Retirement Blog

I’ve already made up my mind that part of my retirement planning is to continue typing on this keyboard until my fingers don’t work anymore. So I’m inclined to believe that a proposal from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, to get rid of the option to take Social Security at age 62

The IRS yesterday announced the 2011 contribution limits on tax-advantaged retirement savings plans. Because inflation is low, most of the limits don’t change much for 2010. The employee contribution limit for 401(k)s, 403(b)s and 457(b) plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is unchanged at $16,500, although if you are over 50, you can

If your retirement planning doesn’t leave enough money to pay off the car lease you committed to when times were better, here’s a possible solution. LeaseTrader.com, a website that helps people get out of leases they don’t want anymore, notes that baby boomers are among their best customers. About 29 percent — up from 21

Part of retirement planning is figuring out where you’re going to live. Two housing experts writing in Washington Monthly this month call for a federal housing policy that emphasizes urban living and public transit. Patrick Doherty, director of the Smart Strategy Initiative at the New America Foundation, and Christopher Leinberger, a professor at the University

The cost of nursing home, assisted living and adult day care costs all rose in 2010 from 2009, according to MetLife Mature Market Institute’s annual survey, released today. The numbers here are enough to send most people’s retirement planning into a tailspin. Key findings includ: The national average daily rate for a private room in a

Here’s a retirement planning rule:  Before you retire, get out of debt, then use your credit cards carefully. A rising number of people over 65 are going bankrupt, with the percentage going steadily upward from 2 percent in 1991 to 4 percent in 2001 to 7 percent in 2007 — before the financial meltdown in

We’re nearing the end of the year and now’s the time to think about taxes while you can still do something about your tax situation. Factoring taxes into your retirement planning can make a big difference. Rick Rodgers, a financial planner and author of a new book on retirement, “The New Three-Legged Stool,” points out

If I somehow manage to strike it rich in the next 10 years, my retirement planning objectives will change. I will buy an apartment in Paris (where property costs are very dear). Once settled, I will spend afternoons at a sidewalk cafe, order “un café au lait, si’l vous plait,” and listen to snippets of

Choosing the right Medicare supplementary plans is an important part of retirement planning. Open enrollment for those covered by Medicare health and prescription drug plans begins on Nov. 15 and ends on Dec. 31. During this time, you can make changes to an existing plan that you are enrolled in or choose a different plan.

More than 80 percent of wives will outlive their husbands by an average of 14 years, according to calculations using U.S. Census data. Retirement plans for couples should take that reality into account. Catherine Avery of Catherine Avery Investment Management, a New York City-based investment management company whose clients are primarily women, says she recommends