You know that the fees you pay to invest your savings matter, and that these costs, even tiny percentages, can significantly reduce your gains over a lifetime of saving and investing. You are probably also aware of the rise of “robo-advisors,” web-based automated do-it-yourself investment management sites like Wealthfront and Betterment that provide sophisticated, algorithmic […]
In part one of this series on Social Security benefits (“Your Social Security Benefit Strategy”) I said that your Social Security benefit is the bedrock of your retirement income floor, and that by deferring claiming your benefit you can add substantially to your benefit amount—up to 75% by delaying until age 70. Let’s look closely at […]
I’ve written here (“Is 70 The New Retirement Age?”) about the value of deferring your Social Security benefit—as the result of working beyond your early retirement age (62) or your full retirement age (FRA), which is now 66 for those reaching that milestone today. I recently heard Bill Meyer of Social Security Solutions Inc. speak […]
A recent study from Boston College suggests than only about half of today’s households are ready to retire—can afford to retire—at 65. Working longer and delaying retirement to age 70 would increase that readiness to 85%, picking up an additional 35% of households. The central readiness issue, according to the study, is that half of […]
Recently five quick reference guides covering retirement plan contributions, Social Security benefits, and Medicare were added to the LFA website. The guides are two pages, front and back of a letter side card, covering contribution limits for various plans, federal tax brackets, Social Security benefits eligibility by age, tax thresholds, beneficiary info, and Medicare costs, […]
In the last post, “It’s Not Your Father’s ‘Retirement’ If It Ever Was”, I talked about three basic retirement lifestyles based on whether you choose to continue working, and if so, part or full-time. Here is a chart that shows some of the similarities and differences between these lifestyles. As time goes on, you may […]
Attend My Free Educational Financial and Retirement Planning Seminar! Wednesday May 9, 7:00 pm At the Ramsey Free Public Library 30 Wyckoff Ave, Ramsey, NJ Early Career, Mid-Career, Nearing or Recently Retired: Lifetime planning, saving and investing. What should you be doing now? How much will you have? How much is enough? How can you make […]
Arm yourself with some of the facts so you are better prepared to support viable choices this political season that have a direct impact on your current or planned retirement lifestyle. The two major federal transfer programs, Social Security and Medicare, are the central focus for federal budget reform as political campaigns heat up on […]