Signing up to start Social Security is simple. However, finding the right Social Security strategy for you can be complicated but VERY worthwhile. Here are 15 tips for making the best Social Security decision: Social Security Strategies For Almost Everyone 1. Delay the Start of Benefits for As Long As Possible This Social Security strategy…
Another gift guide? Yep! But, this one is focused on long term financial success and retirement happiness — not cool gadgets and warm sweaters — for everyone on your list, young and old. Great Gifts for Kids of Any Age Shares of an Index Fund Let’s say that you have a child who is 10…
This year family gatherings may be different (more Zoom, less slobbery kisses and heart felt hugs), but it will undoubtedly feel more important than ever to celebrate togetherness. While the focus of our gatherings will still be on love and celebration, the holidays are also an opportunity for discussions related to family and money. Like…
You worked and saved for years, and now you can sit back satisfied with a job well done. You built a network of friends and colleagues, and you may have had children who have had families of their own. Will you leave something to the ones you love? The Best Inheritance? Knowledge and Values The…
Once you have solidified your own retirement plan and have saved enough, you may find yourself wanting to help your grandchildren. You might want to lessen their financial burden by paying for their college or reward them for meeting various goals. 1. Gifting Giving money is one way to help your grandchildren. If you are…
Baby boomers who are still financially supporting their adult children (a group that is sometimes referred to as “boomerang kids”) are increasingly finding that doing so is keeping them from reaching retirement, a study shows. In fact, only 21% of baby boomers who support their adult children are retired–compared with 52% of baby boomer households…
The costs of being a caregiver can be overwhelming. There is the extreme emotional turmoil. But there are also serious financial concerns– from money spent out-of-pocket and from time spent caregiving instead of earning income. A study by AARP found that family caregivers spent an average of nearly $7,000 a year of their own money–more…
Saving for retirement can be an incredibly difficult task, especially when your path is filled with hurdles such as job loss, rising inflation, and debt. One obstacle you may not think about is your own family. Juggling family commitments makes it hard for many adults to save for their own financial future. It can force…
Members of the Sandwich Generation are typically in their 40s or 50s today, and there are quite a lot of them: about 53% of Millennials and 29% of Gen Xers, according to sandwich generation statistics reported by the Pew Center. Having two sets of dependents (children and parents) can be burdensome financially as families are…
You spend most of your adult life planning for retirement. You might also spend a lot of time thinking about having grandkids one day. But what you might not predict is a phone call asking whether you’d be interested in a new job: being a childcare provider for the newest family member. Men and women…
Many grandparents and parents strive to help their children pay for college. But there are smart–and not as smart–ways to assist them. The gratification of being a grandparent can stem from the ability to help shape another generation. Part of this gratification comes from helping grandkids pursue educational goals, including attending college. “We find a lot…
Your adult children want to help you as you age. However, they need you to be open to giving them details about what’s to come, according to a 2016 Fidelity Investments Family & Finance Study. The study also found that whether you think you are communicating or not, the kids are not hearing you. Your…
Retirement planning is complicated. Retirement planning when you are married – or part of any kind of committed couple – is doubly complicated. If you are married, you need to use a retirement calculator for married couples, or a retirement calculator for couples. When you are part of a couple, there are double the financial…
It’s taboo. It’s not polite. It’s personal. These are all things you’ve probably heard when it comes to talking about money. Keeping your lips sealed about your personal finances is pretty common, but your financial future may be in jeopardy if you’re not willing to have a straight talk about retirement planning. Straight talk about…
Before you got married, you probably discussed where you wanted to live, whether or not you would have kids and your general hopes for the future. Before you bought a house, you and your spouse talked about where would be best, what size home you hoped to acquire, and more. Before you had kids, you…
You have probably read about the perils of loneliness as you age and how feeling alone can actually reduce your life span by as much as regular smoking does. However, some research suggests that it is not just a matter of having relationships, it is also who your friends happen to be. It turns out…
Making friends in retirement can be difficult, but incredibly important. Get tips for forming meaningful and joyful relationships.
Gray divorce — divorce after 50 — can really cramp your retirement lifestyle. When you say ‘I do,’ your personal finances may not be the first thing on your mind. But the truth is, couples who get married and stay married have benefits that single people simply don’t, such as being able to split up…
Episode 28 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Cameron Huddleston, an award winning personal finance journalist and author, about her experience planning for and caring for aging parents. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Fortune, Huffington Post, Money, MSN, USA Today and many other publications. A mom…
So, what type of empty nest parent are you? Are you: Super proud that they are setting out on their own? Still supporting them financially? Relieved and happy to have more time on your own? Sad and lonely that your children have flown the coop? Guessing that they’ll be back shortly? Shrewdly calculating how much…
College costs can feel overwhelming — especially if you are trying to retire sometime soon (or even just save for a future retirement). How to fund college education is a critical question and families need to explore all of their options. You are not alone if you are worried about paying for both big expenses…
You probably looked at your parents’ and grandparents’ retirement as times of slowing down. But, if you are in your 50s, 60s and even 70s or 80s, I am willing to bet that is not how you feel about your own future. Now — the age of retirement — is an exciting time to restart…
As if saving enough to pay for your own retirement isn’t worrisome enough, research from Merrill Lynch and Age Wave suggests that most people over 50 (6 out of 10 in fact) are providing financial support to family members in need — either on a one off basis or as continuing regular support. Giving money…
While there are lots of benefits to marriage, if you are a woman or you are married to one, you face a a huge retirement disadvantage — a significantly steeper climb toward having adequate retirement savings. A new study from TIAA estimates that in order for two recent college grads to have the same amount…
Retirement planning for women — wives, daughters, mothersBoth women and men continue to save money for retirement in their 401(k)s at the same rate, but due to many factors, women — you, your wife, your daughter, your mother — are less financially prepared for retirement than men, according to recent research from Aon Hewitt. Of…