Category: Financial Landing 2015

9/5/2015 - Have you saved enough to retire? (USA Today)

One reason retirement funding may mystify you: How do you know when you saved enough so you won’t run out of money during your golden years? The answer begins with an understanding of your day-to-day expenses, and how those expenses may change in 30 or more years of retirement. According to a recent survey from… Read more 9/5/2015 - Have you saved enough to retire? (USA Today)

9/4/2015 - New Widows Have Another Concern: Their Finances (The New York Times)

Like many widows, Ms. Eiler, a workers’ compensation claims analyst in Salem, Ore., is finding that she is now more vulnerable financially. The household income for widows typically declines 37 percent after a spouse dies, far more than the 22 percent income drop that men experience, according to government figures. The assets of widows also… Read more 9/4/2015 - New Widows Have Another Concern: Their Finances (The New York Times)

9/3/2015 - Lack of savings stresses workers (Benefits Pro)

People aren’t feeling good about where they are financially. Obligations weigh them down—daily living expenses, the high cost of health care, the potential for job loss or some other catastrophe—and they don’t even have a secure retirement to look forward to, now that pensions are largely a thing of the past. So say some of the findings… Read more 9/3/2015 - Lack of savings stresses workers (Benefits Pro)

9/2/2015 - Get the timing right on Social Security claims (CNBC)

Social Security may be criticized for being an insufficient retirement benefit, and some may question its solvency, but there’s no denying that it plays a starring role in many people’s retirement plans.The program makes up more than half of the retirement income of people who are over 80 years old, on average, according to AARP. Read… Read more 9/2/2015 - Get the timing right on Social Security claims (CNBC)

9/1/2015 - The surging ranks of America's ultrapoor (CBS)

The number of U.S. residents who are struggling to survive on just $2 a day has more than doubled since 1996, placing 1.5 million households and 3 million children in this desperate economic situation. That’s according to “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America,” a book from publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that will… Read more 9/1/2015 - The surging ranks of America's ultrapoor (CBS)

5/28/2015 - Rethinking Work (New York Times)

HOW satisfied are we with our jobs? Gallup regularly polls workers around the world to find out. Its survey last year found that almost 90 percent of workers were either “not engaged” with or “actively disengaged” from their jobs. Think about that: Nine out of 10 workers spend half their waking lives doing things they… Read more 5/28/2015 - Rethinking Work (New York Times)

8/28/2015 - Tax-Free Savings Accounts for Disabled Are Expected in 2016 (The New York Times)

Special savings accounts for people with disabilities are likely to become available in most states next year. The accounts were made possible in 2014 by the ABLE Act — for Achieving a Better Life Experience — and are loosely modeled on the popular 529 college saving accounts. Advocates for the disabled say it is taking… Read more 8/28/2015 - Tax-Free Savings Accounts for Disabled Are Expected in 2016 (The New York Times)

8/27/2015 - Gen X: Sleeping Through The Retirement Wake-Up Call (Forbes)

Northwestern Mutual’s report, The Gen X Retirement Dilemma, noted that Gen X’ers had the highest levels of financial insecurity of all U.S. generations. A striking 82% said they won’t have enough saved to retire comfortably; 18% don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire. That may be partly because 37% of Gen X’ers told Northwestern… Read more 8/27/2015 - Gen X: Sleeping Through The Retirement Wake-Up Call (Forbes)

8/26/2015 - Retirees pay for claiming Social Security too early (CNBC)

A Nationwide Retirement Institute survey of Americans 50 years and older found that 83 percent of recent retirees started taking their benefits before their full retirement age, receiving 49 percent less in benefits than if they would have waited. Among recent retirees, 38 percent said they claimed Social Security benefits because they needed the money, 30… Read more 8/26/2015 - Retirees pay for claiming Social Security too early (CNBC)

8/25/2015 - Retirees need to fact-check Social Security advice (Reuters)

Getting wrong answers from Social Security is not unusual, according to financial advisers and experts on claiming strategies. Relying on this misinformation can lead to missing out on benefits for which you qualify or losing opportunities to maximize your checks. “Forty percent of what the good folks at Social Security tell you, almost always with… Read more 8/25/2015 - Retirees need to fact-check Social Security advice (Reuters)