Below are key end of year tax strategies to help you keep more money. YEAR END TAX ADVICE #1: Over 72? Don’t Overlook Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)! This is perhaps the easiest piece of year end tax advice for retirees: Don’t forget to take your RMDs! However, Fidelity Investments reports that the majority — 61%…
Retirement Budget News, Information and Guidance
Most of us could benefit from cutting retirement costs. Now is the time to really know what you are spending and assess your budget. When living on a fixed income in retirement, it is very important to make sure that your income does not exceed expenses. Living more frugally can be done no matter your…
Your retirement budget determines how much you will really need to have saved for a secure retirement. It is very important to get this right. While accurately estimating your expenses for the rest of your life is a daunting prospect, the right tools and advice can make it easy. Your retirement budget will evolve… Detailed…
Passive income streams are income sources that you benefit from without too much effort — the money just flows in. Create passive income streams and just enjoy retirement… Passive income streams are therefore ideal for retirement. In retirement we are trying to maximize the time we spend on leisure activities while minimizing work or burdensome…
When it comes to your retirement planning, saving, investing and plotting how to spend your free time are at the top of the list. How much you will have to pay in taxes after retirement may be the last thing on your mind. But not taking the time to look at how retirement taxes will…
As more and more baby boomers head into retirement, there is a growing conversation about how to generate adequate retirement income from retirement assets. Even with some good economic news, many of us are going to come up short. Retirement income doesn’t grow on trees… But you can make it grow! According to the most…
Retirement is a big deal and a huge life change. You have a whole new lifestyle and need a very different way of thinking about your money. In fact, your financial mindset needs to get flipped upside down. You need to go from a focus on accumulation (saving, saving, saving) to spending (efficient use and…
Episode 19 of the NewRetirement podcast is an interview with Jesse Mecham — the founder of You Need a Budget, a CrossFit/PowerLifter and generally strong guy. We discuss why budgeting is a powerful life altering tool for him and their users, how they got started and what’s unique about how they educate people and build…
According to a report by NerdWallet, in 2018 84% of people made financial resolutions. If you are among these planners, but haven’t quite achieved your goals, it’s not too late. And, it can even be relatively easy! September, October, November, December… You still have four months to achieve your 2018 money related resolutions! Here are…
If you made it into the ranks of high income earners, you are probably going to be okay in retirement. If you are part of the working class, the news is not as great. The first victims of the income gap are beginning to retire and feeling financially secure in retirement will be difficult for…
Contrary to what many financial planners suggest, you can live on a lot less than 100% or even 80% of your pre-retirement income. In fact, a survey by T. Rowe Price of new retirees who have 401(k) account balances or rollover IRAs found that you can live comfortably on a lot less. The report suggests that nearly…
To gain financial independence for retirement, use the lessons of those who have retired early… like really early… The Big Takeaways… Financial independence can be achieved, but it’s about combining lifestyle ambitions with reasonable financial strategies. Financial independence comes with some sacrifice, so it’s important to consider the consequences before committing yourself to an early…
Scarcity can be a big problem in all kinds of situations, including retirement. You’re busy – probably more so than you’ve ever been. There are meetings to attend, important emails unread, and looming deadlines that seem more and more impossible with each passing day. You have absolutely no time to yourself, and you do everything…
You were probably a teenager when it happened – the moment when you opened your first paycheck and officially started the cycle of earning and spending your own money. Since then, the following process has never stopped: Work. Earn money. Spend some. Save some (hopefully)… Repeat. And now, just because you are ready to retire,…
One of the biggest fears you probably have about retirement is will your money last as long as you do. It is likely that you are also asking: How much can I spend? How much do I need? How much do I actually have? There are so many questions. Good news: the Stanford Center on…
In some ways, managing money in retirement gets a little easier than before. You only have the money you have, so your options are somewhat simpler and more limited. On the other hand, the rules of money management shift in retirement so it may seem more complicated to you. No matter whether you find it…
You’ve probably heard the standard money-saving advice: If you want to save money, eat out at restaurants less and cook at home more. But it’s almost as easy to blow your budget at the grocery store as it is when dining out. Stores use some crazy shopping tricks to make you buy more. You know…
Regardless of where you are in life, it’s always nice to make some extra money. And that is especially true in retirement. But, how to make money in retirement when your supposed to be simply enjoying the easy life? The retirement gigs listed below won’t be quite enough to cover retirement expenses, but they won’t…
Need a helping hand? Find help for seniors with low income The Big Takeaways… A significant amount of qualifying seniors don’t participate in low income benefits because often it’s hard to know what’s available. Tools like Benefits Checkup and the Eldercare Locator can help connect seniors with the services and benefits they qualify for. To…
For many, the season of spending is upon us and I don’t just mean Christmas and the other winter holidays. If you are nearing or already in retirement, you are indeed permanently in the season of spending. You have spent a lifetime amassing savings and other resources and now is the time to use these…
If you want a secure retirement, you need to predict how much you will spend on retirement expenses. Some might say that trying to predict your costs for every month for the next 15-30 years is preposterously impossible. However, it is probably no surprise to tell you that the closer you can get to predicting…
You are probably worried that you have not saved enough for retirement and the the #1 piece of advice from most financial experts is to tell you to Save More! What if I tell you that this focus on savings has it all wrong? There is something MUCH more effective you can do to to…
When planning for retirement, it’s important to save enough money to cover the essentials. While a financial planner may discuss earmarking funds to pay for daily living expenses, housing and health care related costs, one of the biggest expenses in retirement is something that many advisers may overlook. What Are the 3 Biggest Expenses in…
If you are worried about how to save money, you are far from alone. In case you missed the survey released last month by the Federal Reserve Board, 47% of American consumers report they would not be able to come up with $400 for an emergency without borrowing or selling something. That’s half of the…
You might not think of it this way, but most of us get scammed — somewhat tricked — out of our hard earned money every single day. These little expenses can add up to big bucks that we could be saving for retirement and spending in our golden years.Whether it’s spending money on dumb stuff,…
Do you actually know how much you spend every day now? What about every week? Throughout your life, you have probably at least looked backward to assess how much you have spent — even if it is just a running tally in your head. However, figuring out much you will consume in the future can be…
Scottish poet Robert Burns famously said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” That’s true about most everything that you undertake in life, but hoping for the best isn’t the greatest retirement budget strategy. You need a real strategy, and one that’s based on your life and the life that you want…
The last decade has been tough for retirees and those nearing retirement, says Gary Foreman, founder of The Dollar Stretcher. “So many had counted on cashing out the equity in their homes to help fund retirement,” he says. “The crash of 2008 not only ended that dream, but also wiped out much of their IRA…
You may have heard this little piece of retirement advice: you should spend all of your money while there is still time to spend it. Though the notion of “dying broke” may appeal to many Americans, it is not the best advice for those who are approaching retirement. People are living longer and experiencing increased…
Jacob and Vanessa Lumby might be young, but they’ve already figured out some pretty wise methods for saving for retirement: Being frugal. Saving first and being a consumer second. Evaluating each purchase in light of financial freedom and other long-term goals. Two years ago, the pair started their blog, Cash Cow Couple, which focused on…
Are you thinking about buying a car? Will you need to buy a car at some point when you are retired? Cars can be a big purchase and you should think carefully about your car choice in terms of your overall financial picture. No matter when you need to buy a car, you should consider…
Many of us want to be wealthy, but few of us realize what it takes to get there. That’s why Keith Whelan founded Cashflownavigator, a site that lets you track where your money goes and gives you the tools to redirect it. He was kind enough to speak with us about how to do more…
As you approach retirement, you have a lot on your mind. Deciding how and where you would like to spend your retirement years and making sure that you have the funds to do so are probably at the top of your list. Chances are that you are not thinking much about your credit score, but…
Once you turn 70, car insurance is a whole new and potentially expensive ballgame. This could be the most wonderful time of your life, at least if you’re prepared for what’s up ahead in the road. But if you prefer to drive without a map, there might be some expensive surprises on your journey through…
Lynette Rice knows what it takes to live life to the fullest without overspending. That’s why she created her own website, Cleverly Simple, and shares what she knows with readers. Here, Rice shares some tips with readers looking to save money, cut back on overspending, and find ways to save on everyday items. Cleverly Simple…
Old or young, it’s never too late or too early to prepare for the future, or just to practice healthy financial habits – to have more while spending less. Deacon Hayes and his wife were drowning in debt. They set out to learn how successful people handled their money and discovered they were doing it…
Saving for retirement sometimes takes a bit of creativity. This is especially true if you’ve spent some time with a devil-may-care attitude and are just now getting down to business. You’re not alone, if that’s the case. More often than not, you’ll look for ways to boost savings rather than sit comfortably with what you’ve…
Americans spend too much time focusing on investing, and not enough time understanding or planning for living expenses in retirement, says Jim Koch, principal and founder of Koch Capital Management LLC. “It’s actually quite sad to me that so much time and energy is spent on looking for that home-run stock versus determining all the…
While he was an entrepreneur in the investment management industry, Todd Tresidder noticed a contradiction in what got him to his own financial independence and what was normally taught. From this contradiction, Todd found motivation to create Financial Mentor to teach financial freedom and wealth building. With his economics and investing background, Todd has a…
Natalie McNeal turned being smart with money into a career: She’s the editor of The Frugalista and is always looking for a smart way to save a dollar for the future. She spoke with us about how to change how we view money and better plan for the future. Do you think we spend too…
If you ask Jason Vitug, financial literacy is the single most important issue in America, impacting our life and economy. “The unfortunate reality is that we aren’t taught about money at school,” he says. “We learn how to calculate the circumference of a circle but not about compound interest.” And while government organizations and nonprofits…
Miron Lucic always thinks ahead. On his blog SuperMoney, he’s constantly on the cutting edge of retirement planning, among other financial topics. He laid out for us how to plan for your retirement while balancing your other financial needs. What are some mistaken beliefs about retirement planning you often see? Probably the most common misconception…
Generating enough income to live comfortably during retirement is the biggest challenge every American faces later in life. As baby boomers get closer to retiring, the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) asked them what they considered their top-five retirement income sources and found that Social Security tops the list. In fact, research shows that 65% of…
Federal Budget Cuts Affecting Seniors CNNMoney, November 19th, 2013 For many seniors, being able to stay in their own homes can be their last claim to independence and dignity, and will not be easily let go of. However, most will readily admit that a little help here and there can be essential to their ability…
