Retirement

The Senate introduced a piece of legislation that would require retirement plan sponsors to provide plan participants with estimates of how much income their accounts will generate in retirement. The majority of Americans approach retirement without a basic financial plan and with resources that are not sufficient for support of pre-retirement spending and lifestyles. The Lifetime Income Disclosure Act would provide Americans with a clear picture of the income-producing potential of their...

Larger 401k accounts (in excess of $200,000) dropped 25% on average in 2008. 95% percent of participants in defined contribution style 401k plans would pursue a "cash out" option if offered--essentially taking the lump sum of accumulated assets rather than an option to turn that pool of assets into a guaranteed stream of income . Only 25% of participants in defined benefit pension programs would accept the same lump sum "cash out" offer.

Although mentioned previously , it is worth noting again that Moshe Milevsky is the most active, creative and interesting voice in the asset decumulation industry. Moshe produces copious amounts of outstanding materials that shed light on the world of annuities for both professional and consumer audiences. A recent interview in The Journal of Financial Planning is highly recommended. Moshe is working on a soon to be released book on lifecycle investing . In the Journal of Financial Planning...

In January 2010, many investors who had previously been prevented from considering a Roth IRA conversion because of income limits will be able to consider converting to a Roth IRA. Asset manager Charles Schwab recently published a useful list of tips that are worth considering in light of the Roth IRA conversion opportunities. Much of the content naturally focuses on tax considerations and differences between traditional and Roth IRAs. Source: Charles Schwab Full Story