mbeals

4/3/2013 - Boomers hit hard by cuts to federal jobs program (Wall Street Journal)

Sending out some 400 resumes wasn’t enough to land Cottrell Armistad a new job after he was laid off in 2008 from his position as a receptionist at a large tech company in San Francisco. Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.

4/1/2013 - Employers still offering retirement plans despite recession (Benefits Pro)

Despite the Great Recession, the vast majority of employers kept their retirement benefits intact as a way to attract and retain employees, according to a new white paper by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Read the full article at Benefits Pro.

3/28/2013 - Housing, health-care costs are retirement killers (Wall Street Journal)

Retirement planning, in many ways, is all about the rows and columns. How much money is coming in, how much is going out, and for how long. But far too often, some retirees and many pre-retirees don’t have a handle on what their expenses will be after age 65. Read the full article at The… Read more 3/28/2013 - Housing, health-care costs are retirement killers (Wall Street Journal)

3/12/2013 - Pushing Back Retirement, and Not Always for Money (NY Times)

IT’S not your grandfather’s retirement, not nearly as cut and dried. It’s not the simple picture of stopping work at 60 or 65, moving to Florida and devoting oneself to golf and bridge — not that it was ever totally that. Nowadays retirement is all over the map. It’s blurred, more elastic. Many people retire… Read more 3/12/2013 - Pushing Back Retirement, and Not Always for Money (NY Times)

3/5/2013 - For women, retirement planning woes start with economy (Reuters)

It is time to stop blaming the victim when it comes to women and retirement planning. An endless stream of studies and surveys all show women are less prepared for retirement than men. The typical story line: “Women aren’t interested in managing money, and they’re not good at it. They’re more interested in other things… Read more 3/5/2013 - For women, retirement planning woes start with economy (Reuters)

2/27/2013 - Millennial Meltdown: Boomers Are More Entrepreneurial Than Their Kids, Says Study (Forbes)

Entrepreneurs like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Tumblr’s David Karp are certainly rare, as evidenced by the fortunes they’ve amassed before age 30. They may be getting even rarer, if a new study by Monster.com and Millennial Branding is any indication. According to the report, Zuckerberg and Karp’s generation is the least entrepreneurial cohort in the… Read more 2/27/2013 - Millennial Meltdown: Boomers Are More Entrepreneurial Than Their Kids, Says Study (Forbes)

2/26/2013 - Boomer divorce: A costly retirement roadblock (USA Today)

Baby Boomers are divorcing at a surprising rate, and that will have huge implications for their lives in retirement. The number of divorces among people 50 or older doubled from 1990 to 2010. And in that year, one in four U.S. divorces was in that age group. And while the experts say it’s a product… Read more 2/26/2013 - Boomer divorce: A costly retirement roadblock (USA Today)

2/26/2013 - More boomers buying ‘longevity’ annuities (The Wall Street Journal)

Economists and policymakers in recent years have begun encouraging pension-deprived Baby Boomers to consider relatively new products known as longevity insurance or “deferred income” annuities, designed to restore some financial security to what are supposed to be their golden years. News today from New York Life Insurance Co. confirms that the products are starting to catch… Read more 2/26/2013 - More boomers buying ‘longevity’ annuities (The Wall Street Journal)

2/21/2013 - Two-fifths of elderly spend more than they earn, study finds (LA Times)

Two-fifths of the elderly spend more than they earn, often forcing them to dip into savings to pay bills, according to a new study. Among those 65 and older, 40% shell out more on housing, medical care and other costs than they take in from Social Security, pensions and other sources, according to the Employee… Read more 2/21/2013 - Two-fifths of elderly spend more than they earn, study finds (LA Times)

2/20/2013 -Yes, boomers: Jobs are less demanding (Wall Street Journal)

My standard argument is that retirement needs are increasing as people live longer and face rapidly rising health care costs.  At the same time, the retirement income system is contracting as Social Security replacement rates decline even under current law, employer-sponsored plans move from defined benefit to defined contribution with modest benefits, and people save… Read more 2/20/2013 -Yes, boomers: Jobs are less demanding (Wall Street Journal)