The thought of retire early may be an illusion for some and a punishment for others. Everything is, as the saying goes, depending on how you look at it. First, is it the decision whether retirement is voluntary or forced? Often when companies offer their employee early retirement is not really such an offer since the other option is to be fired. (more…)

If you are counting on your 401k plan for retirement - beware! The current financial crisis and stock market collapse are troubling enough, but what many retirement savers don’t know is that their 401k plans may not be up to the task.

401k’s have become the predominant retirement funding tool in the U.S. Twenty-five years ago, traditional defined benefit pensions plans were the primary type of retirement plan covering more than 60% of the workforce that had pension plan coverage. Today, defined contribution plans (mostly 401k) are the primary retirement plan for 63% of the covered workforce. (more…)