Retirement Planning

Your personal net worth is something that is very easy to calculate. But what does net worth mean? And how do you use this information? Both are good questions. First let’s learn how to calculate your personal net worth. Then we’ll consider how to use it. What is your personal net worth? This is simply [...]

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If you are retiring soon you might be feeling a little anxious. That’s understandable. More than likely you have a thousand questions running through your mind all at the same time. You face so many uncertainties about your income and expenses that it can be daunting. A woman I spoke with recently faced this problem [...]

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You might ask “What is the average retirement age?”  I’ll answer that of course. But I’m going to go one step further and answer the question you really want to ask. And that is something very different. First things first. What is the average retirement age? To get this information, I visited the Center [...]

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You have a lot more in common with people who are millionaires than you think. It’s true that sometimes the rich have pricier homes, cars and vacations. But when it comes down to the really important things – like health, family, general level of happiness and sense of well-being, being mega-wealthy just doesn’t matter. I [...]

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Exactly what are the sequestration cuts and when are they going to take place? More important, is this something to fear? As you’ll see, the answer is no. You do not need to panic over the sequestration. It’s true that President Obama and Congress failed to find common ground on spending cuts. Maybe the fiscal [...]

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Social Security benefits can be difficult to understand. And trying to coordinate your Social Security to maximize your spousal benefit is even harder. But when you take social security and divorce together, it can be tortuous. Here’s an easy-to-understand primer on how to maximize social security payments if you are divorced. How to Qualify for [...]

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If your employer offers 401k matching for your contributions, chances are you can get more bang for your buck just by using a few simple techniques. Sure it’s crucial to make sure you have the right investments within your 401k. But it’s far more important to get the most matching you can. It’s free money [...]

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I was recently in New York City – my favorite place in the world – and the capital of the “living large” mentality. When I was walking through the airport I saw a book in the bookstore titled “Think Big”. Apparently it is a bestseller. Although the book might be a great read, something has [...]

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If you are debating if you should contribute to your 401k or not , the answer is – “it depends”. Even if your 401k performance hasn’t been up to par lately, it doesn’t mean your retirement account is a bad deal for you. Still, I’ll admit there are pros and cons. Let’s review these two [...]

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