Thoughts About Retirement

Defined Benefit Plans Offer a Powerful Retirement Planning Tool For Small Businesses

2008-10-17T09:00:56-0500

When people think about their overall retirement strategy, they often include plans such as 401(k)s and IRAs. Many overlook the possibility of using a defined benefit plan as an additional tool for reaching their retirement goals. Defined benefit plans are often misunderstood, considered a thing of the past or erroneously thought to be appropriate only for large corporations. Defined benefit plans can provide a...[Read More]

Are You Using a Self Directed IRA (Individual Retirement Account)?

2008-10-16T12:00:59-0500

Shirley and Neil were happy with the way their self directed Roth IRA (individual Retirement Account) was traveling, after their profitable experience in buying the deceased estate last year. They determined to buy a doer upper and rehab it using their IRA. They had a good bit of equity in the properties their IRAs owned and they figured they could borrow the rest of the money they needed.Debt Financing for th...[Read More]

Do You Own Rental Real Estate in Your IRA (Individual Retirement Account)?

2008-10-16T12:00:53-0500

You may remember Shirley and Neil, they've many investments in their self directed IRA, and these investments were starting to pay off. Cash was starting to accumulate in their IRA, and they determined to take a holiday in the same resort that they owned timeshare/condo in. As we mentioned last time we wrote about Shirley and Neil, they could not stay in their own condo because it would have been a prohibited ...[Read More]

Don't Trade Equity For Retirement - Start a Small Business

2008-10-16T10:00:05-0500

Regardless of what you know about managing investments, the only person you can really trust to ensure a secure retirement is you. You have to look no further than today's headlines to realize that the "investment professionals" on Wall Street care only about themselves. It's pretty clear that any person or firm that needs the US Government to step up with $750 billion to bail them out isn't a very safe place ...[Read More]

How to Finance Your Comfortable Retirement

2008-10-16T03:00:48-0500

With the economy being unstable, you may wonder how secure is your nest egg? And you'd be right to worry. If you've investments you've likely incurred losses. While at the same time the cost of living spikes upward. To sit back and hope for the best is an unwise strategy. This being the case you want to take action now and find a way to generate additional income.But before you start applying for a job, there m...[Read More]

Retirement Plan Pitfalls

2008-10-14T22:00:56-0500

Have you ever completed your tax return to find out that you owe the federal government thousands of dollars? If so, I expect it was because you raided your pension or retirement plan. If you haven't learned this painful lesson yet, you should read this article so that you don't end up owing the IRS thousands."NEVER TAKE MONEY OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN!" read the sign that hung in the tax accountant's office...[Read More]

Self Managed IRAs - For a Comfortable Retirement

2008-10-14T11:00:54-0500

A comfy retirement is what we all desire and self managed IRAs are what can make this desire possible. There are many advantages in using a self directed IRA, with the most popular one being that you've the say in where your money is invested. it's easier to spread your investments around so that your eggs are not in the one basket, so to speak. This is vital, bearing in mind the economic climate of today.Trad...[Read More]

Why You Need HR Retirement Benefits

2008-10-13T18:00:58-0500

Employees retire when they reach retirement age; figure in accidents that render them disabled, or when they've accumulated enough savings. Many, naturally, would prefer the latter reason for retiring. When they finally stop putting on working clothes, they want to be sure that they've enough money saved and set apart so they can relax and enjoy retirement and the remaining years of their lives. This is why HR...[Read More]

Retirement Saving - Why it is Important to Start Now

2008-10-13T14:00:57-0500

Saving for your retirement is important, like never before. Yet very few people have enough saved up for their retirement. They seem to believe they can continue to borrow their way through life. It seems it's only around 5% of the American population that has enough saved to have a retirement with the same standard of living as when they worked.Demographics in the western world are changing. More and more of ...[Read More]

Teacher Retirement Jokes

2008-10-13T05:00:54-0500

Most people dread the thought of retiring. There are some people who seemingly cannot wait to retire and then sit and do nothing, but they're definitely in the minority. Of all the people who hate retiring, teachers seem to hate it the most. they're so used to the hustle and bustle, and so used to being around their students all the time that they hate retiring! As soon as one teacher's day to retire comes clos...[Read More]

A Secure Retirement - Start Planning Now

2008-10-10T22:00:51-0500

Many people today live to work and when their working years are over they lose all purpose in life and die shortly thereafter. How much better it would be if their plan for the future had taken into account a meaningful life in retirement.Financial planning should be based on your life goals. it's important to focus on what you really want to get out of life and decide how you can attain it.The purpose or goal ...[Read More]

Lists of Qualified Retirement Plans

2008-10-10T10:00:51-0500

Qualified retirement plans are "qualified" because of the tax treatment that they receive under the Internal Revenue Code. Normally the qualified retirement plans are set up by employers as part of the employee benefit packet. To be on the lists of qualified retirement plans, the plan as to meet requirements set by the Internal Revenue Code When meeting these requirements the employer or self-employed individua...[Read More]

Selecting a Home in a Retirement Community

2008-10-10T06:00:58-0500

As an aging population races toward retirement, new homes designed for those fifty-five and over are cropping up all over the United States. Resort-style, age-restricted communities are becoming increasingly popular.New facilities and planned communities allow retired residents untethered access to incredible recreation facilities, restaurants, social clubs and health-related services. In general, these commun...[Read More]

Have You Invested Your Money in a Self Directed IRA (Individual Retirement Account)?

2008-10-10T04:00:54-0500

I was talking to an old friend the other day, he works at a management company that handles Self Directed IRAs. Anyway we were discussing the sad fact that 96% of Americans allow banks, Insurance companies and stock brokers to rip them off, by putting everyone's IRA money into the respective companies own financial instruments, like mutual funds and stock. And then to add insult to injury paying the average IRA...[Read More]

Recession and Retirement - A Survival Guide

2008-10-08T18:00:05-0500

Stock markets crashing, housing values imploding, low bond yields, all have had a negative impact on the net worth of millions of Americans who are either retired or are saving for retirement. And this is only the prelude, to a U.S. economy that has yet to be officially declared in recession, a recession which could last more then one years.What can a person do to survive the impact of a recession on their re...[Read More]

Retirement - Boundless Opportunities and Wide Open Doors

2008-10-08T14:00:56-0500

In a recent conversation with a friend of more than fifty years, I invited her to share some ideas with me about how she might envision my spending the rest of my retirement years. She was, as she always is, gracious in her response. I list here the ideas she shared with me. Maybe, you've friends who would offer you similar motivations in considering the investment of yourself in ways not previou...[Read More]

Saving For Retirement - Start Early

2008-10-08T14:00:55-0500

Saving for retirement is something that everyone needs to consider, as it's an important long-term goal. Every working person, no matter how old he or she is, will eventually reach retirement age. Once you person retires, they'll no longer be earning the income that they were accustomed to receiving every pay period. In order to deal with that loss of income and still be able to pay bills, maintain their lifest...[Read More]

Retirement - Has the Wall Street Crisis Robbed Your Retirement Account and What Can You Do About It?

2008-10-08T14:00:55-0500

With the recent Wall Street crisis causing record drops and gains, your retirement account may not have value it had before this storm hit. you've saved diligently over the years just to see something like this wipe it out. What can you do to protect your retirement?The main purpose of a retirement account is to create income when your job income stops. There are many philosophies as to how much of your job in...[Read More]

Retirement - Mean Green Tea and Other Opportunities

2008-10-08T08:00:53-0500

Doors unopened, windows nailed shut, closets unexplored....until a knock comes from the other side of that door, a baseball comes flying through that window, that closet is finally revealed with all its treasures.That is what it has been like since undergoing the new discipline of writing. Just today a new opportunity was introduced, yesterday an invitation came to edit the publication of a new book,...[Read More]

Retirement - Do You Have a Renewable Source of Income?

2008-10-08T00:00:54-0500

In today's uncertain times, having a retirement account may not be enough. You can do all the right things and still see your money evaporate due to forces outside of your control. Having a retirement account is like fossil fuel energy, it's finite, and sooner or later, it will be used up. What you need is a renewable source of income.Retirement is something that most people are in denial about. They struggle ...[Read More]

Retirement Seems So Far Away!

2008-10-07T18:00:37-0500

How in the world is anyone able to retire right now the way the economy and the stock market is? Everywhere you turn there's bad news on the horizon, stocks are down, fuel prices are up, people are being laid off their jobs, companies are merging or going out of business.Most economists and financial planners will tell you that the average person has not saved up enough money to retire comfortably. When you con...[Read More]