With rising inflation, volatile stock and bond prices, and low interest rates on regular bank accounts, there are few places for investors to store any extra cash.
Let’s be honest: bonds are boring. Their relatively consistent and modest returns lack the daily excitement of erratic stock prices. So, when bonds do make headlines, it may be time to pay attention.
A successful retirement story is a tale of two parts: building a comfortable nest egg and spending an appropriate amount to make it last. Fortunately, your withdrawal rate in retirement is something you control, and you can use it as a crucial lever to avoid outliving your money.
One important factor you can’t control in your financial life is government policy. And, recently, the Federal Reserve raised its policy interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point.
Retirement planning is all about numbers, right? It’s the calculation of turning your financial assets – pension, 401(k)s/IRAs, Social Security, property, sale of a business, etc. – into income to fund your desired retirement lifestyle. Except most retirees will likely tell you that a spreadsheet can’t account for everything that matters in retirement.
It doesn’t take a government report to know that prices are higher now than a year ago.
If you’ve filled up the gas tank, ordered a cheeseburger or tried to buy a new couch in the past year, then you’ve probably felt a little sticker shock due to rising inflation.
In the past year, a record number of Americans have put in their resignation letters. They have left to find better jobs, start their own businesses, simply take a break, or retire. All can be good reasons to quit, unless it means tapping your retirement accounts early.
Everyone’s experience in retirement is unique. But according to researchers, retirees share some common habits that can affect their happiness. Some offer attributes you may want to adopt and others you are best to avoid. Yet, they all can provide lessons on how to live a fulfilling retirement. Here are some common habits of happy retirees and unhappy retirees.
Stock market declines can feel alarming for just about everyone – no matter how seasoned an investor you are or how long your time horizon. A major reason is our own internal hardwiring. Psychological research suggests that we feel the pain of a loss twice as much as the pleasure of a gain.
No matter how many apples you eat or what age you retire, chances are you won’t keep the doctor away. That means medical care should be an important part of your retirement plan. The challenge is that health care costs in retirement vary from person to person, depending on personal factors such as your age, health history, income and Medicare eligibility.
