baby boomers constantly interact with younger co-workers and managers. These younger workers have been raised in a generation of social media, with connectivity always and everywhere. Individuals constantly update their status and current events via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, texting, and other technologies. If anything new or unexpected occurs, friends are notified immediately. This tendency to constantly update and make on-the-fly changes sometimes leads to reluctance to meet commitments for meetings and appointments.
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The Passive Income Snowball
Tweet Share on Facebook April 5, 2012 CommentYou are probably familiar with the debt snowball repayment strategy advocated by financial guru Dave Ramsey. You make a list of all your debts from smallest to largest and then prioritize paying off the smallest loan first. This means making extra payments on the smallest debt while making minimal payments on the other loans.
