Social Security just celebrated its 75th birthday. Love it or hate it, it has done its job and should retire. We need a new system, the Personal Security System, which retains Social Security's best features, scraps the rest, and covers its costs. Social Security's objective - forcing people to save for retirement - is legit. What about cutting defense instead? Laurence J. More
The maximum amounts you can stash in a 401(k), IRA and other accounts won't increase next year. By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
October 19, 2009
I know Social Security beneficiaries will not receive a cost-of-living increase in 2010 because the inflation rate has been so low. (see A Bailout for Seniors). More
This year (2007) you can contribute up to $15,500 to your employers' 401(k) plan. If you are older than 50 add an extra $5,000 in catch-up contributions for a total of $20,500. If you are eligible to participate and your employer offers matching contributions there is no reason for you to say "no" to this free money. The important point is that this is tax-deferred growth. More
The Roth IRA is one of the smartest saving and retirement planning tools available to investors. Unlike the traditional IRA or 401K, contributions to the Roth IRA are not tax deductible, but the benefit of the Roth IRA is the ability to make withdrawals tax-free when you retire. • Contributions may be made after age 70 ½ as long as you have earned income. More
How many times have you been at work thinking that you would love to just retire now? Maybe you really love what you do but are tired of making a fraction of what your boss collects for the work you do and are just ready to call it quits. No matter what your reason for wanting to retire now, there might be an answer. Most people do not even realize how many of these jobs are available. More
I've been thinking about those regular benefit statements we all get from Social Security. You know the ones I mean. They report on your lifetime earnings. And then they also say that about the year 2038, the system will have to cut benefits by 27% to stay solvent. The Problem
A benefit cut sucks, of course. Yikes. Sound crazy? Maybe it is. Seattle accountant Stephen L. More
