Category: Retirement Planning
December 2, 2013 -- There's an interesting new book out that has parallels to the transition from the working life to retirement. It's "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth", written by Colonel Chris Hadfield, one of the world's most experienced astronauts. The book made us think about how much retirement is like entering a new world. Many of the survival skills you learned in the world of work will be useful. But to succeed in your new environment it might be necessary to master new ones. We are hoping that this guide will be a group effort - that those of you who have already passed through the airlock
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Published on December 2, 2013
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
November 25, 2013 -- Over the past week we saw numerous reports reminding us of yet another way that our hard-earned retirements can run onto financial shoals. This time the culprit is one that most of us don't think that much about - medical expenses. We will explain more about the problem here, along with some ideas on how to prepare your retirement against bankrupting medical expenses.
Fidelity, the mutual fund company, estimates that a couple in average health will spend over $220,000 during their retirement for medical
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Published on November 25, 2013
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Category: International Retirement
November 19, 2013 -- Note: Since this article was written we have added more country guides to the original 10, and will continue to add them here.
There is an intrepid group of people out there whose dream for retirement involves moving far away to an exotic location in a foreign country. For citizens of the US and Canada, that often means retiring to Mexico, Costa Rica, Central America, or a country in South America. Retirees in Europe and the UK tend to favor southern Europe or even Southeast Asia. Such retirements bring with them a number of challenges, along with advantages. Today we are pleased to announce new mini-guides to international retirement in 10 countries. We plan to add more
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Published on November 19, 2013
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Nov. 18, 2013 -- Everybody nearing retirement should have their own criteria for choosing a place to retire. For many, it's warm weather. Plenty of others want to be close to family, culture, or a favorite kind of recreation. Taxes on retirement income and distributions are often a key consideration. But for the millions of baby boomers whose meager savings are paired with tiny 401(k)s and social security benefits, finding an affordable place to live is consideration #1. This article provides a list of the most affordable places to retire in the USA, sliced
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Published on November 18, 2013
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Category: Retirement Planning
November 12, 2013. -- Let's assume you have been doing all the things the experts suggest as you go through the process of finding your best place to retire. You have listed your priorities, discussed them with spouse and/or family, and paid visits to the more likely suspects. But before you make that down payment on your retirement home, here are 7 more questions we think you would be well advised to answer. Hopefully this list will make you think of a few more, all the better to help you realize the wonderful retirement you have worked so hard to get.
7 Questions to Ask
These questions are meant more as a stimulus for conversation than a yes or no. By discussing them with someone else, you might gain
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Published on November 12, 2013
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
November 10, 2013 — Several members have requested a new thread be started on the subject of low income retirement. So we will start it for you with the original request (below): Note to group – if you want to start a new discussion thread the best way to do…
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Published on November 10, 2013
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
November 5, 2013 -- Note: See the 2018 counterpoint to this article: "Five Reasons Why You Might Not Like a Small Town Retirement". Moving to a small town for retirement is a frequent dream for many baby boomers. After battling urban traffic and/or the hassles of suburban living during your working days, the thought of living in a Norman Rockwell-like community might seem like a relaxing alternative. In this article we will give you 5 good reasons why a small town retirement is a good idea, with an example for each. And for good measure we've included 5 more picks for great small towns at the end of this article. Obviously there are a lot more, so please
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Published on November 5, 2013
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Note: Be sure to take our new "What is Your Social Security IQ Quiz". It will give you a score and detailed explanations to make you a Social Security expert (our best advice, read this article first!).
November 4, 2013 - Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 63 million Americans will increase 1.5 percent in 2014, the Social Security Administration announced last week. The COLA announcement was delayed because of the government shutdown.
The 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will affect the benefits that more than 57 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2014. Last year the increase was 1.7%, although the average since the '70's has been 4%. In 2013 the average SS benefit per was $2,048 per retired couple.
Some other changes that take effect in January of each year are based on
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Published on November 5, 2013
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Update Dec. 23, 2019 -- A new law, the SECURE Act of 2019, changes at least one part of this article. Effective in 2020, anyone who had not already reached 70 and 1/2 is not required to take their Required Minimum Distribution until they reach the age of 72. If you are 70 and 1/2 prior to Dec. 31, 2019, you still must take your RMDs. See "SECURE Act Signed into Law".
October 27, 2013 -- Through all those years of faithful contributions to your 401k or IRA, you probably never really thought too much about the day those savings would be used. But either now or soon in the future, that money has to come out of your account, most likely as a key component of your retirement financial picture. This article will review some of the issues you are likely to face with your 401k, IRA, or similar retirement account. Tax laws are tricky and we have attempted to paint a broad picture, there will always be exceptions to some of the general principles discussed here. We are not tax or investment experts - check with a qualified professional from this ira vs 401k article for an expert opinion.
401ks - A Review
First, a few facts. 401ks are a relatively new part of the retirement picture. They are defined contribution plans (a promise of how much will be contributed to the plan), and they were largely designed to replace defined benefit pension plans (the old days,
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Published on October 25, 2013
Comments 33
Category: Retirement Real Estate
October 21, 2013 -- In the depths of the 2008 real estate meltdown many developers decided to turn their new condos into rental units, rather than take a bath on prices and unsold inventory. That strategy, for those who could afford to wait, seems to worked out rather well. If you have held off selling your home until now, the return to a stronger market could be beneficial to you too, particularly if you are not planning on replacing it.
The Wall St. Journal recently reported in "Condos Going Back Up for Sale" that many luxury rental units in places like California and Florida are now coming on the market as condos. While the pace of conversions from rental apartments to condos is a fraction of the torrent that came in pre-bust years, the rate is the highest it's been since 2008. In 2012, 2,080 apartments were converted to condos from rentals, compared to 152,206 conversions in 2005.
The trend in condo conversion confirms
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Published on October 21, 2013
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