http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog Retirement Planning Blog Topics: Social Security, Investments, Safe Money advisory, Retirement Video Seminars Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:37:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Tax-free Roth IRA conversion is a topic that can help many of you have more money for retirement ... an important law change in 2010 has been a real game changer. Everyone needs to find out if a tax-free Roth IRA is right for them. Before we get into the specifics ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2010/02/getting-to-know-roth-ira-conversions/ What will you do if you run out of money during retirement? What are the consequences if your surviving spouse doesn’t have enough money? These serious questions are reality for many retirees. Nonetheless as I mentioned in my retirement blog, the fear of running out of money  has not kept ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2010/01/making-your-retirement-money-long/ This is a question I get constantly on this Retirement Blog. Like most decisions in life the answer is: maybe and maybe not! It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Historically, gold has been used to hedge against government failure, inflation, economic uncertainty or as an investment. ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/12/retirement-planning-should-you-buy-gold/ No other savings vehicle is as misunderstood, under appreciated and maligned as fixed annuities. Most people who can benefit from annuities have been bombarded by misinformation, biased opinions and outright lies. The truth is: fixed annuities are safe because they are guaranteed by insurance companies, a great place ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/12/ten-biggest-misconceptions-about-fixed-annuities/ Many retirees live on income from their portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other market-related securities. On October 09, 2007, the market [as measured by the DJIA] peaked at 14164.53 and then started a dramatic decline until March 09, 2009, when a trough of 6547.05 was reached. This 53.8% ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/11/the-dangers-of-investing-for-a-lifetime-income/ Lower interest rates have spilled over into banks, and one-year CDs paying 1.5% or less are commonplace. This is a huge decline from a year or two ago when comparable CDs were paying more than 3%. As I mentioned in my Retirement Blog, CD rates are marching in an unclear ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/10/bank-cds-versus-guaranteed-lifetime-income/ The Great Recession has probably thrown your investments in reverse, and you’re hoping to soon “get back to break even”. Not only may this be wishful thinking, it is probably bad strategy – because this is the exact strategy that got you to the bottom in the first place. What’s ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/10/retirement-investing-two-back-one-forward/ You are saving money in your 401(k), 403(b), IRA or other retirement accounts so you can have an income in retirement. Unfortunately, “defined contribution” plans do not guarantee you a lifetime income nor do you get a guarantee against losses if you selected market investment choices. Most retirement-minded ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/08/retirement-and-longevity-risk-the-solution/ As you are painfully aware, the before-tax money you’ve put away for retirement, and which has been growing tax deferred, has a co-owner: Uncle Sam.  The tax laws say you must start withdrawing and paying taxes on this money when you reach age 70½.  If you fail to take the ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/07/retirement-decision-rmd-versus-roth-ira/ If you had a plan for retirement, chances are it has been up-ended in the latest market meltdown. As I mentioned in this retirement blog, Retirement-minded savers and retirees that committed their hard earned money to the “market” have been on a roller coaster ride since 2000. First ... http://www.theretirementpros.com/blog/2009/06/retirement-from-point-a-to-plan-b/