Make Your Savings Last through Retirement
Saving enough by age 65 to ensure that you can maintain your standard of living through a long retirement has become increasingly difficult. You will probably be responsible for the majority of your retirement income, whether you obtain
that income from 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), or taxable investments. Before retiring, you'll want to
ensure that you have sufficient savings to support yourself for 20, 30, or even 40 years, depending on your age when you retire.
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Debt's Role in Your Financial Plan
As nice as it may seem, achieving debt-free
status isn't always the best way to reach your financial goals.
"Smart debt" may actually help you with your goals. What is "smart debt"? Smart debt is the kind that generates more
advantages than disadvantages. Here's how to recognize it.
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How Should You Evaluate Your Investment Results?
Marked by two recessions, the last decade
was one of the weakest for stock returns in a generation, with
steep losses in three years and average annual returns in the
major indexes of less than 3% - six points below their long-term
rates of return. On the other hand, if you look only at the last
two calendar years, at certain indexes, stocks, and gold, things
look good. If you were in the right investments, you may well
have outperformed the Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P 500.
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Inheriting Stocks
Typically, individuals who inherit stocks
receive stocks that have increased in value over time. But what
do you do if you inherit a stock that has decreased in value since
the original owner purchased it?
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Market Timing vs. Buy and Hold
Market timing involves making financial
market buy and sell decisions based on your prediction of the
future performance of the market. A buy-and-hold investment strategy,
in contrast, involves buying in to the market on a regular basis
and holding your investments over time.
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