Building wealth is one of the primary tenets of financial planning, but do you ever wonder how your net worth compares to the rest of the world? We can talk about financial security all day, but what does that really mean in the grand scheme of things? Bloomberg Businessweek sought to answer this question, and [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Now that October has arrived, the weather is finally beginning to change from summer to more autumn-like. This might come as a welcome reprieve from this year’s unusually long, hot summer… Or, you might be feeling a sense of dread. Some people simply do not enjoy winter, at all, and can’t [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Many of us tend to view retirement as the end. It’s certainly the end of your working years (unless you take up a second career in your sixties). But it’s also a beginning; once you retire, you have the time to begin new hobbies, move to a new location, and revamp [...]
If you’re a parent, you want the absolute best for your children. But this decision should not have to come at the expense of your retirement. Yet, every year many parents are tempted to tap into their retirement accounts to pay for college tuition. This is pretty much always a bad idea, because while there [...]
Married couples face some extra considerations when planning for their retirement years. Not only do you need to prepare for an income that supports both of you for the rest of your lives; you also must confront the reality that one of you will probably outlive the other. And while the widow or widower can [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: If you’re like a lot of people, you can’t wait to retire! In fact, you might be analyzing your finances and running the numbers over and over, trying to decide if you can retire a few years earlier than planned. There’s no single retirement age that works perfectly for everyone. And [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: No one wants to face a healthcare crisis during their retirement years (or at any other time). We face many choices with regard to preventing serious illness, such as exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, or avoiding problematic behaviors like smoking. But despite healthy lifestyle choices, some things are still out [...]
Have you noticed that you’re paying more for certain items lately? Price hikes on many consumer goods tend to occur in the summer. Gas prices tend to spike, and that affects the cost of everything from your overall vacation budget to a simple gallon of milk. And, this year’s severe weather events have impacted farmers [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: They say hindsight is 20/20, meaning it is always easier to look back at the past and see things more clearly. Most of us have experienced situations in which life experience illuminates the reality of past mistakes. That’s why many retirees often preface statements with the words, ‘If I could do [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Back when you first started working for your current employer, you filled out a number of forms regarding taxes, insurance, and your retirement fund. Most likely, you established an automatic contribution to your retirement account. You chose a certain percentage of your paycheck to divert to savings, signed the form, and [...]