September 2013 | FIGuide

When Rolling Over a 401(k) to an IRA Isn’t a No-Brainer

Sep 18 2013

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Oftentimes when folks are considering leaving employment, the decision to rollover 401(k) to an IRA is a no-brainer. After all, why would you leave your retirement funds at the mercy of the constricted, expensive investment choices and other restrictions of your old company’s 401(k) administrator, when you can be free to invest in any (well, most any) investment you choose, keeping costs down, and completely within your own control in an IRA?

Well, for some folks this decision isn’t the straightforward choice that it seems to be, for the very important reason of access to the …

Gaining Wealth and Losing Weight

Sep 10 2013

Behavior change is a funny thing. We can tell ourselves we want to change, even that we have changed, and yet still continue the same behaviors. It only takes a moment to make a choice that runs counter to our intentions, and then we have regret, or guilt, which doesn’t tend to help us make better choices next time. I think that because we have good intentions more of the time than we make bad choices, we can sometimes delude ourselves into believing we have been “good,” when we really have been quite bad.

For several years I was a …

Late Boomers and Generation X: Focus on Retirement Planning

Sep 09 2013

According to Forbes.com, Late Boomers and Generation X are not excelling at retirement planning—but why? Many people in these age groups have the resources they need to retire well. However, having money and knowing how to manage it are two different things.

Forbes.com interviewed two economics professors who cite the disappearance of “defined-benefit” accounts (pensions) and the rise of “defined-contribution” plans (such as 401(k)s) as a factor. A pension is based on a worker’s service to the company, while a 401(k) is dependent on investments and the stock market. While people of past generations are often lauded for …

Archive - September 2013