Workforce Retirement Readiness: “Stepping Up” to the Challenge

December 27, 2011

I met with Lauren recently, a mid-career employee in her thirties who wanted to know if she was on track for retirement. I asked her how much she was contributing and she told me 6%, which is the minimum to capture the full match from her employer, and the default deferral that she was auto enrolled with when she got hired two years ago. However, when she handed me her latest retirement account statement, her actual salary deferral was at 8%. Continue reading “Workforce Retirement Readiness: “Stepping Up” to the Challenge”

A Bear Market is Your Friend

November 07, 2011

A friend of mine posted this comment on Facebook last week “Yeah! The market is up 345 points! Finally it is going in the right direction.” Well, I was NOT happy at all to hear this news. You see, that day (Thursday October 27^th) was the day our company made its annual contribution for all of our employees – the employer matching contributions to everyone’s 401(k). I was certainly happy to receive a company contribution but not so happy about the timing. Because mutual funds pick up the end of day pricing, that means everyone in our company received a contribution to their 401(k) AFTER the market went up that day. If the contribution had been made a day earlier, all of us who invest in stock funds would have been over three percent richer. Continue reading “A Bear Market is Your Friend”

“Behavioral Judo” – Don’t Stop at the Minimum Auto-enrollment

November 15, 2010

I never practiced Judo but I’ve been on the receiving end where I said, “What just happened here? Why am I flat on my back on the mat?” That is what happens when you are the mother of three boys! Judo practitioners use the opponent’s motion to keep them going in the direction they are going and in the case, take them down to win a match. Continue reading ““Behavioral Judo” – Don’t Stop at the Minimum Auto-enrollment”

Hopping the Hurdles Toward Retirement (the series)

November 10, 2010

When it comes to saving money for retirement, the sooner you can save the better. But that’s not always possible. There may be circumstances in your life that prevent you from being able to save when you are younger, and as a result you get a late start. In this week’s blog I’ll address what things may need to be done when faced with the challenge of a late start.

Hurdle #4: Late Start Continue reading “Hopping the Hurdles Toward Retirement (the series)”

401(k) or IRA: Which Retirement Saving Choice Is Right for You?

November 09, 2010

As you open your most recent 401k statement, take a few minutes to check out a few important features of your retirement plan. What is the employer match, if any? Many companies have either reduced or eliminated the match over the past few years. At the very least, you should be contributing up to the amount your company is willing to match. But, what if you don’t have a match at all? Should you contribute to an IRA instead?

Here are some points to consider in favor of re-directing your dollars towards an IRA: Continue reading “401(k) or IRA: Which Retirement Saving Choice Is Right for You?”