Category: Financial Landing 2015

10/19/2015 - Is Wall Street Eating Your 401(k) Nest Egg? (NPR)

Americans collectively are losing billions of dollars a year out of their retirement accounts because they’re paying excessive fees, according to researchers studying thousands of employer-sponsored retirement plans across the country. The rearchers say part of the trouble is that many employers that offer 401(k) plans to their workers are outgunned by financial firms that… Read more 10/19/2015 - Is Wall Street Eating Your 401(k) Nest Egg? (NPR)

10/19/2015 - When It Comes to Retirement Savings, Most Workers Are on Their Own (The Atlantic)

The most common default rate is 3 percent, and The Wall Street Journal reportedlast week that an increasing number of companies are going beyond that, effectively encouraging their employees to set aside more of their incomes. Ten years ago, 27 percent of companies set their default rate at 4 percent; now, it is 39 percent. (It should… Read more 10/19/2015 - When It Comes to Retirement Savings, Most Workers Are on Their Own (The Atlantic)

10/17/2015 - Five unexpected shocks that could hurt your retirement (The Washington Post)

Nearly three-quarters of couples in the Fidelity 2015 Couples Retirement Study were worried about being able to afford unexpected health-care costs.If one of the spouses needs long-term care, the costs can be even more extraordinary. Long-term care insurance is expensive, especially for people over 60. Byron Udell, chief executive and founder of AccuQuote.com, says the… Read more 10/17/2015 - Five unexpected shocks that could hurt your retirement (The Washington Post)

10/16/2015 - How to Approach Student Loans, as First Payments Come Due (The New York Times)

If you graduated from college last spring, it may soon be time to start repaying your student loans.Many federal student loans come with a six-month grace period after graduation, during which payments are not required. The idea is that new graduates need some breathing room while they (hopefully) land a job, buy a work wardrobe and… Read more 10/16/2015 - How to Approach Student Loans, as First Payments Come Due (The New York Times)

10/16/2015 - The Recession Hurt Americans' Retirement Accounts More Than Anybody Knew (The Atlantic)

The nation’s 401(k)s and IRAs lost about $2.4 trillion in the final two quarters of 2008, and the average loss that year for workers who had been on the job for 20 years was, according to one estimate, about 25 percent. Since then, headlines have been telling a much cheerier story: The S&P 500 wasup 54 percent between early… Read more 10/16/2015 - The Recession Hurt Americans' Retirement Accounts More Than Anybody Knew (The Atlantic)

10/15/2015 - How companies are making employees save for retirement (Forbes)

With company-sponsored pensions now mostly a thing of the past, businesses are trying to force their workers to put more of their money into 401(k) plans. To do that, some companies are inching up the percentage of new hires’ salaries that are automatically placed into retirement accounts. In the past, 3% was the default amount to deduct… Read more 10/15/2015 - How companies are making employees save for retirement (Forbes)

10/15/2015 - The retirement costs that are rising faster than Social Security benefits (The Washington Post)

It’s official: Tens of millions of retirees receiving Social Security benefits will not get a raise next year. The situation comes up any time inflation is low, a shift that was driven largely by low gas prices this year.This marks the third time in the last six years — the last two years were 2010 and 2011 — that benefits… Read more 10/15/2015 - The retirement costs that are rising faster than Social Security benefits (The Washington Post)

10/14/2015 - The Missing Boom in Small-Business Sales (The Wall Street Journal)

Despite predictions that a flood of small businesses would be coming up for sale as owners of a certain generation ready themselves for retirement, many are holding on longer than expected. According to a U.S. Census Bureau count of owners of incorporated firms, people age 55 and older accounted for 38% of business owners in… Read more 10/14/2015 - The Missing Boom in Small-Business Sales (The Wall Street Journal)

10/13/2015 - U.S. regulator to propose investment rules to protect elderly (Reuters)

A U.S. securities regulator, aiming to protect elderly clients from scams and their own diminished mental capacity, will propose rules requiring brokers to identify – when an account is opened – a “trusted” person who can make financial decisions if the client’s judgment becomes impaired. The rules also will allow firms to freeze money transfers… Read more 10/13/2015 - U.S. regulator to propose investment rules to protect elderly (Reuters)

10/12/2015 - Diverting retirement savings to pay for college (CBS MoneyWatch)

In the face of ever-escalating costs of higher education, people are often forced to shuffle their financial priorities. Here’s one telling example: Nearly one-third of Americans are willing to delay their retirement to help their children or grandchildren pay for college, according to research from LIMRA’s Secure Retirement Institute. When LIMRA surveyed nearly 1,000 Americans in… Read more 10/12/2015 - Diverting retirement savings to pay for college (CBS MoneyWatch)