retirement savings

The New Realities of Retirement: Safeguarding Your Future

Retirement is a much different reality today than it was even a generation ago.   First of all, the age when people retire is shifting upward: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the proportion of people age 65 and older in the workforce grew to 16.1 percent in 2010, up from 12.1 percent in 1990.   Another thing that’s different? The ways people are building their retirement funds. For...

Three Essential Steps for a Secure Financial Future

This may sound like something your father would tell you, but there’s truth in the saying, financial security doesn’t happen by accident. Like most things in life, getting to a good place financially takes some planning. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by listing your financial goals, and then map out a strategy for achieving them, one at a time. Ultimately, you’ll have to define your own goals,...

Choosing a Roth IRA That’s Right for You – in 3.5 Easy Steps

If you’ve been looking for a good way to save for retirement, you can’t get much better than a Roth IRA.  A Roth IRA allows you to invest a portion of your annual income (up to $5,000 per year) in a variety of different things like stocks, bonds, CDs, mutual funds, or real estate.  Your investments earn interest, and when you retire, you can pull your money out –...

Retirement vs. Debt: From IOU to IRA in Two (Sort of) Simple Steps

Are you ready for retirement? If you’re like most Americans over the age of 25, chances are, probably not.  According to a recent study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), Americans are dreadfully unprepared for their golden years.  In fact, according to the EBRI data, about 30 percent of us only have about $1,000 in our retirement funds.  Some people have even less than that. If you...