Cash, dough, greenbacks, moollah, dinero—whatever the moniker, the amount of money we have will define what we can and can’t do in retirement. Retirement is all about money and our ability to manage it so that we can use it during our retirement years and leave an estate for our loved ones if we choose to do so. Perhaps the most important point is to convince you that you must establish an income that you can- not outlive. With life expectancy increasing, you run the very real risk of outliving your income. (more…)

You are the only one who can determine whether or not you will have enough to live on after you retire. You will not know much about it, unless, before you retire you take the time to find out the answers to a few questions. Neither will worry about the situation or taking the point of view that you will cross that bridge when you get there help much. Once you have the facts you can begin to plan for your future security. (more…)

So now you are planning your retirement thoroughly. You are sure that you still get your income to maintain your retirement lifestyle.

Here’s a rough breakdown of where your retirement income will likely come from when you retire: (more…)

Because in a defined benefit plan, the benefit relates directly to the number of years you work for a company, the longer you work there, the greater the benefit during retirement.

The cost of early retirement on your pension throughout the rest of your life is something to consider as you make a decision about when to retire. (more…)

One way to find out how much money you spend each month and what you spend it for is to keep a record of all expenditures during the next month. For this purpose some people find a small five cent notebook handy because they can carry it with them. What¬ever system you use, be sure and write down everything and es¬pecially what you spend for the “little” things such as magazines, a pack of cigarettes, toothpaste and hairpins. (more…)

Americans are increasingly become aware and responsible for their retirement wealth. Many of us are know that the prospect of living with social security income and a employer pension plan is reduced dramatically and not attractive. More and more pensioners and retirees are less put trust on traditional sources of income; saving for retirement and work part time are seen to be more attractive. But the condition for future pensioners and retirees will be getting worsened. Given the desire to build a large nest egg for retirement was the need to build a replacement income. (more…)

You may have a general idea of how much income you expect to receive after you quit working, but to be on the safe side, you ought to know exactly what this amount will be. For example, how much retirement income will you receive from each of the following sources: (more…)

As you consider your retirement income needs, don’t overlook the equity in your home as a source of income. There are four options for tapping the equity in your home. The first two require a move. The other two allow you to remain in your present home. (more…)

Among the variety of retirement plans you can pursue, some qualify for tax deferral by the regulations of the federal government, and others don’t. The federal government passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) regulation in 1974. This legislation and its requirements determine whether a retirement plan offered by employers or an employee organization (such as a union) qualifies for tax deferral of investment and interest until retirement age. (more…)

In many situations involving the transition of business ownership to a family member, the owner is looking for continued income that will support a retirement lifestyle. It is important that the transitioning owner and the new owner discuss the income expectations of the current family business owner before any final transition agreement is made. This will reduce, but may not eliminate, the resentment from the next-generation owner of the business. Long-term acceptance of paying an income to the former owner is more of a problem when the owner is selling versus gifting the business. (more…)