2/13/2013 - Obama's Call For Higher Minimum Wage Could Have Ripple Effect (NPR)

After more than five years of recession and painfully slow recovery, President Obama has sent a powerful signal that he thinks the U.S. economy is now in much better shape — good enough, at least, to provide workers with raises. Read the full article at NPR.

2/12/2013 - Rising 401(k) Balances Helping Retirements Recover (U.S. News & World Report)

Balances in 401(k) accounts are much, much larger among those who have been regular retirement-plan participants in recent years, continuing the recovery from the stock market plunge of 2007. Read the full article at  U.S. News & World Report.

2/11/2013 - Why the White House took the Medicare age off the table (Washington Post)

In 2011 and 2012, the White House was open to raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. They were open to this for two main reasons. First, they figured that the Affordable Care Act would protect most of the neediest seniors and that employer coverage would protect many of the others, and so… Read more 2/11/2013 - Why the White House took the Medicare age off the table (Washington Post)

2/12/2013 - Caregiving for parents: What it can cost

Odds are that many baby boomers will find themselves in a caregiving situation, if they haven’t already. For a 65-year-old couple, there is a 35.7% chance that one of them will live to be 95, and a 25% chance of one living to 97, according to the Society of Actuaries. Chances are good, then, that… Read more 2/12/2013 - Caregiving for parents: What it can cost

2/11/2013 - Borrowing From the Future

Early withdrawals from 401(k) and 403(b) retirement accounts can have significant effects on a nest egg. Even borrowing against those accounts can stunt their growth. Read the full article at The New York Times.

2/12/2013 - When are you too old to keep working?

Pope Benedict is calling it a day at 85, but he is only one of millions who work beyond the retirement age. Now we’re living longer, shouldn’t we think differently about work? Read the full article at The Guardian.

2/11/2013 - Fitness May Lower Dementia Risk

Being physically fit in midlife is associated with a lower risk of dementia in old age, a new study reports. Read the full article at The New York Times.

2/10/13 - Complex Investments Prove Risky as Savers Chase Bigger Payoff (New York Times)

Regulators across the country are confronting a wave of investor fraud that is saddling retirement savers with steep losses on complex products that until a few years ago were pitched only to the most sophisticated investors. The victims are among the millions of Americans whose mutual funds and stock portfolios plummeted in the wake of… Read more 2/10/13 - Complex Investments Prove Risky as Savers Chase Bigger Payoff (New York Times)

2/8/13 - Younger generations favor online retirement calculators (BenefitsPro)

More than six in 10 retirement plan participants under age 40 say they find online retirement calculators most helpful, new research show. OneAmerica Financial Parnters Inc., Indianapolis, reports this finding in a survey that explores a “digital divide” between older and younger generations in respect to using technology to preparing for retirement. The report shows that… Read more 2/8/13 - Younger generations favor online retirement calculators (BenefitsPro)

2/7/13 - Coming Soon for Our Own Good: Restrictions on Big Retirement Account Payouts (Time)

Why don’t more retirees convert at least some of their nest egg to lifetime income? It’s a question that vexes financial planners and has policymakers scrambling for solutions. For many years, traditional defined-benefit pensions provided millions of people with an income stream they could not outlive. Along with Social Security benefits, this pension income covered… Read more 2/7/13 - Coming Soon for Our Own Good: Restrictions on Big Retirement Account Payouts (Time)