Introduction Retirement security is top of mind for millions of Americans, especially as the Social Security Administration (SSA) projects future funding challenges and changing benefit levels. According to the Federal Reserve and EBRI (Employee Benefit Research Institute), total U.S. retirement assets have surpassed $40 trillion in 2025, yet the average household remains underprepared for retirement. …
Question: Dear Steve, Hi, I am an 80-year widow. I have an IRA with Lincoln investments worth around $57,000.00. In addition, I have a mortgage with a balance of $60,000. I want to pay off the mortgage and wondering if this would be a wise choice. The money in Lincoln is not making that much, …
You have debt. But you’ve also got a stash of cash in your 401(k). If you’re feeling overwhelmed by high-interest credit card balances, a student loan, and/or an auto loan, you might think taking money out of your 401(k) is a good way to pay down that debt and get it under control. But is …
Question: Dear Steve, I am a 40-year old single mother of one. Currently, I have $22K in credit card debt among 3 creditors: American Express $16K (9.99%), Home Depot $3K (12%), and Furniture Express $3K (zero interest and payment until March 2010). I have $35K in student loans (6.2%) with Wachovia, who is also the …
Whether your retirement plans involve writing your memoir from a lovely little seaside cottage, a heated game of bocce against your (*ahem* sore loser) neighbor, or hitting up every farmers market in a 50-mile radius, a 401(k) is one savings strategy you can use to save money to get you there. Simply put, a 401(k) …
Camilo Maldonado writes in Forbes about a very interesting IRS ruling that would your employer to deposit matching funds into your 401(k). It is always a struggle to get employees to make 401(k) investments, even when the company provides free money in matching funds. Under the IRS ruling, companies would be able to help employees …
Q. I understand that in certain circumstances IRA and 401(k) money may be protected from a lawsuit. However, if a person is retired and has rolled over their ERISA plan to an account with a financial institution, are those funds still protected? A. Generally speaking, yes. The laws can vary by state. “Under federal law, …
Every year someone asks me how much they can actually contribute to their 401(k). There seems to be a ton of confusion. Some 401(k) participants seem to think it’s a percentage. They are confused by the match percentage. Somehow they have confused that’s the max that they should contribute. Not true, that’s the max contribution …
I’m not sure how many times I can say it, don’t drain your retirement assets to pay debt. It’s a bad idea on so many levels. In a couple of posts I even talk about the long term consequences of tapping those funds. See Here’s Why a 401(k) Loan to Pay Off Debt Can Cost …
“Dear Steve, 20 years same company making 200 or more each year in a sales role. Got fired unexpectedly. Been riding large debt load for years, but managing it I guess because of big income. My monthly nut is about 4k. + another 3k to float my excessive bad debt: Two cc: 32k 0% 12 …