SmartMoney - The Wall Street Journal

Making Sense of 401(k) Disclosures; Powell: Sponsors of retirement plans will be required to disclose detailed information about plan features starting this year. Here's how to figure it all out.

Sometime this year your 401(k) quarterly statement will arrive, as usual, in your mailbox. What won't be usual, however, is what's inside the envelope or email. That's because the quarterly statement will feature not just the usual mumbo ...

Feds Disclose New 401(k) Rules

The U.S. Labor Department took steps on Thursday to improve the disclosure of fees paid by millions of participants in 401(k) and other retirement-savings plans.

401(k) Plans Step Into the Sunshine; New Labor Department Rules Will Require Fee Disclosures

The rules governing America's most popular retirement vehicle are about to change, and that could mean huge savings for millions of workers building nest eggs for the future.

IRAs for Kids? We know the iPod beckons, but kids who put a little of their summer earnings in an IRA make out well down the road.

Hey kids! Want a neat-o idea for how to use your summer job money? How about opening an Individual Retirement Account? I know you might be more interested in having a little spending cash for the weekends or saving for a car. But saving for ...

Stable-value funds are shaky 401(k) options; Commentary: Fed pushes savers to diversify and take risk

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — My sister Carole runs a small franchise business and recently started a retirement plan for her employees. She asked me to review the mutual fund choices she could offer.

Estate Planning With a Roth IRA; Congress probably didn't plan it this way, but it's one of the best estate-planning tools around.

When it comes to saving for retirement, many investors already know how well the Roth IRA fends off Uncle Sam. But what they may not realize is that it's equally effective as an estate-planning tool. Seniors who convert a regular IRA into a ...

Understanding the Roth 401(k); This nifty retirement-savings option might be right for you. Here are the details.

As the name suggests, a Roth 401(k) combines features of the traditional 401(k) with those of the Roth IRA. It's offered by employers like a regular 401(k) plan, but as with a Roth IRA, contributions are made with after-tax dollars. While ...

Saving Retiree Health Plans

More companies in dire financial straits are pulling the plug on retiree health-care benefits—dealing a blow to everyone from hourly union employees to upper management.

Got a 401(k) Question? Answers to the most common questions people have about 401(k) plans.

A 401(k) can be a glorious thing, but let's not forget that these plans are regulated by government bureaucrats. That means they are rife with rules and regulations. Here are answers to some of the more common questions we get about ...

What Should You Do With a 401(k)?

After spending years slowly but surely socking away money in 401(k) plans, new retirees will find themselves at a fork in the road: choosing where to keep their savings.

Rolling Over Retirement Accounts; Mess up your rollover and you could face a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Here's how to do it right.

Chances are you'll have to roll over a retirement account at least once in your lifetime. Most likely, it will be when you leave your current employer and take your 401(k) with you. Or, you may be eligible to roll over your current IRA into ...

Taking Your Pension Private

If you are self-employed and in the top echelon of earners, there is a big potential retirement-plan tax break available to you—and you don't even have to be Mitt Romney to get it.

So You've Maxed Out. Now What? Here are savings options to consider after you've maxed out your 401(k)

Got a 401(k) plan at the office? Is there employer matching? Are you contributing the maximum amount you're allowed each month? Then all this should add up to a very comfortable retirement, one that you'd be hard-pressed to match without ...

Your Other Tax-Advantaged Options; Here's a breakdown of how each option works.

There's more to planning for your retirement than just settling for whatever your employer has to offer. After all, your company's plan may not be robust enough to support you as you'd like in retirement. Or maybe your employer doesn't ...

Is the 4 Percent Rule Viable? Ruffenach: A fresh look at the 4 percent retirement-withdrawal rule.

So...you've put the finishing touches on your retirement plan, and you're set to withdraw 4 percent from savings each year, because that's what financial planners (and columnists) have long advised.

Will IRA Charity Rule Be Extended?

Q: Will the 2011 IRA charity rollover provision be extended in 2012? J.L.W., Concord, Calif. A: Probably yes. The law you're asking about expired at the end of 2011. It has long been very popular among charities and donors.

True 401(k) Fees to Be Revealed

Fund Scope | Scoreboard Most investors -- and I would hope all Barron's readers -- have a good grasp on what their mutual funds cost. At the very least, you should know whether they charge more or less than average and, if the answer is ...

AMT Complicates Tax Estimates

Many retirees make estimated tax payments four times a year. But due to uncertainty in the tax laws in 2012—in particular, the expiration of the patch for the alternative minimum tax—calculating those payments may prove more difficult than ...

Benefits Without the Boss

Lurking under the recent improvement in jobs numbers is another challenge for workers: how to cope when the work doesn't come with company benefits.

Romney's Unorthodox IRA

Like many Americans, Mitt Romney has an individual retirement account. Unlike most Americans, Mr. Romney has between $20.7 million and $101.6 million in it, a big chunk of his fortune.

Secrets of the 401(k) Millionaires

Those hoping to occupy Easy Street in retirement may want to follow the lead of the 0.2%. That's the topmost tiny fraction of savers who've managed to sock away more than $1 million in their 401(k) plans.

When a Divorce Pays Off

Is your mother getting shorted on her Social Security payments? If she is divorced or has been married more than once, or her late husband delayed taking Social Security, she might be entitled to a bigger monthly benefit than she is ...

You Don't Have to Start Off Rich to Build Wealth

Investing is supposed to be how you build wealth, but sometimes it feels like you need to have money to make money. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is discouraging its brokers from taking on accounts smaller than $250,000. Even mutual funds, ...

How Different Should Public and Private Pensions Be?

Regarding Andrew Biggs and Jason Richwine's "Why Public Pensions Are So Rich" (op-ed, Jan. 4): While arguing that public employees should be moved into 401(k) plans, the authors ignore the fact that these savings plans have failed to ...

Go-Anywhere Funds Haven't Gone Very Far

They were supposed to be the ultimate weapon for turbulent times: mutual funds with the freedom to buy any assets they want, anywhere in the world. But as investors have flocked to these so-called go-anywhere funds this year, many have gone ...

Don't Let Your Grown Kids Ruin Your Future

It's the Boomer Boomerang. Baby boomers, who were notorious for prolonging their own adolescences well into their 20s and beyond ("Seinfeld," anyone?), are feeling the financial sting now that their own offspring have their hands out.

How to Build Your Financial Dream Team

With stock markets volatile, tax rates uncertain and estate laws facing review next year, these are challenging times even for the best professional advisers. Are yours making the grade?

Target Funds Miss Their Marks -- Again; Funds designed to get more conservative as investors approach retirement trailed major stock and bond indexes in 2011.

Often billed as the fund and brokerage industry's quick fix for retirement planning, so-called target-date funds took an unexpected turn for the worse in 2011, according to new data.

How Variable Annuity Income Falls Short; Powell: Guaranteed income for life is tempting, but it could come at a steep cost that's not readily apparent to retirees.

On paper, it's tempting: Invest in a variable annuity and you get a guaranteed income stream for life. But variable annuities that guarantee certain benefits might come at a steep cost that's not readily apparent to retirees, according to ...

Secrets of the 401(k) Millionaires; They don't necessarily have higher salaries, or the investing IQs of Warren Buffett, advisers say.

Those hoping to occupy Easy Street in retirement may want to follow the lead of the 0.2%: the topmost tiny fraction of savers who have managed to sock away more than $1 million in their 401(k)s.

How to Keep Your Money Resolutions

Save more. Borrow less. There's a reason these two simple-sounding goals land on our lists of New Year's resolutions year after year: We never seem to make any headway with them.

Coming to Your 401(k): Fidelity ETFs? After years of ignoring one of the hottest investment options, Fidelity Investments appears to be planning a push into exchange-traded funds.

After years of ignoring one of the hottest investment options, Fidelity Investments appears to be planning a push into exchange-traded funds.

When Divorce Unravels Your Retirement Plans

Whatever its other benefits, divorcing later in life is one of the worst financial moves you can make. Just ask Eileen Ward. After 40 years of marriage, she and her husband decided to call it quits earlier this year. "When it came to the ...

How to Make Your 401(k) Plan Work Harder

Chances are you have a 401(k) plan at work. And the chances are you're not making nearly enough of it. A new year means a new leaf: This is as good a time as any to start turning that around.

Target Funds Bolster Stock Exposure

While Generation Y is understandably skittish about stocks, that doesn't mean these young adults aren't investing in the market. In the aggregate they certainly are—with help from trends in 401(k) plans.

Senior Parks Offer Perks

Want to move into a retirement community but can't sell your home? A growing number of senior-living communities are looking to help. Many senior-living communities have seen their occupancy rates drop due to the housing crisis. So they've ...

How to Set a Retirement Budget

Retirement could last more than 30 years. That's a long time to spend your savings.  With the proper planning and a solid budget in retirement, however, you can stretch your dollars for years longer than your budget-averse peers. Here's how ...

'Go-Anywhere' Funds Struggle To Read the Economic Road Signs

They were supposed to be the ultimate weapon for turbulent times: mutual funds with the freedom to buy any assets they want, anywhere in the world. But as investors have flocked to so-called go-anywhere funds this year, many have gone ...

Saving for Retirement; Teachers' 403(b) Plans See Big Changes; These programs are becoming more like corporate 401(k) plans as school districts respond to revised rules

For years, teachers in Albany, Ga., invested in tax-advantaged savings programs known as 403(b)s just as many educators elsewhere do: Instead of getting a menu of stock funds or other investment choices from their employer, like those ...

5 Things to Do If You Want to Retire in 2012; There are important aspects of retirement to prepare and steps that can make the transition smoother both financially and emotionally.

For some, 2012 will be much more than just another year. It will be the year that, after decades of punching the clock, they'll join the ranks of the retired.

IRA Heirs Do's and Don'ts

What's the best way to handle an inherited IRA? A recent column about an IRS ruling sparked a slew of reader questions about the mechanics of transferring individual retirement accounts from one generation to another without running afoul of ...

How to Catch Up on Retirement Savings (if You're Starting Late)

More than 40% of baby boomers are at risk of not being able to pay for basic retirement expenses such as housing and out-of-pocket health care costs, according to a 2010 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. But it's not a lost ...

Conquering a To-Do List That's Too Ambitious

The first item on a highly successful to-do list: Make a better to-do list. With the new year comes the urge to accomplish all the things that were meant to be done the year before, and it often starts with long to-do lists.

Will Peer Pressure Make Americans Save More? Americans will start off another new year with hopes of changing their bad financial habits.

Lose weight. Run a marathon. (Okay, a half-marathon.) And -- oh, yeah -- sock away a little more in the 401(k) plan. Improving one's financial habits may not top everybody's list of New Year's resolutions, but recent studies suggest that ...

401(k) plans add lifetime-income options

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Some companies are now letting workers invest in annuities, so that their 401(k) savings will eventually yield an income stream, but there are advantages and pitfalls to this new retirement option.

Safe at Home? Not in a 401(k)

How will 401(k) investors react to the latest blast of volatility in the markets? If the recent past is any guide, they will retreat into the apparent safety of cash, Treasury bonds and "stable value" mutual funds.

Fundamentals of Investing; Restyled Annuities Offer Fewer Choices; Insurers have trimmed the investment menus on retirement products with lifetime-income guarantees

When variable annuities with income guarantees were selling strongly several years ago, insurance companies competed in offering long lists of investment choices within these retirement-savings vehicles. Emerging markets, commodities, small ...

What's Next? The Outlook for 2012; Four advisers talk about which financial sectors have the most promise, and which have the most peril

Wild swings—sometimes 3% or 4% a day—have become a regular occurrence in the financial markets. But just because it's routine doesn't mean it's any less unsettling.

The Tax Mess Deepens

Epic failure in Washington is causing epic uncertainty for taxpayers. This week, Congress's special 12-member deficit-cutting committee failed to agree on even a broad outline for addressing the U.S.'s fiscal woes. It marked the third year ...

Donate to Charity From Your IRA

Q: I know I can donate money from my individual retirement account directly to charity this year and not pay taxes on the amount withdrawn. Will the same rule apply next year?

No Pension? You May Still Owe $30,000 On One; State and local retirement shortfalls are everyone's problem, writes Jack Hough.

Pension accounts for state and local government workers are underfunded by $4 trillion, according to one recent analysis. If America's households were to split that tab today, each would have to kick in $34,000.

Getting Income From Your 401(k) Plan; Video: MarketWatch's Robert Powell talks with three retirement-plan experts about what investors need to know before buying in.

Harnessing the Anything-Goes IRA; Investors in Self-Directed Accounts Face New Fraud Threats

Tired of the stock market's wild ups and downs, a growing number of investors are opening self-directed IRAs, which allow them to hold real estate, precious metals and other alternative investments.

The Benefits of Working Longer

When it comes to saving for retirement, many Americans are playing catch-up. If you—or a relative—are among them, here is some good news: The belt-tightening required may not be as painful as you might think, provided you are willing to ...

Ask Next; Paying Taxes on IRAs; Taking distributions, Social Security survivors, and helping grandkids save

I am 78 and have been taking minimum distributions from my IRA. I use TurboTax and haven't encountered a provision to separately account for the after-tax contributions I've made. As far as I can tell, I am paying full tax on my ...

A Long Walk in England

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles in which readers tell us about their favorite trips and destinations. Send us your suggestions at next@wsj.com.

Fees for 401(k)s will be revealed in 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch ) — Save the date. Come April 2012, some 65 million workers with 401(k) plans are in for a change. For the first time ever, sponsors of 401(k) plans — employers — will have to disclose what workers are paying for ...

The Best 401(k) Investment? Zweig: Stable-value funds are among the most popular 401(k) choices -- but they aren't without their pitfalls.

Stable is nice, but it isn't perfect. Investors in "stable-value funds," which are bundles of bonds tied together with an insurance policy within a 401(k) retirement plan, have fared remarkably well in recent years. But rising fees, falling ...

Pitfalls of Inherited IRAs

If you needed a reminder of just how byzantine the rules are that govern inherited IRAs—and the importance of preparing your family for receiving such an account—the IRS just handed you one.

7 Ways To Keep Calm In a Stormy Market; Seven pointers to help investors keep their portfolios on course and their emotions in check

October's surge helped many mutual funds bounce back from recent lows. It was also a vivid reminder of what has become a fact of life for stock investors: It's crazy out there. And it seems to be getting crazier all the time.

Financing Your Future; A Push to Turn 'For Sale' Into 'Sold'; Some retirement communities are eager to help you sell your house

In 2007, Lee and Alfred Rose decided they were ready to sell their big house in Goodyear, Ariz., and move into an apartment in nearby La Loma Village, a continuing-care retirement community. But the housing crisis soon hit, and the couple ...

Tight Finances Force More People to 'Double Up'

In today's economy, many are finding it necessary to share living space. These aren't just friends turned roommates. Couples, multigenerational families and people with no relationship to each other are joining the growing ranks of those who ...

Financing Your Future; How to Make Your Nest Egg Last Longer; When it comes time to tap savings, use the tax code to your advantage

You probably know the conventional wisdom: When spending retirement savings, drain taxable accounts first, to give the money in tax-deferred 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts more time to grow, and leave tax-free Roth IRAs for ...

Boomers Wearing Bull's-Eyes; Postcrisis, Those Over 50 Targeted in Investment Scams; Problem is 'Rampant'

Securities regulators and prosecutors are battling what they say is a nationwide surge in investment fraud against baby boomers. In many cases, the victims pursued risky bets to overcome losses suffered during the financial crisis—a trend ...

News for Brokers, Wealth Managers and Their Clients

Planning IRA Withdrawals When a retirement account is big and its owner gets older, the money flowing from it can turn into a tidal wave. So can the tax liabilities.

Global Lessons for Better Savings Habits; Americans have become notoriously bad at saving: Here's what they can learn from the likes of the Swiss and the Vietnamese.

It is a scene that's stunningly common in Vietnam, from the tiniest villages to the sprawling metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. Each day, people gather to play a game that looks to an outsider like one part poker, one part bingo. Over 50-cent ...

How to Get Safe Annual Payouts of 7%

Not so long ago, you could build a reliable portfolio of income-producing investments with just a few simple steps: Buy some Treasuries, some corporate bonds and some munis, and then watch the money roll in. That kind of investing is a ...

401(k) Help Not Wanted; Most people who have access to advice through their 401(k) plans – usually for a fee – aren't buying it.

Amid volatile markets and concerns about how workers are investing their retirement savings, more 401(k) plans are offering participants specific investment advice and even automatic account management to make investing decisions easier.

Big Changes Coming to 401(k) Plans in 2012; Video: From fee disclosure to investment lineups to lifetime income options, 401(k)s and other retirement plans will undergo major changes in 2012.

'Father' of the 401(k)'s Tough Love; Ted Benna, the benefits consultant who pioneered the original 401(k)s, says the plans need to be revamped.

Taking Bird in Hand is Tempting With Market Bushes So Thorny

How much is too much to pay for security? For many investors that is an increasingly relevant question as they weigh whether to cough up potentially steep fees for products that offer some sort of guarantees.

How Much Is Too Much?

How much can you withdraw from your nest egg each year without running out of money before you die? Never has more been riding on the answer. The nation's 78 million baby boomers started turning 65 this year—and nearly 30 million of them ...

Filling a Generation Gap

Alexander Hughes loves animation, and the 35-year-old orthopedic spine surgeon wanted all of the doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York to use animated clips as aids when explaining procedures to patients.

Destinations; Moving to Costa Rica; How two friends made a dream about early retirement come true in Central America

The first thing I see each morning when I step out on the porch of my home in Costa Rica is the ever-changing Gulf of Nicoya. As I write this (in September), it's the rainy season, which means there are a hundred hues of green in the trees ...

AMR Bankruptcy Upends (Family) Financial Planning

The recent bankruptcy filing by American Airlines' parent, AMR Corp., cast clouds over the best-laid financial plans of many of the carrier's employees. Among the issues up in the air: pensions, benefits and job security.

Pension Trusts Strapped

DETROIT—Retirement trust funds created to cover billions of dollars in medical costs for unionized workers and their families are running short, forcing the funds to cut costs, trim benefits, and ask retirees and companies to pony up more ...

The Good Life; Second Acts; What do you do for an encore? Here are portraits of people who are taking new paths and changing their lives.

He Decides What's for Dinner Lee Stevens, 64, always loved a good home-cooked meal. Growing up, his mom was an excellent cook, and during his 38-year career in banking, Mr. Stevens always tried to make time for a healthy dinner.

The Benefits of Intrafamily Loans

As banks have tightened lending standards, a growing number of individuals are extending loans to relatives. But while such loans can yield significant financial benefits, families must carefully assess the risks.

Keep the Stock, Donate the Beans; As donors try to stay liquid, they look for strategies to give away other types of assets

Earlier this year, an Iowa farmer called up nonprofit consultant Bryan Clontz looking to donate 15,000 bushels of soybeans to charity. Mr. Clontz got a quote from a local commodities broker, and all told, the farmer ended up donating about ...

Finding an Adviser

Elise Spadavecchio knew she needed a better place to put her money when the interest rate on her variable-rate certificate of deposit dropped to 0.5% from 4% last year. But the 26-year-old was leery of going to a financial adviser because ...

For Retirees, a Budget Is a Must

Tightening your belt and living within a strict budget is never easy or fun. But for many retirees, it's a fact of life. How best to find wiggle room in your finances?

Mixing It Up; Don't Wait to Rebalance; This adviser buys when prices tumble, rather than on a set timetable

To help clients benefit from market volatility, financial adviser Michael Chasnoff relies on what he calls real-time rebalancing. Rebalancing is an age-old investment tenet which suggests that investors should add or sell stocks and bonds in ...

How to Catch Up With Your Savings

It may not be easy for late starters to catch up on retirement savings, but it's not a lost cause. Still, future retirees need to face up to the reality of the task. No investment strategy, however savvy, is going to make up lost ground on ...

Essay; Giving Love—And Life—Another Go; How does one move on after losing a spouse? By finding a kindred spirit.

This is a story about grief and renewal, and finding unexpected happiness in the time of widowhood. It begins in 1999 when, shortly before he died, my husband told me to remarry when he was gone. Peter and I had met in college when I was 18 ...

Sale of Pension Income Targeted by Senator

A U.S. Senate committee is considering tackling a burgeoning and controversial business in which veterans and other retirees sell some of their future pension income to investors, with an array of middlemen profiting from the transactions.

How to Play the Rescue

A little coordination can go a long way. After the Federal Reserve and five other central banks on Wednesday announced a joint effort to support the global financial system, stock markets around the world zoomed. The Dow Jones Industrial ...

Age-Related Tax Milestones; Bischoff: A primer on what to watch for when your calendar turns.

Across economic cycles, two things remain constant: you get older and you pay taxes. As the new year turns, you should also turn to your own age-related tax and financial planning milestones.

Reeling in 7% Yields; Despite rock-bottom interest rates, you can still earn investment income of 7%-plus per year. How to keep money flowing during retirement.

Real-estate investment trusts have had strong returns in recent years, and right now they are paying respectable yields. The apartment sector has been particularly strong, the result of millions of cash-strapped families deciding to rent ...

401(k) Plans Get Responsible; More retirement plans are offering "socially responsible" funds. Do they fit in yours?

Retirement savers searching for ways to match their investments with their morals may soon have new options. A growing number of 401(k) plans are adding to their investment menus so-called socially responsible funds -- mutual funds that ...

The Game Plan; How some people are saving for retirement—and what financial advisers think of those strategies

The Game Plan takes a look at how individuals and families are saving for retirement—and then asks financial advisers to comment on those strategies. You're invited to share your own retirement-savings plans by sending an email to ...

The Young and the Riskless

Risk-taking is for the young—except, it seems, when it comes to investing. The 2008 market panic, last year's "flash crash" and the latest burst of volatility are proving to be more than many young investors can stomach. As a group, people ...

The Best In…; Financing Your Future

Red Flags As Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme made painfully clear, investment fraud can strike almost anyone. Which is what makes "The Vigilant Investor," by Pat Huddleston, a fascinating and valuable read. Mr. Huddleston is a former branch ...

Mixing It Up; Be Tax-Smart in Year-End Donations; This adviser reminds clients to give appreciated securities to charities and to consider donor-advised funds

When giving to charity, do it in the most tax-efficient ways possible, says Norman Boone, president of Mosaic Financial Partners Inc. in San Francisco.