Search results

I am now managing my recently widowed parent's finances. By managing, I mean I have taken over paying all of the bills, checking on investments, monitoring bank accounts and credit cards, etc. Thankfully my parent doesn't have any cognitive issues (maybe some memory issues that I think are...

My 26 year old niece quit her job in late summer last year to pursue an education in nursing. She had been working for 3 years at a small company that provided a 401k with a match, which she participated in for all 3 years while employed with them. Her salary was like $45k. I haven't reviewed...

Please forgive my ignorance on taxes and capital gains. I promise I have looked on the IRS website and googled but now am just totally confused. My 86 year old FIL recently passed in early February of this year. My BIL is the Executor of the estate and is going through the state-mandated...

Need some advice please. Recently my 86 year old widowed FIL's health took a turn for the worse. Over the last few months he has become very weak and his care needs have exceeded our ability to care for him at home. So he is now in rehab center and will likely stay on as a nursing home patient...

My sister (mid-40s) called last night to tell me her DH is concerned he may lose his job at the end of the calendar year due to restructuring business units within his large company. She is a stay-at-home mom and so I asked her about their savings -- if they have enough emergency stash to pay...

I know there are threads about this and it has been discussed a lot. But in looking at this latest report, well, I guess I never really absorbed how bad it is going to be for a lot of our fellow Americans. 45% of all working households have no retirement plans at all and half of those are...

Sorry if this is a really stupid set of questions that don't make sense. I am really still trying to learn about investing - not just the concepts, but the actual "how to" nuts and bolts. I think I've finally gotten our retirement accounts (401Ks) into a good place and have a plan in place that...

This is not meant to be a political rant about the US health care system. Maybe I'm just cranky today, but I am sick to death of the tie of health insurance to employment. Unless we change jobs (not so easy in this day and age), we are trapped. Two years ago, my DH's company started...

Has this been discussed? I know longevity insurance has been a topic on here, but I saw this article this morning on new tax rules for longevity insurance offerings within retirement plans. From the article: New tax rules will make it possible for workers to buy a type of annuity often...

Forbes Thought Of The Day “ The more I work, the more I want to work. ” — Joan Miro :facepalm: As I sit here at w*rk on a crappy Monday (is it Friday yet?!) - I can say I do not share Ms. Miro's sentiments on w*rk. Nice to know there are folks on this board who share the...

We live in a nice suburban neighborhood where a typical single family home (not a McMansion) sells for ~$650K and up. I've been keeping loose tabs on how real estate is moving in the neighborhood, though we have zero intentions of moving until my youngest heads off to college in a couple of...

This chart was prepared by NPR today showing how spending categories change as we age (from age 25 to age 75). More House, Less Booze: How Spending Changes From Age 25-75 : Planet Money : NPR It also shows that as we age, we apparently become burdened with lots of bills and aren't doing...

So happy I found this and a few other websites that focus on retirement planning! I was truly lost until a few months ago when I decided enough was enough and it was time to get serious about taking control of my retirement. I wish I had done it years ago. Now I am preaching to my two kids...

Don't know if others are following the AOL story this week re: AOL changing its employee 401k match from bimonthly contributions to a lump sum contribution on December 31. Coincidentally, our family friend was recently hired by AOL (he is here on a H1b visa and is close to gaining citizenship)...

I have read the advice here and on the boglehead forums and in the recommended books (Millionaire Teacher) to invest in the lowest fee index funds. But is that the only thing to look at when making the choice(s)? In looking at my 401K fund options with Vanguard (I tried to attach to this...

Better late than never, I guess. I'm not even sure where to start on my first post here. My DH and I are both not financially savvy folks. The truth is we just have never taken the time to focus on retirement and have had our heads in the sand about getting educated about and developing a...