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What Does the Changing Pension Landscape Mean for Retirement?
John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” This is certainly true of…
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What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?
When it comes to receiving the fruits of your labor : the money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan : you are faced with a few broad options. Should you take the…
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How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?
Estimating your future Social Security benefits used to be a difficult task, but not any longer. For an estimate of your projected benefits, go to www.ssa.gov/estimator. The retirement estimator gives estimates based…
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Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?
People have traditionally seen Social Security benefits as the foundation of their retirement planning programs. The Social Security contributions deducted from workers’ paychecks have, in effect, served as a government-enforced retirement savings…
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What Is a 1035 Exchange?
Named after Section 1035 of the Internal Revenue Code, a 1035 exchange allows life insurance policy owners (and annuity contract owners) to exchange an old policy (or contract) for a new one…
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What Is a 401(k) Plan?
A 401(k) plan is a self-directed, qualified retirement plan established by an employer to provide future retirement benefits for employees. Employee contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, and employer contributions are…
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What Is a Roth IRA?
Roth IRAs are tax-favored financial vehicles that enable investors to save money for retirement. They differ from traditional IRAs in that taxpayers cannot deduct contributions made to a Roth. However, qualified Roth…
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What Is an IRA Rollover?
If you leave a job or retire, you might want to transfer the money you’ve invested in one or more employer-sponsored retirement plans to an individual retirement account (IRA). An IRA rollover…
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Why Do People Buy Annuities?
Annuities are insurance-based financial vehicles that can provide many benefits sought by retirement-minded investors. There are a number of reasons why people buy annuities.
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What Is a Traditional IRA?
Traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a good way to save for retirement. If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan or would like to supplement that plan, a…
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What Are Annuity Living Benefits?
Many variable annuity contracts offer “living benefit” guarantees. For an additional cost, the contract holder may be able to purchase guarantees regardless of the account value.
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What Is a SIMPLE?
There are many types of employer-sponsored retirement plans. One that may appeal to small businesses and to self-employed individuals is the savings incentive match plan for employees (SIMPLE) because, as the name…
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Unforgettable Birthdays
Birthdays may seem less important as you grow older. They may not offer the impact of watershed moments such as getting a driver’s license at 16 and voting at 18. But beginning…
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Save Now or Save Later?
Most people have good intentions about saving for retirement. But few know when they should start and how much they should save.
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How Much Do I Need to Save?
Many Americans realize the importance of saving for retirement, but knowing exactly how much they need to save is another issue altogether. With all the information available about retirement, it is sometimes…