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When Retirement Means More Work
Tweet Share on Facebook April 29, 2009 Comment (31)After a 34-year career as a public elementary school teacher, my mother will hang up her erasers at the end of the academic year in June. By handing the superintendent a simple, one-page, typed note, Jean Brandon effectively made her most important retirement decision: when to retire.
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Is Retirement a Right or a Privilege?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 28, 2009 Comment (22)Does everyone who puts in their 35 years in the workforce deserve to retire? Or should only those who save (and manage to invest successfully) have a period of leisure at the end of their life?
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The 20 Most Popular Restaurants for Baby Boomers and Seniors
Tweet Share on Facebook April 27, 2009 Comment (12)It is common to cut back on eating out when you retire. Frugal retirees trying to stretch their fixed income are also famous for utilizing early bird specials and senior discounts. But most baby boomers and seniors haven't yet given up eating out altogether.
The typical American age 55 and older dines in a restaurant 51 times a year, or about once a week, according to a survey by the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research released this month. The top restaurant choices are casual dining (27 visits) and fast food chains (15 visits), but baby boomers and seniors also visit cafés and kiosks (6 visits) and fine dining restaurants (3 visits) occasionally. The most popular food choices include American, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and Seafood. Here's a look at where baby boomers and seniors are dining out.
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What If the Stock Market Never Recovers?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 24, 2009 Comment (8)Some optimists say they are noticing signs of spring in the midst of our collective economic gloom. But no one is entirely sure what the pattern of economic recovery will look like. A new Urban Institute analysis released yesterday tested out 3 possible stock market recovery scenarios. If you invested $100 in the S&P 500 in 2007, before the 42 percent market decline, and don’t touch it until 2017, here’s how the researchers project your money will fare under each one.
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Survey: One in Five Companies Have Now Reduced 401(k) Matches
Tweet Share on Facebook April 23, 2009 Comment (1)The number of Americans who no longer have a 401(k) match is growing exponentially. Some 22 percent of companies report they have recently reduced their contributions to employee 401(k) or 403(b) accounts, up from 12 percent in February and just 2 percent in October 2008, according to a Watson Wyatt survey of 141 employers conducted this month. Another 8 percent of employers expect to slim their match in the next 12 months. And 4 percent of the companies surveyed that already trimmed their match plan to further cut employer contributions this year.
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401(k) Fee Disclosure Bill Introduced in House
Tweet Share on Facebook April 22, 2009 Comment (8)Wouldn’t it be nice if 401(k) statements looked sort of like nutrition labels on packaged food? The calories, fat, and protein content are neatly spelled out for you in a tidy little box. The information doesn’t necessarily make you eat any healthier, just as I’m sure 401(k) fee disclosure wouldn’t make everyone choose smarter investments. But the data is easily comprehensible for people who want to monitor their diet and get a pretty good idea of what they are eating.
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How Low Will Your 401(k) Go?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 21, 2009 Comment (1)This majority of Americans currently have less than $25,000 in savings. That’s barely enough to finance one year of retirement in most parts of the country. And 20 percent of workers say they have less than $1,000 in savings, according to a recently released Employee Benefit Research Institute and Mathew Greenwald & Associates survey.
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10 Sources of Retirement Income
Tweet Share on Facebook April 20, 2009 Comment (10)Most working Americans have only one source of steady income: their job. In retirement you are likely to have a patchwork quilt of several income streams. Retirement accounts, Social Security, home equity, pensions, and part-time work are the most frequently citied sources of expected retirement income, according to a Gallup poll released today. Here’s a look at ten potential sources of retirement income and how many Americans expect to rely on each one.
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How Providing Eldercare Affects Your Job Security
Tweet Share on Facebook April 17, 2009 Comment (86)When you need to care for a child with the flu or help your mother get back on her feet after a stroke, sometimes it is necessary to ask for a little flexibility in the hours you work. But employees feel more comfortable asking for and taking time off to care for children than for older relatives, a new study found.
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NFL Broadcaster John Madden Retires
Tweet Share on Facebook April 16, 2009 Comment (4)One of the most difficult retirement decisions you have to make is choosing when to stop working. Some people gradually cut back their hours, while others work one day and simply don’t go in the next. NFL broadcaster John Madden, a former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, announced his retirement today and released a statement elaborating on how he chose when to retire:
