Retirement Planning

The transition to retirement is exciting and scary.  Like all big events – graduations, relocations, marriage, childbirth, and more – life will never be the same again. To make your planning for this transformation easier, here is advice from retirement and personal finance experts. Go for Risk and Reward You have a lot of choices…

Where will your retirement income 2017 come from? The Big Takeaways… Research suggests that many retirees are living on remarkably little, though there are some proven strategies for boosting income in retirement. For households aged 65-74, median income was $47,432 while average income was $68,905. You can quickly see how your income stacks against others…

Interest rates impact our lives in a wide variety of ways – especially financial. Why Will Interest Rates Rise? Since 2008, interest rates have been at historic lows, below 1 percent. Traditionally, rates have been much much higher – ranging from 16.39 percent in 1981 to a low of 3.02 percent in 1993. The low…

Feeling frazzled by holiday fanfare?  Do you also have nagging worries about your retirement plans? One of the best ways to control stress of any kind is to make a list and check it twice.  And we have done that for you. Here is a handy end of year retirement checklist — 9 things you…

Considered one of the best retirement calculators, the Boldin planning system has been praised by magazines and investing groups. The tool just keeps getting better. Check out the new features designed to help you plan and have a more secure future. 1. Powerful Savings & Assets Modeling One of the enhancements that you have asked…

This has been quite an election. Zigs and zags and surprises. It is too soon to be certain of anything, but if you are retired or near retirement, here are a few things to watch based on the Trump’s plan for his first 100 days in office. Your Retirement Savings The U.S. stock markets were…

The Boldin retirement calculator — named a best retirement calculator by the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) — is a detailed and easy to use retirement planning system. Boldin’s retirement calculator is now better than ever… We are very proud of this tool. Forbes magazine called it a “new approach to retirement planning” and…

For most people, retirement is now an awesome time of new adventures.  However, the financial challenges of retirement can feel overwhelming for many — especially middle-income baby boomers. Baby boomers may be ready for retirement adventure. But can we afford it? Baby Boomers are on the leading edge of the transition from institutional responsibility for…

Americans are living longer than ever. That’s mostly great news for older adults.  You now have more opportunities to enjoy family and enrich your community. However, we are all concerned about outliving our money.  Having retirement income streams to meet expenses for as long as you live is a significant concern. Retirement income streams: Not…

Okay, there really is no such thing as a stupid question.  In fact asking questions — even “dumb” retirement questions — is a great way to learn about how to do a better job preparing for your future.  And, it turns out we need to learn a lot. So, in the spirit of doing a…

An interview with Boldin’s founder, Stephen Chen, was featured on Forbes this week.  The magazine hailed Boldin as “A New approach to Retirement Planning.” The article highlighted how we got started and what makes our approach to retirement planning different from anyone else’s. Stephen Chen with family Tell me about your background and why you…

A successful retirement is possible for almost everyone.  However, according to the latest COUNTRY Financial Security Index, 81% of Americans are worried that they will not have a successful retirement. For most people, a successful retirement is one where: You don’t run out of money You can afford an acceptable lifestyle You can pay for…

If you are retired or almost retired and are feeling good about your retirement, you are not alone. American retirees are feeling positive about their finances post-recession, but many are still not nearly as prepared as they should be, according to a recent survey from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. “Many American retirees are still…

Jonathan Chevreau is a long-time financial columnist, blogger, author and speaker as well as CFO for the Financial Independence Hub, which is North America’s portal to Financial Independence. This summer he will be publishing his 10th book, Victory Lap Retirement (co-authored with Mike Drak). We recently asked him a few questions about the perks of…

Retirement sounds great, but is it really in the cards for most Americans? Today, more than in recent years, many people are finding that while they’d like to retire, they’re not able to. Many of us want to know how to retire when we have not saved enough money.  We feel that retirement is simply…

If you are retiring soon, there are a number of important changes and updates in 2016 for retirement planning. 1. Retiring Soon? Make Sure You Can Afford a Long Retirement If you are in your 50s, 60s 70s today, you are likely to live longer than your parents. Baby Boomers are the first generation to…

We are all asking ourselves, “Should I retire?”  “When can I retire?”  “Can I retire now?” “…What about now?” While the answer to these questions is highly personal, it might do you good to consider the real benefits of delaying retirement.  A delayed retirement can indeed make you happier, healthier and certainly wealthier. Delaying retirement…

The “top places to retire” really is a subjective topic. Warm and tropical locations nearly always rank high. That makes a lot of sense. Even if you’ve lived up north for most of your life, wouldn’t it be nice to retire from shoveling snow, too? But what if your idea of the most perfect place…

Wanting to retire is a vastly different concept than being ready for retirement. Even if you are already retired, you might not be sure if you are actually adequately prepared for this time of your life. So, how do you know if you are ready for retirement?  Here are 4 questions to ask yourself: Do…

Preparing for retirement means a lot more than dusting off golf clubs, passports and your  chaise lounge… Anyone near retirement age needs to keep up with all filings: taxes, Social Security, Medicare and retirement accounts. Here is your guide to key dates to help get the most out of your retirement finances and retirement benefits…

There’s a trend in retirement, and it’s not the luxurious life dripping with luxury vehicles and champagne breakfasts. A simpler and more modest approach has started to gain on the desire for more and bigger things. It’s a scaled down lifestyle where fewer possessions and worries mean more life satisfaction, and it’s attainable on a…

Financially free. It sounds like a great idea, for those who can afford it. But affording it has less to do with how much you earn and more to do with how well you plan for it. There are lots of ways to accomplish financial freedom in retirement. Maybe you’ll continue working. Plenty of people…

Well-being in older adults can be measured in many ways, but it can also be somewhat determined by where you live and how old you are. Gallup’s recent State of American Well-Being found the best states for well being and discovered which age groups feel the most well being. Older is Better! The Gallup report…

The average retirement income is probably a lot less than you think. As surprising as it might sound, the average American’s retirement income is barely over $1,500 per month or about $18,000 annually, according to the Pension Rights Center. Retirement Income Does Not Grow on Trees… Depending on where you live, that might not even…