Volatile and uncertain market conditions are particularly troublesome for those who have recently retired or are near retirement. The decisions made during this critical period can significantly determine whether savings will last throughout one’s lifetime. Christine Fahlund, a senior financial planner at T. Rowe Price, says there are simple steps that can increase the odds…
Running out of money in retirement is a major concern for older Americans, especially since so many are considerably behind on savings. According to a 2016 Transamerica study, 43% of workers 50 and older claim that their greatest retirement-related fear is outliving their savings. A 2015 survey released by the American Institute of CPAs had…
This week’s AAII Weekly Digest highlights these “must-read” AAII articles: Common Questions About Medicaid and Medicaid Planning Medicaid is a needs-based medical assistance program administered by federal and state governments. However, state and federal governments continue to tinker with Medicaid eligibility and spend-down rules. Planning opportunities are currently available (even though a spouse may…
We all want to achieve retirement security—and to maintain our sanity during volatile market periods. If we could only predict tomorrow’s markets, we would handily satisfy these needs—we would be able to sell before a market decline and buy at the bottom. Truth be told, probably the single most important element of successful investing is…
Each day, thousands of American are retiring. For many, finding sufficient income when in retirement will be a challenge. In fact, according to a brief from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research (CRR), middle-class Americans age 65 to 69 have more or equal wealth in their home equity than in their financial assets. Yet…
Higher levels of confidence about one’s ability to invest lead to worse returns. I realize that this may seem counterintuitive to some of you, but this is the conclusion of a study accepted by the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance (an earlier version of the study is available on SSRN). It’s yet another example of…
Here are the Top 10 articles from AAII.com for September 2016 (based on unique page views): Why Buy Bonds If Interest Rates Will Rise? Starting a bond ladder creates income now and produces cash flow that can be used to reinvest if and when interest rates do rise. The Top 10 Economic Indicators: What…
A new stock screen I created omits one characteristic that may surprise some (or perhaps many) of you: growth. Nothing in the screen requires a passing company to be growing revenues or profits. It is an admitted deviation from how I’ve previously looked for stocks. I’m not alone in omitting growth. The four AAII Stock…
Look under the hood of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) incorporating a quality factor and you will often find accruals being used. An accrual is an accounting entry recorded at the time a transaction occurs, regardless of whether not payment has been made. Accrual accounting allows businesses to report their sales and earnings performance without being beholden…
This week’s AAII Weekly Digest highlights these “must-read” AAII articles: Investing to Avoid the Consequences of Being Wrong Retirees should only risk the savings they don’t need; young investors should allocate as much to stocks as their risk tolerance allows. William “Bill” Bernstein is a neurologist, co-founder of the investment firm Efficient Frontier Advisors and the…
