Retirement planning

Older workers face some daunting decisions about Medicare, Social Security and retirement plans such as health savings accounts and 401(k)s. But these three strategies can help.

Unlike a traditional defined benefit plan, these retirement vehicles place more of the volatility on the shoulders of the account holders.

Simple offerings like a loan payment calculator or savings projection interface can make a profound difference on the path to financial preparation.

Six funds are actively managed, which may surprise plan administrators who think that index funds are the only way to invest.

The right health insurance is all that’s needed to use this triple-tax advantaged savings account.

Divorce is expected to be different for couples who are in their advance years than when they were younger.

Many seniors who succeeded in retirement set their sights on becoming millionaires while they were young.

Clients will be better off using the income allocation strategy than the asset allocation approach when building a retirement portfolio, an advisor says.

Employers and employees both say programs are necessary to help manage debt and prepare for retirement, but participation still lags.

Employees are advised to start looking for coverage in the marketplace, which will be open for 2019 enrollment from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

Retirees may have gotten out of the workforce too early if they are not yet eligible to claim health coverage through Medicare.

Many workers are not financially stable and not prepared for retirement, according to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, resulting in an increase in onsite financial programs.

Employers looking to beef up retirement strategies must talk with lawmakers and adopt new strategies to create innovative ways to better prepare workers for post-work years.

This does not mean that plan sponsors and committee members cannot insist on getting non-conflicted fiduciary advice; it just makes their job harder.

Plan sponsors and advisers: “It is important to realize that three or four years from now, what is done today will be examined, and it needs to be done with a good standard of care and mitigation of conflicts of interest.”

Many workers are not financially stable and not prepared for retirement, according to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, resulting in an increase in onsite financial programs.

Plan sponsors and advisers: “It is important to realize that three or four years from now, what is done today will be examined, and it needs to be done with a good standard of care and mitigation of conflicts of interest.”

This does not mean that plan sponsors and committee members cannot insist on getting non-conflicted fiduciary advice; it just makes their job harder.

Seniors need to be mindful of enrollment deadlines with Medicare.

Younger workers think cash is the best long-term investment. Unsurprisingly, they’re not seeing good returns.