How To Deal With Debt Before Retirement

How To Deal With Debt Before Retirement

How to deal with debt before retirement is a dilemma facing many baby boomers as they head into their golden years. We've spoken about baby boomers a lot lately and for good reason. The generation responsible for every major trend in the past 60 years and for taking innovation and spending to completely new levels isn't looking at retirement with a lot of enthusiasm. In fact, in a recent post at boomerplaces.com author Robert Fowler says "Its being noticed they are constantly struggling to relieve their outstanding debt burden and it seems they severely lack capital to fund their retirement." Baby boomers redefined the boundaries on creating wealth and debt. The latter seems to be the … [Read more...]

Is It Hard Planning For Retirement?

Expert Lessons For Retirement Planning

So, is it hard planning for retirement? What concerns should you have about retirement? Is planning for retirement different to the way my parents did it? Lots of questions are being asked today from concerned folks about their retirement planning and for good reason. Retirement has become a hot topic, not because it promises to provide people with everything they have been planning for during the course of their working lives but more so because it won't. Unless you have been "burying your head in the sand" then you know that things economically are not good. Real estate especially is one of the biggest drawbacks for baby boomers as they head into retirement. Many would have been … [Read more...]

How Important Is Retirement Planning Anyway?

How Important Is Retirement Planning?

How important is retirement planning anyway? Well, how important is a comfortable retirement? It's amazing to see so many people still ask this question and it seems that many of the people asking are from a generation known for every major trend of the last 60 years. Yes, the Baby Boomers have been making headlines for several decades now but according to a report at accountingtoday.com, they haven't really done as good a job as they could have at planning for retirement. Many are now starting to "hang up their work clothes but have been met with issues such as a bad economy, volatile investments and a "near dead" real estate market. So can you really blame them if they fall short at … [Read more...]

Best Steps To Retirement Planning

Getting Started In Financially Secure Retirement

The best steps to retirement planning start with making a plan. Not earth shattering advice but this is the step most people get wrong. It's like a ship sailing around a harbor without a destination; that's how many plan for retirement. So male a plan so you have an end goal to reach. The next step is to become a little savvy and understand what a retirement plan involves. No, we are not talking about becomes a world renowned expert on the subject; just understand what it is you are about to do. Going in to talk to a retirement planning expert is a great move but we recommend you don't do this until; you have researched what is available and know how retirement planning works. This is … [Read more...]

What Is A Retirement Planning Calculator?

What Is A Retirement Planning Calculator?

We have discussed retirement calculators and their effectiveness many times at TheSmartRetiree.com but still people ask on a regular basis what is a retirement planning calculator? Or, how does a retirement calculator work? Or even is a retirement calculator worth it? The truth is, a retirement calculator is only as good as the information you put in it but we believe strongly in them for one very good reason; they seem to get some urgency going within people who can suddenly see where they are retirement-wise and how much work they need to do to get their retirement planning nest egg up to the level that will support them comfortably in retirement. What they cannot do is predict life … [Read more...]

The Retirement Planning Mistakes People Make

So You Want To Retire

So, what are some of the retirement planning mistakes people make? Well, we could spend the rest of the day highlighting them and explaining what you need to do to avoid them. But we are going to be brief today because we want to to understand that these are real mistakes people make in planning retirement. An article at retirement-income.net highlights seven of them and we figure they are pretty much the top culprits and the ones too many folks will take for granted. Right now, top of the list is one many would consider a good thing...longer life. Underestimating your life span is a crucial retirement planning mistake which sees a lot of folks come up short in finances when the golden … [Read more...]

How Do I Make My Money Last In Retirement?

How Do I Make My Money Last In Retirement?

It's fast becoming the most asked question from people in or just about to start retirement..."how do I make my money last in retirement?" Several factors affect the way your savings will support you in your golden years. A report at marketwatch.com suggest that the bigger your investment portfolio is the better off you will be. But a big portfolio will not be any good to you if you have dipped into it more than once heading into retirement day and not replaced it. This is one of the reasons people are warned about "putting their hand in the cookie jar". Yes, there are times when it's helpful but unless you pay it back then it's a matter of catch up in retirement. It's one of the keys in … [Read more...]

Retirement Planning Tips: How To Make Money Last A Lifetime

Retirement Planning Tips: How To Make Money Last A Lifetime

One of the biggest concerns people have heading into retirement today is how to make money last a lifetime. Why do people need to worry about how to make money last in retirement? Well, there are several reasons and unless you've been living under a rock, people are now living longer today, in fact, many can expect to live on for a minimum of thirty years from retirement day. Does that scare you? Well, it shouldn't if you value quality life and we all do but if you are going to plan to finance your retirement and be sure you have money to sustain you through it then it may well scare you. So what are you doing about it? If you are a little light on for ideas in how to make your money … [Read more...]

Retirement Planning Tips: Retirement Planning For Living Past 100?

Retirement Planning Tips: Retirement Planning For Living Past 100?

So, have you thought much about retirement planning for living past 100? We thought about this and had a discussion on it in the office recently and figured that there wouldn't be many people looking for retirement planning tips for living past 100. We did a search and typed in the phrase and you wouldn't believe it; almost a billion non exact match phrases. Are people wanting to know if they will live past the century mark? Looks like it. The truth is, the chances you will make triple figures in your lifetime have increased enormously. In fact, a report at finance.yahoo.com cited a leading medical journal stating that more than 50% of people born in 2000 in well developed countries would … [Read more...]