Retirement Accounts

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How to Roll Over Your 401(k)

If you leave your job, the most sensible thing to do with your 401(k) from a tax-management point of view is a 401(k) direct rollover (also known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer) of the money. With this [more…]

How Roth IRAs Differ from Regular IRAs

Roth IRAs allow you to place money in a long-term savings plan and defer income tax on the amount you invest and the investments earnings. Roth IRAs allow an annual contribution of up to [more…]

How to Borrow from Your 401(k)

You can borrow from your 401(k) only if your plan document allows you to borrow for the specific reason you have in mind. Some 401(k) plans permit borrowing for any reason, but most permit loans only for [more…]

Deciding When to Cash In Your Social Security Retirement Benefits

Social Security taxes cover five categories: retirement, disability, family, survivors, and Medicare. At this time, workers with earnings of less than [more…]

How Annuities Help Secure Your Future

Annuities are intended to help you save for retirement and supplement your retirement income. Various types of annuities can make your retirement more secure by helping you do the following: [more…]

What Is a Fixed Deferred Annuity?

A fixed deferred annuity is the insurance industry’s version of a savings account. The annuity helps you earn a modest rate of interest safely, and allows you to postpone the payment of income taxes on [more…]

What Is a Single-Year Guarantee Fixed Annuity?

The single-year guarantee fixed annuity is like an adjustable rate mortgage in reverse. With this annuity, the insurance company promises to pay you a certain rate of interest for one year. But each year [more…]

What Is a Multi-Year Guarantee Fixed Annuity?

A multi-year guarantee (MYG) fixed annuity is like a fixed-rate mortgage in reverse. You give a specific amount of money to an insurance company, and the insurer guarantees that your investment will earn [more…]

What Is a Market Value-Adjusted Fixed Annuity?

Although insurance companies usually assume your interest-rate risk when you buy a fixed annuity, that’s not always the case. With a market value-adjusted [more…]

The Benefits of Fixed Annuities as Investment Tools

Fixed deferred annuities offer safe, but low, returns and tax deferral. Risk-averse investors buy them when they offer higher interest rates than CDs, when the stock market is declining or appears headed [more…]

The Drawbacks of Fixed Annuities as Investments

Although fixed deferred annuities are a relatively safe investment, there are also reasons why people tend to shy away from them. They include the following: [more…]

Are Index, Equity-Indexed, and Fixed-Indexed Annuities All the Same?

Index annuities were created in 1996, when investors were shifting their attention from bond-based investments like fixed annuities to stock-based investments, including mutual funds and variable annuities [more…]

What Are Variable Annuities?

Variable annuities, or VAs, are mutual fund investments that have certain insurance-related guarantees, such as living benefits and death benefits. (Mutual funds are bundles of stocks or bonds or a mixture [more…]

What Are Income Annuities?

Income annuities enable you to convert a large sum of cash into a monthly, quarterly, or annual paycheck. You give the lump sum to a reputable insurance company, and the insurer issues a contract that [more…]

What Are Advanced Life Deferred Annuities?

One of the more intriguing annuities of all is the advanced life deferred annuity (ALDA), also called pure longevity insurance. Typically people who purchase an ALDA [more…]

What Does Retirement Mean to You?

Picturing yourself in retirement may be difficult. Retirement may feel so many years away that you can’t even fathom the idea of ever being able to retire. Or possibly you’re middle-aged and feel that [more…]

How Much Money Do You Need to Retire?

If you’re wondering how much money you need to retire, the quick answer that most financial advisors would tell you is 60 to 80 percent of your final working years’ income to maintain your standard of [more…]

Estimating (Or Ignoring) Your Social Security Benefits for Retirement

All your retirement income may not have to come from your savings. Do you have a company pension, did someone leave a bunch of money in a trust fund for you, or are you eligible for and planning to receive [more…]

The Best Places to Save for Retirement

You have many options for saving for retirement. However, 401(k), Roth IRAs, and other retirement plans have different strengths and weaknesses. The following is a listing of retirement savings options [more…]

Establishing Automatic Investment Programs for Retirement

You may want to consider establishing automatic investment programs to save for your retirement. Several automatic savings programs may be available to you. You need to determine how much you can direct [more…]

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