Your Tax Refund Introduction to I Bonds

Regular readers know that I am a fan of I-Bonds and TIPS for retirement savings. If you are at all concerned about future inflation (and you should be), you should own TIPS and/or I-Bonds as part of a diversified portfolio. This year, the federal government is making it easy for you to buy I-Bonds, also known as Series I U.S. Savings Bonds. Read more

Retirement Income Predictions from Your 401(k)

Many 401(k) plan sponsors and participants seem to forget or overlook that 401(k) plans were intended to get people to retirement but not necessarily through retirement. Consequently, most of the focus has been on accumulation – the size of the account – with too little attention paid to the retirement income that a future retiree can expect to receive from that account. Fortunately, this may be starting to change. Read more

Are Annuities the New Pension?

I have thought and written extensively about the benefits, costs, and risks of immediate and variable annuities for retirement. Now even the White House is suggesting that more boomers consider using annuities to provide lifetime retirement income. Read more

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. Read more

New Types of Variable Annuities for Retirement

There is a transformation of sorts occurring in the annuity market. Some of the large sellers of annuities to baby boomers and retirees are introducing new annuity products that are simplified and/or that offer new features. Let’s look briefly at a couple of these new types of annuities. Read more

Retirement Plan Contribution Limits for 2010

It’s time to adjust our retirement plan contributions for 2010. These plans include 401(k) plans, individual and spousal IRAs, and our Health Savings Account, which we use for retirement savings. Read more

Are You an Optimistic Investor?

Being generally optimistic about life can be good for your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, being an optimistic investor can sometimes have a negative affect on your financial health. Read more

Should You Now Own Gold for Retirement?

Gold as a retirement investment? If you ask ten people, you may hear ten different answers. Gold has one thing going for it: it’s an investment that will do well when the world is in crisis. Almost any kind of global calamity or economic bad news will trigger a spike in gold prices. Read more

Beware the Free Lunch Financial Seminars

Each month I receive at least one invitation to a free lunch at a local restaurant, courtesy of a local financial planner, insurance broker, or investment advisor. I am told that my attendance will be rewarded by an informative presentation on investing or retirement planning. I have never attended one of these “seminars” for good reason. They invariably are nothing more than thinly disguised sales presentations to a captive audience. Read more

Roth IRA Conversion Calculators

Most of you know that 2010 presents a tremendous opportunity for baby boomers with higher incomes to open a Roth IRA and/or to convert a conventional IRA to a Roth. The reason is that the current income limitations on Roth contributions and conversions will be lifted. Read more

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