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  • How to Rollover a 401(k)

    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.

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    Latest Retirement Planning News

    WSJ.com - May 20, 2013
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    Regulators Scrutinize Firms' Ties to Insurers

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 20, 2013
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    Hidden Debt Postpones a Client's Retirement

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
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    Senate Launches Pension-Sale Probe

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Benefits

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • Destinations

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • second acts; From Lending to Tapping Trees

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • SECOND ACTS; When Kid Stuff Gets Serious

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • Financing Your Future

    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, ...

  • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013
  • Credit Unions Boost College Loans

    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 ...

  • MarketWatch - May 18, 2013
  • Draining IRAs too soon poses big risks; Don’t touch that IRA, but if you do...

    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 ...

  • Barrons.com - May 18, 2013
  • En Garde: Tax-Hike Investment Tips

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 17, 2013
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    Tax Court Slaps Down IRAs Holding 'Alternative Assets'

    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.

    Latest Retirement Planning News

    MarketWatch - May 6, 2013
  • Monday's Personal Finance Stories

    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.

  • WSJ.com - Apr 7, 2013
  • The Experts: What Lessons Can Investors Learn From Warren Buffett?

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 5, 2013
  • Reverse-Mortgage Defaults Increasing

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 5, 2013
  • Engineering Grads Get Top Pay

    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.

  • WSJ.com - May 3, 2013
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    Portugal Unveils Budget Cuts

    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.

  • MarketWatch - May 3, 2013
  • Could this plan replace the 401(k)? More employers cut costs with ‘cash balance’ pensions

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - May 2, 2013
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    Illinois House Backs Overhaul of State Pensions

    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.

  • MarketWatch - May 1, 2013
  • Why you should fill an ‘emergency bucket’; Keeping unexpected expenses from gutting your savings

    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.

  • MarketWatch - Apr 30, 2013
  • Tuesday's Personal Finance Stories

    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.

  • WSJ.com - Apr 19, 2013
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    The Case for Muni Bonds

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 24, 2013
  • The Experts: The Best Financial Advice for Young People Starting Out

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 30, 2013
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    A Couple Compromises on Retirement Goals

    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.

    Latest Retirement Planning News

    MarketWatch - Apr 30, 2013
  • Backdoor Roth IRA conversion: Tax-free?

    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.

  • MarketWatch - Apr 30, 2013
  • Annuityville horror stories

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 29, 2013
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    Kodak Gives Assets to U.K. Retirees

    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.

  • WSJ.com - Apr 21, 2013
  • 'Don't Just Spend It'—Smart Moves for Your Tax Refund

    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.

  • WSJ.com - Apr 28, 2013
  • Retirement Plans Need Dusting, Too

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 27, 2013
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    Are You Ready for the New Investment Tax?

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 26, 2013
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    Estate Planning: New Hazards

    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 ...

  • MarketWatch - Apr 26, 2013
  • Your biggest assets are Social Security, Medicare; Commentary: Elites want to cut them because they don’t need them

    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.

  • WSJ.com - Feb 28, 2013
  • The Experts: Is Investing in Collectibles a Recipe for Disaster?

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 23, 2013
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    'Target' Funds Vulnerable to Rate Rise

    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 ...

  • WSJ.com - Apr 24, 2013
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    Portugal Tries to Cut Costs With Public-Sector 'Rethink'

    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 ...

  • MarketWatch - Apr 24, 2013
  • Best financial decision? Paying off mortgage; People also valued starting to save early

    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 ...