The costly glitches in the government's massive entitlement program.
To get a clearer picture of your money, consolidating old workplace accounts to an IRA or your next employer plan makes a lot of sense.
The little-known ING U.S. is a life insurer and retirement-services specialist that was cobbled together through acquisitions by ING Groep, the big Dutch financial-services company.
Whatever your needs as the summer season gets under way, there's an app for that.GasBuddy.com and GasPriceWatch.com promise to find the cheapest fuel for drivers in unfamiliar terrain, GateGuru and iFly keep fliers updated on flight delays. ...
The ultralow interest rates that are eating into retirees' fixed-income portfolios pose a separate yet vexing conundrum for those same older Americans: Should I pay off the mortgage?
On the long road to retirement, one basic question repeats itself: What should I be doing now?Of course, there are dozens of more specific questions that flow from retirement planning. And at any point in time, there are the ups and downs ...
Top 50 Annuities As more Americans seek steady income, the annuity industry has introduced an all-new crop of retirement investments. Barron's picks the best from the dizzying array of offerings.
New annuities offer lower fees, more investment options, and higher payouts in retirement. Top 50 Annuities
Odds are high that you haven’t saved enough money to retire in the manner in which you desire. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can easily gauge just how close or far away you might be. And the first to thing to check is how ...
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Armand Baughman, 71, a retired Continental Airlines pilot of Valley View, Texas, has always viewed annuities as too complex, illiquid, and expensive to warrant his consideration. But last year, he socked $200,000 into a tax-deferred ...
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Trying to find a meaningful way to help your college-age kids get some real-world experience?Some business owners and managers are "swapping" internships, which allows young people to gain valuable experience while bypassing human-resources ...
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It isn't really "double taxation," but it can feel like it.Retirees pay taxes on dividends, interest and retirement-account distributions. If they plow the money back into the market, they then will owe taxes on any future dividends and ...
This is part of a series of travel stories in which retirees living overseas, full time or part time, profile their adopted locales. Send us your suggestions at encore@wsj.com.
It has taken me far too long to realize that shorter is better, at least for me. I'm not talking about my height, which remains close to 6 feet despite some shrinkage over the years. I'm referring to my drives when I play golf, which I do ...
Among the ideas to “save” Social Security is to induce older workers to use less of it.Social Security already rewards workers for delayed retirement by increasing benefits with each passing year (and legislation in 1983 gradually raises ...
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BRUSSELS—The European Commission has decided not to impose tough new capital requirements on pension funds, at least for now, a move that could save defined-benefit programs hundreds of billions of euros.
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For investors looking to protect 401(k) funds from a short-term tumble in both stocks and bonds, stable value funds may be the best of a limited set of choices.
Let's say you have a health problem and you visit two or three internists. Chances are good you would receive a similar diagnosis and treatment from each doctor.
What will surprise people the most when they retire? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry, academic and other thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics from the ...
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ING U.S. Inc., reporting its first results since its partial public offering earlier this month, said its first-quarter loss narrowed as the performance of its retirement and annuities segments improved.
Have you invested with your career in mind, matching your risk tolerance to your age, earnings and career prospects?Now that the stock market is hitting new highs, some advisers say it’s the right time for retirement savers to review how ...
What is the biggest financial mistake retirees make? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry, academic and other thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics from the ...
What books might retirees or soon-to-be retirees find inspiring for the next phase of their lives? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry, academic and other thought leaders who engage in ...
The pickings are growing increasingly slim for retirees looking to boost the income generated by their savings.To earn yields of 5% or more, investors—who once would have relied on the relative safety of bank certificates of deposit or ...
These have been good times—surprisingly good times—for investors.Stock prices have hit record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has rocketed above 15000 for the first time, leaving even Wall Street bulls scrambling to raise their ...
What determines contentment, rather than disappointment, as we age?Since 1967, Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant has been culling insights about psychological adaptation and development in adulthood from the celebrated Harvard Grant ...
I imagined retirement being many things—but not teacher conferences, appointments with pediatricians and soccer games.At age 64, I am a member of an unconventional club: grandparents raising grandchildren. The Census Bureau estimates there ...
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Here's another reason why Generation X might resent baby boomers.Typical Generation Xers now in their late 30s to late 40s saw their net worth drop by a larger proportion than older Americans during the financial crisis and came out of it ...
I am a single, divorced, almost-62-year-old woman. I'm trying to decide the best way to take my Social Security. I have a pension, savings and individual retirement accounts. Should I apply for spousal benefits on my ex-husband's account at ...
Call it a midlife epiphany.After decades of pursuing money, titles and ever more stuff, baby boomers are coming to a big realization: Success and security just aren't enough anymore. They want something more fulfilling out of life, ...
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New York's top financial regulator subpoenaed a handful of Wall Street investment firms about their entries into a corner of the insurance industry that guarantees steady payments to hundreds of thousands of retirees and other consumers.
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The client was in his mid-50s and hoping to retire within the year. He had planned well for retirement, and his wife wanted to continue working for several more years.
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A Senate committee launched an investigation of a controversial business in which retirees sell pieces of their future pension income to investors for a lump-sum cash payment.
Let your decision on when to retire be a monetary one that will give you the best bang from your Social Security benefits."Most people still take their Social Security benefits as soon as they possibly can, and many of them are leaving ...
Birthday Bash | One of the most famous resorts in the Eastern half of the country—the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C.—is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The venerable hotel started life with 142 rooms and has played host to an ...
Charles Leik first fell in love with "sugaring," the art of making maple syrup, as a boy in Portland, Mich. In the woods near his family farm, he would watch family and neighbors tap trees for sap, just as the winter snows were starting to ...
Many people are moved by sad stories in the news, but few decide then and there to take action. Judy Cockerton did just that in 1999.One evening, after reading an article about a foster-care baby who was kidnapped out of his crib, she ...
Retirement Income We have long made the point in these pages that building a nest egg is the easy part of retirement planning. The tough part is tapping your savings—creating a steady stream of income that, regardless of market conditions, ...
Credit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.Nearly 590 of the nation's 6,955 credit unions offered student loans as of December, according to the Credit Union ...
Americans between the ages of 61 and 70 are withdrawing money from their IRAs in amounts that are larger, both in absolute dollar amounts and as a percentage of their IRA account balance, than those taken by older households, according to a ...
With a range of taxes set to rise sharply, the rush is on: Private banks, family offices, and wealth managers are tapping the smartest tax minds they can find to come up with new tax-efficient products and portfolios.
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A U.S. Tax Court decision offers a cautionary tale for people who want to invest individual retirement account funds in "alternative" assets, especially operating businesses.
RICK KAHLER can't explain the mysteries of string theory, speak Mandarin or quote long passages from the Odyssey, but after buying and selling hundreds of properties for 30 years, he has a virtual Ph.D. in real estate.
IT HAPPENS EVERYDAY, actually about 10 times a day on average in this country alone: A professional society hosts a conference to bring doctors or lawyers or various executives together. It might be at a convention center or on a Boca Raton ...
Mandy Cabot wants to make sure the shoemaking business that she and her husband built over the past 20 years remains in good hands after they’re gone. The 58-year-old co-founder of Dansko, a West Grove, Pa., company with more than $150 ...
Mother's Day celebrates all that our mothers have done for us. But…no one's perfect, right?One mistake moms (and—let's get real—dads, too) sometimes make is failing to teach their children how to be smart about money.
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Fat, unhealthy smokers rarely get a good deal—except when it comes to annuities. Partnership Assurance, a new U.K. insurer that is seeking a value of more than £1 billion ($1.54 billion) when it lists on the London Stock Exchange next ...
Don’t miss these top stories:10 things cruise lines won’t tell you.America is high on sugar, down on Splenda.The news media is even worse than you think.
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGEBonds might not be the best investment, but the looming bond losses predicted by Fuss, Buffett and others might be a long way off. If that’s the case, what should those planning for or living in retirement do with the ...
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People are calling "family meetings" nowadays not only to deal with their parents' health issues but increasingly to sort out their finances as well.
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGEBonds might not be the best investment, but the looming bond losses predicted by Fuss, Buffett and others might be a long way off. If that’s the case, what should those planning for or living in retirement do with the ...
A reader in Minneapolis needs "direction" with her three pots of money—a regular individual retirement account, a Roth IRA and a taxable account, totaling $725,000—but speaks for many investors when she writes:
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGEBonds might not be the best investment, but the looming bond losses predicted by Fuss, Buffett and others might be a long way off. If that’s the case, what should those planning for or living in retirement do with the ...
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It's getting trickier to put up your feet and sidestep taxes at the same time.Investors getting ready to retire have long looked at state and local tax laws in deciding where to settle when their working days are over, alongside sunny ...
A glitzy Manhattan real-estate crowd gathered in March to join Barry Sternlicht, chief executive of Starwood Capital Group, at a party celebrating the launch of condo sales at the Baccarat Hotel & Residences, a new development across ...
Can your nest egg last your whole lifetime? It's getting tougher to tell.Conventional wisdom says you can take 4% from your savings the first year of retirement, and then that amount plus more to account for inflation each year, without ...
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As most U.S. businesses keep shifting the bulk of retirement funding and planning to their employees, some advisers are embracing an alternative approach that puts investment decisions squarely on the back of employers.
Some call it contingency planning while others refer to it as plain old risk management. But no matter what you call it, you’ll need to start thinking about ‘it’ if you’re saving for or living in retirement.
Don’t miss these top money and investing features:Sell in May, but when should you buy?Why stocks risk a 10% tumbleForget Buffett; this investor made me rich for life
Besides keeping some in an emergency fund, should the average investor have an allocation to cash and cash equivalents in an investment portfolio? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and ...
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J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is looking for more directors who can serve on the board's risk committee, said people close to the company, amid calls from some investors for corporate-governance changes at the largest U.S. bank.
When it comes to your portfolio and investing practices, more isn't always better.With well over 8,000 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, as well as a variety of complicated trading strategies, from which to choose—not to mention the ...
It isn't often a business says, "Thanks, but no thanks," when you try to invest more money with it.But that is what a growing number of life insurers are saying to people who, years back, bought the retirement-income product known as a ...
Do-it-yourself investing is gaining newfound popularity—but with a twist.Instead of going it entirely on their own, more investors are pursuing a kind of modified DIY approach, tapping an array of increasingly sophisticated online tools and ...
Boring bulls are powering the market higher.That the stock market has climbed as much as it has this year surprises many analysts. Perhaps the biggest shocker: the kinds of companies leading the charge.
Take some money off the table. That's the recommendation of Kent Kramer, an adviser in Des Moines, Iowa, who says that with stock indexes at record levels, pre-retirees should consider selling some shares and setting aside the proceeds.
Don’t miss these top stories:10 things summer camps won’t say.Airlines want you off Expedia, Orbitz.Lance Armstrong’s mutual-fund career is over.
What lessons can investors learn from Warren Buffett's investment strategy and history? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions ...
Growing numbers of older borrowers with reverse mortgages are delinquent on these loans. But a little-known federal guideline can help steer such individuals out of financial trouble.
While college majors may seem irrelevant to employers who mainly want to hire young people who can think critically and communicate well, that doesn't mean all majors are created equal.
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LISBON—Portugal's prime minister laid out a three-year plan Friday to reduce the country's budget deficit that would shrink the number of public employees, add more working hours and raise the retirement age by a year, to 66.
The retirement world is largely focused on 401(k) and traditional defined benefit plans. But investors and financial advisers alike should be paying closer attention to something called a cash balance pension plan. Cash balance plans are ...
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The Illinois House of Representatives passed a pension-overhaul plan Thursday that would cut retiree benefits and increase required employee contributions, in the biggest move yet toward addressing the nation's worst state-pension crisis.
Many retirees think long and hard about their bucket lists. But financial advisers say they should give equal attention to the different buckets of their retirement portfolios—a strategy that can help if unexpected medical costs arise.
Don’t miss these top stories:10 things vitamin makers won’t say.Should you buy Apple bonds?5 things you can’t do if you’re gay.Retire Here, Not There: Kansas.
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Do municipal-bond funds make sense in retirement accounts?Most retirement savings are sheltered in individual retirement accounts, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred vehicles, so many people don't think of munis when they think of saving for ...
What's the best financial advice for young people just starting to make money? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics ...
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The American couple was deadlocked over when to move home from Saudi Arabia. The husband felt strongly about staying longer to boost their retirement nest egg, but the wife was unhappy and ready to move home as soon as possible.
When you make a nondeductible contribution to a traditional IRA and you immediately convert it to a Roth IRA, 100% of the conversion is nontaxable, right? Not necessarily.
Even novelist Stephen King would be horrified by some of scary annuity events that unfortunately happen every day.Annuities can be great transfer of risk strategies when properly positioned in a portfolio and there are many good agents out ...
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Photography icon Eastman Kodak Co. laid plans to emerge from a year-plus stretch in bankruptcy court with a deal that turns over two businesses it was trying to shed to unusual recipients: its U.K. retirees.
It's that time of year again. Many taxpayers who actually managed to get their tax returns in before last week's April 15 deadline, rather than filing for a six-month extension, are looking forward to their refunds.
It's the perfect time to do some spring cleaning—of your retirement plan.As with other dreary tasks, like organizing the garage or putting the winter clothes in the attic, it's easy to postpone taking a close look at your nest egg and ...
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It's time to grapple with the new 3.8% tax on investment income.The ordeal of 2012 taxes is barely over. But it isn't too early to understand and cushion the blow of the investment-income levy, which Congress passed in 2010 to help fund the ...
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You thought your estate plans were finally set? Not so fast.It turns out the "permanent" $5 million estate-tax exemption enacted earlier this year could change after all, sending families back to the drawing board to sort out their ...
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The powerful and wealthy elites who run this country are shocked that not everyone is jumping on their bandwagon to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Are collectible objects a bad investment? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics from the print Report. This question ...
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Millions of workers saving for retirement risk losing part of their nest eggs if interest rates jump.The cause for concern: target-date mutual funds, designed for investors who lack the time or expertise to balance their investment ...
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LISBON—A recent court decision blocking cuts in wages and pensions for public employees in Portugal is forcing the government of one of Europe's most fragile economies to move beyond palliative measures and try to overhaul the underlying ...
Quick, what’s the best money move you ever made?For 40% of people aged 55 and older, it was paying off their mortgage, according to a Harris Interactive survey of about 1,540 people for Northwestern Mutual, an insurance and ...
Many financial advisers don't go out of their way to work with young investors. Young people typically don't have $250,000, much less a million dollars, lying around waiting to be invested, so some advisers don't think it's worth their ...
What steps can couples take to make sure they minimize conflicts over finances? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions related ...
“Man forced to put off retirement for two years due to lost tax records.” Could that happen to you? Yes, it could. Or worse.One of the most frequent questions that comes to TaxMama is — Can I throw out my tax records? Really, how long must ...
Your editorial "Now He's After Your 401(k)" (April 12) correctly criticizes the impact of President Obama's proposed limit on the amount that individuals can save in tax-sheltered defined-contribution plans, defined-benefit plans and IRAs. ...
NEW YORK—More investors are taking the do-it-yourself route.It's well known that registered investment advisers are grabbing market share from traditional brokerage firms. But another trend appears to be encroaching on the business of the ...
Last year was an expensive one for Clarissa Hitchon and Sean White.The couple made a cross-country move, got married and bought their first home, all in a matter of months. Now Ms. Hitchon, 32, is focused on rebuilding their savings ...
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama proposed to tweak the formula for calculating the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for Social Security recipients.
As working during retirement years has become commonplace, so has the desire among older Americans to strike out on their own and start a business for themselves.
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Employee stock-purchase plans are coming back in style. With some careful planning, they could help fatten your bank account.Such plans allow employees to buy their company's stock at a discount of 5% to 15% off the market price on a ...
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A coalition of unions and employers is proposing changes to the federal law that governs the pension plans of about 10 million people, including reducing benefits paid to retirees, the first time in four decades that such cuts would be ...
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When it comes to rolling over retirement accounts, a new government report suggests that job switchers are ignoring what may be their best option: pouring savings into a new employer's 401(k).
Mandy Cabot wants to make sure the shoemaking business that she and her husband built over the past 20 years remains in good hands after they're gone. The 58-year-old co-founder of Dansko, a West Grove, Pa., company with more than $150 ...