Retirement

Before its bankruptcy in 1991, Executive Life Insurance Company accepted transfer contracts from companies to pay their retirees’ pensions instead of the companies defined benefit pension plan. Employers saved money in the transfer because Executive Life offered high interest rates — which were discovered later to be backed by junk bonds – and because their

If you don’t want to outlive your money in retirement, then you’ll need a plan to make your money last for the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. Otherwise, with no plan, you’ll need to count on hope and luck, which isn’t the smartest choice. Your plan should include these steps:

It’s no secret that Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are intended to help with the burden of medical costs, allowing the account holder to contribute pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified medical expenses with tax-free distributions, but an HSA can also be used strategically in planning for retirement. Some HSA account holders opt not to make

Many people know how Federal Reserve policies influence the economy and investment markets, but they don’t realize how interest rate moves change the results of estate planning strategies. The Federal Reserve increased rates significantly in 2022 and 2023, and recently market rates spikes again. The significant increases in rates the last few years alter the

By Patricia Corrigan, Next Avenue Rick Bulan was watching television in 1994 when he saw something he wanted: A 1,000-pound, 12.5-foot-long piece of deteriorating handrail removed from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge a year earlier. “I remember thinking it would make a cool headboard for a bed,” recalls Bulan, now 53. On impulse, he bought

This week is America Saves Week, a time to focus on actions Americans can take to successfully save. When it comes to saving for retirement, Americans are feeling pessimistic. In a recent nationwide survey of working age Americans, 79 percent agree that the nation faces a retirement savings crisis, up from 67 percent in 2020.

It used to be that the worst fears about aging were getting cancer. Now, the worst fear is developing dementia. Unlike cancer, for which we do have treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, we have no equivalent treatments available yet for dementia. We can indeed manage and sometimes cure cancers. We can’t yet slow nor stop

By Erin Flynn Jay, Next Avenue Liz Elting was a 26-year-old graduate student in 1992 when she cofounded a business in her dorm room, a language-translation service that grew into a $1.1 billion company called TransPerfect. She cashed in her stake in 2018 but has no intention of retiring — and doesn’t think you should,

By Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Next Avenue The income Vivian Marlene Dunbar, age 75, earns as a freelance signature gatherer for ballot initiatives in California means she can afford groceries, pay medical bills and keep her car. Working as an independent contractor gives her the flexibility she wants and needs to schedule around doctors’ appointments. She

BlackRock BLK CEO Larry Fink issued his Annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors. Always a much-anticipated document, this year’s letter is titled “Time to rethink retirement.” Fink asks, “How do we afford longer lives?” and argues that we should at least start the conversation of when retirement should be in an era of increasing longevity and