There are all sorts of rules of thumb about saving for retirement but, while they can be helpful as a baseline for setting expectations, you need to make a plan and monitor your progress as you age to be effective in the real world.
Read More »7 Ways To Catch Up On Savings For Retirement (+2K Views)
With longer life spans, inflation, and increasing health care costs, it's possible that many retirees won't have enough to comfortably sustain their retirements. Here are 7 smart moves that will help you catch up on savings even late in the game.
Read More »Study Shows Student Debt Delays Home Buying by Seven Years (+2K Views)
The Student Loan Debt and Housing Report 2017 by the National Association of Realtors and the nonprofit group American Student Assistance shows the obvious: Student debt delays household formation, home buying, and saving. [Here are the details summarized for a fast and easy read].
Read More »Retirement Has Become A Myth For the Majority – Here’s Why (+2K Views)
40 years ago, a grand experiment was embarked upon that promised American workers that by contributing to newly introduced defined contribution vehicles they would be better off when they reached retirement age. That raises a simple but very important question: How have things worked out? Well, the bottom line is that the vehicles and the promises made are proving woefully insufficient to fund the "retirement" dream you've been sold your whole life. Frankly put: retirement is now a myth for the majority.
Read More »Wealth 101: A Crash Introduction To Investing
Investing is about taking advantage of higher rates of return and benefiting from the power of compound interest over long periods of time. It’s also about finding the best ways to mitigate the risk via diversification, being patient, etc. Today's infographic outlines the difference between saving and investing, and provides some basic tips on how to get started in the market.
Read More »20 Ways to Increase Your Savings and Retire Rich
Daydreaming about retirement is easy, but saving for it, however, takes time and effort — and is something a lot of Americans struggle with - but there are strategies that can help make the process easier. Here are 20 ways to pad your bank account before it's time to retire.
Read More »Many U.S. States Are Woefully Unprepared For The Next Recession
The Wall Street Journal writes that "many US states have been slow to improve their finances nine years into the economic expansion raising a risk they won't be prepared when another downturn hits, making them susceptible to big spending cuts that make the next recession worse".
Read More »Share Of Income Earned By Top 1% In U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany & Japan From 1975 to 2015 (+3K Views)
The U.S. is surprisingly low in disposable household income and rather high in income inequality. [In fact,] it is not too much of a stretch to say that the U.S. is now divided into two nations, not entirely separate but increasingly unequal.
Read More »5 Standard Practices Every Retirement-savvy Saver Lives By
Here's some good news for anyone behind on retirement savings: Being a smart saver isn't difficult. There's no magic secret to getting it right. Once you understand the rules of the game, you'll know exactly what you need to do to manage your money wisely as you navigate through life. Here are 5 standard practices that every retirement-savvy saver lives by. Let them inspire and guide you during your own phase of accumulating wealth.
Read More »How Bond Prices and Yields Work
When we talk about investing, we frequently talk about stocks as they are likely to make up a the bulk of your investment portfolio during the majority of your investing years but bonds can be a helpful part of your investment mix at any age, and it's important to understand how they work — even if you don't own many of them right now. This article examines bonds and why we should pay close attention to them these days.
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