For Mark Roberts' Use: When you’re on the cusp of retirement, it’s time to kick your retirement planning into high gear. At this point you will confront a situation quite unlike any other in your lifetime: You will decide how much income you can “make” each year (taken from your retirement savings). On the other [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: If your employer offers a retirement plan such as a 401(k), congratulations. You’re one of the “lucky ones” in terms of retirement planning options. A 401(k) provides several significant benefits, both now and in the future, so hopefully you’re taking full advantage of it. One of the lesser-known advantages comes in [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Retirement is one of the biggest changes you’ll experience in your lifetime, and also one of the most nerve-wracking. Luckily, millions of people have ventured into this territory ahead of you.. And you can learn a lot from them, such as these potential pitfalls. Underestimating your longevity. Unless you have good [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Toward the middle to end of your fifties, you’re probably kicking your retirement planning into high gear. In fact, you’re doing so much retirement planning at this time, that an early retirement starts to sound more and more appealing. And because you’re first eligible for Social Security benefits at age 62, you [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Rarely do American workers stick with the same employer for 30 or 40 years these days. At some point in your career, it is likely that you will face a difficult (or perhaps not-so-difficult) choice. Often we change employers to seek higher pay or better benefits, or sometimes life intervenes and [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: It’s an unfortunate fact of life that con artists frequently target retirees for their nefarious activities. As someone who is soon to collect your Social Security benefits in the near future, you make the ideal target for a thief who is willing to commit one act of fraud in exchange for [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Retirement brings many changes to your lifestyle, daily schedule, finances, and more. And that’s certainly true for your tax situation! As you transition into your new life, watch out for these five tax situations that commonly trip up new retirees. Taking your first distribution too early can cost you. If you [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: When you think about retirement planning, it’s normal to focus on saving a specific amount of money. Most of us need at least an approximate savings goal, so that we can deduce a few important details. This number tells us how much progress we’ve made, helps us understand how much we need [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Last month, we all received a painful reminder that the stock market doesn’t always behave the way we hope it will. If you’re feeling a bit shaken up, that’s normal. But does a rocky stock market signal the need to run from it? As you draw closer to retirement (or if [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Most of us love surprises – the good kind, anyway! And you might think on the surface that a “surprise” retirement sounds like a great thing. It could be, if you win the lottery or otherwise receive a windfall that allowed you to retire earlier than expected. But of course, it might [...]