From the category archives:

Retirement

A Financial Advisor is Critical to Your Retirement

by macromikeSeptember 6, 2011

Do you need a financial advisor?  A recent article by Jason Zweig of the Wall Street Journal “Too Flustered to Trade”:  A Portrait of the Angry Investor” cites several statistics from research by Decision Research in Oregon. This research was an online survey in which respondents answered questions between August 9th and 15th of this [...]

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How Does Federal Reserve “Intervention” Affect Your Retirement?

by macromikeSeptember 1, 2011

According to Bloomberg.com, the Federal Reserve doled out $1.2 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”!!) to banks and other companies during the recent financial crisis.  “The emergency loans were intended to help recipients cope with cash shortfalls and keep the credit markets from grinding to a halt.” As you can see from the attached graph, [...]

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Does the United States Credit “Downgrade” Affect Your Retirement Planning?

by macromikeAugust 17, 2011

Credit Downgrade – what does that mean and why do you care? With the 2012 US presidential election season underway, there is plenty of media coverage of macro events affecting the US economy, such as the debt ceiling debates (aren’t you glad that’s over?), the slowdown in the US economy, and the actions by the [...]

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Debt Ceiling – Should We Raise (and how will it affect my Retirement)?

by macromikeJuly 19, 2011

Learn more about us debt. // Get the National Debt Clock widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) According to a new Pew Research Center survey of 1,007 Americans, “As the debate over the nation’s debt and deficit continues, the public has grown more concerned that failing [...]

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3 Steps to Ensure Your Income is Retirement Plan Ready

by macromikeJuly 1, 2011

Many Americans assume that their salary and benefits, especially if they have worked for a single employer for their career, are going to experience a steady increase.  Unfortunately, the statistics don’t bear this out. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, both government entities, regularly review taxpayer income data.  The most recent data [...]

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QE2 is Over at the End of June – What Does This Mean for Your Retirement Planning?

by macromikeJune 28, 2011

QE2?  Isn’t that the doomed ocean liner from the days of the Titanic? No, unfortunately QE2 is a bit less exciting.  Quantitative Easing (“QE”) is a monetary policy alternative employed by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the United States’ central bank.  The “Fed”, as it’s sometimes called, adds cash to the economy when it determines that [...]

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Disability Causes Foreclosure 16 times more than Death!

by macromikeMay 25, 2011

Sixteen times?  Can that statistic really be true?   According to the National Safety Council, it’s 16 times more likely that a foreclosure is caused by disability vs. death. Let’s examine what this means in the context of retirement planning. First, what is disability?  According to the World Health Organization: “Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering [...]

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Social Security Reform – Attractive to all Political Parties?

by macromikeMay 4, 2011

Social Security is a popular topic in the financial media today – it’s difficult to avoid it.  Why?  Several reasons, but the most important to you and your retirement planning are the demographics – in 20 years there will only be 2.1 workers for every retiree, vs. 8.6 workers for every retiree in 1955.  What [...]

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The Vision for Medicare

by macromikeApril 22, 2011

Greg Mankiw’s recent blog on President Obama’s debt reduction speech comments on the President’s proposed policies, specifically health insurance and health care spending via Medicare and Medicaid.  Mr. Mankiw, a former Chairman of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors, compares Obama’s plan to Paul Ryan’s plan, and not surprisingly finds many differences.  The [...]

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Your Retirement Number

by macromikeApril 13, 2011

Have a quick look at this recent article in USA Today about how much money we need to retire. Matt Krantz makes the point that many variables come into play, each specific to the individual or family.  For example, do you have employer-paid health insurance?  Do you have a defined benefit pension from your employer when [...]

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