Displaying 406 results
A real life case of confused claiming strategies
When to use 'file and suspend' vs. a restricted claim for spousal benefits.
Why you should stop your health savings contributions when Medicare begins
Medicare enrollment mandatory for Social Security recipients age 65+
Mary Beth Franklin: Public servants get short end of Social Security stick
Windfall Elimination Provision trims benefits; spousal benefits can be wiped out
Mary Beth Franklin: Does LTC insurance still make sense?
Costs for long-term-care insurance are headed for the stratosphere. Mary Beth Franklin says alternative strategies may be a better deal for some clients.
Pension rule can mean big Social Security cut
Mary Beth Franklin looks at the Government Pension Offset, which can can turn retirement planning upside down.
Mary Beth Franklin: Don’t forget kids in Social Security strategy
Factoring a child's benefit into claiming strategy can boost family income
Self-employment a halfway house for retirement
Home-based work makes for a good transistion for clients looking to ease into their golden years
Mary Beth Franklin: Four costly Social Security mistakes
While some retirees are simply uniformed, others are dangerously misinformed.
Mary Beth Franklin: Talk health care to clients — or lose them
New survey shows few advisers are confident discussing medical costs; big price for ignoring the topic
Mary Beth Franklin: How to play the Social Security age game
Sometimes it makes sense for one spouse to claim benefits early.
Mary Beth Franklin: Advisers and clients don’t talk Medicare
Survey finds that the discussion never comes up; yawning opportunity?
Are retirees better off than we think? Data says yes
Agency bulletin notes that key government report doesn't count IRA, 401k distributions.
Playing with money
Teresa Ghilarducci, an ardent critic of the 401(k) system, created quite a buzz with a recent opinion piece, “Our Ridiculous Approach to Retirement.”
The secrets of Social Security
Even for the typically affluent clients of financial advisers, informed decisions about how and when to claim Social Security benefits can mean thousands of extra dollars a year, and tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. Are you prepared to advise clients on this crucial decision?
When 401(k) plans aren’t the best option
Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code went into effect in 1980 and subsequently launched what has become the largest private-sector retirement plan in the United States.
New benchmarks for retirement income management
With retirement income management becoming the primary objective of many investors, it's time for new investment benchmarks which reflect that. For decades, investors have been using the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average as defaults for investment performance. But constructing portfolios that track those benchmarks is of little value for investors who must live off the returns on their portfolios.
Do we still need ERISA? Only if we want to shortchange savers
With the technological advancements in money management platforms and payroll systems, one has to wonder whether the costs associated with ERISA compliance could be removed from the retirement plan system. If we could safely remove those costs, it's likely we could help employees accumulate between 20% and 30% more money for retirement. So it's worth considering.
To annuitize or not: The debate continues
In my last column, I provided an analysis of the income guarantees from a life-only, immediate annuity versus the likelihood of running out of money if you kept your retirement savings invested in the markets. I received a lot of comments on that column, and I thought I'd respond to several of them.
Should clients annuitize their retirement assets?
With the decline in the stock market over the last year, there is renewed interest in lifetime income guarantees for retirees. So, does it make sense to annuitize retirement money or roll the dice with market based returns?
Frozen 401(k) matches are discouraging employees from contributing
As if people needed more of a reason to be down about their 401(k)s. Scores of employers,…
