One of the problems many employees have faced over the last decade is the rapid disappearance of the traditional company pension plan – also known as a defined benefit (DB) plan – in favor of defined contribution (DC) plans.  With DB plans, the investment risk is completely borne by...

Now that the Powerball lottery has arrived in California, I thought it would be good to talk about the impact of unexpected or sudden wealth on one’s life.  We’ve all probably dreamed at one time or another about how fantastic our lives would become if we could only win...

The Social Security Administration gives retirees the option of collecting social security (SS) benefits as early as age 62.  But they offer a much higher monthly benefit if you choose instead to delay collecting benefits until age 70.  How much more?  According to Elaine Floyd of Horsesmouth, LLC, a...

It seems like the bad news about our retirement prospects just keeps on coming.  According to a U.S. Census Bureau report just released, the median level of debt among households led by someone 65 and older more than doubled over the last decade from roughly $12,000 to $26,000.  This...

There are a number of tools you can use to reduce taxes on the growth of your investments.  You can contribute to a traditional IRA, where you get a tax deduction for the contribution plus tax-deferral on all gains until you retire.  Or you can contribute to a Roth...