Risk Free Yield with I-Bonds and Other Boomer and Retirement Readings

I am a fan of I-Bonds and use them in our retirement emergency fund and-with TIPS-as part of our plan for guaranteed retirement income. Now a “Boglehead” financial expert has written a series for Forbes, presenting his arguments for using I-Bonds to provide risk-free yield.

The author makes a point that I had not considered: The yield on I-Bonds recently beat the rate of inflation even though they were issues with a 0% fixed interest rate. That’s because our economy actually experienced a period of deflation during that time. He explains the logic in this first installment of the I-Bonds series. It’s worth a read.

Hitting your financial “number” for retirement can be important, but has it become too important? According a recent survey discussed on MarketWatch, the size of a nest egg is no measure of a man. In particular, here are two key findings from that survey:

Roughly half of retirees surveyed, given the opportunity to do it all again, indicated that “they would have focused more on their ‘life goals’ and less on ‘the numbers’ and on hitting a specific nest-egg dollar amount when planning for retirement.

Among retirees who wished they had focused more on their ‘life goals,’ nearly four in 10 indicated that they would have spent more time determining how they wanted to live in their retirement years.

I agree wholeheartedly with this conclusions and am actively trying to plan accordingly. I could be generating more income right now but to what end?

If and when you reach a point where you are considering a retirement community – even for the future – it seems that many are now offering overnight stays to check the place out. Excellent concept.

On the more practical side of boomer life:

If you are like many boomers, you occasionally experience computer problems for which you need help. You may also have computer savvy family or friends who are willing to help but are stymied because they can’t see what is happening on your desktop. Now there is a site with a solution: ShowMeWhatsWrong.com. With this site, you can make a quick YouTube video that indeed “shows what’s wrong” and share across the web with your remote helper.

Also, if you are looking for ways to lower the cost of watching television by using the Internet, I have a suggestion: Give Boxee a test drive. This free software and website helps you organize and access video content on the web and on your computer. It has just released a new beta version. Check it out here.

Finally, pay a visit to this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance for some interesting financial reads.

Have a great week. Plenty more to come from Go To Retirement!

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My Related Posts:

1. Your Tax Refund Introduction to I Bonds
2. Should You Buy I-Bonds Now?
3. Buying I-Bonds Online
4. Should Stocks Be in Your Retirement Plan?
5. Your Investment Risk Increases Over Time