Archive By Author - James Lentini
Jim Lentini: AIG crisis due to risky sales
Ever since the AIG financial crisis broke in the media, we in the financial business of insurance and investments have been answering questions and defending the insurance industry.
Jim Lentini: Health care: The high cost of retirement
The forecast for the cost of a retiree's health care may rise again. A 65-year-old couple retiring in 2008 may need about $240,000 to cover medical costs in retirement.
Jim Lentini: Do I retire or continue working?
After many years of working, most people plan, and work, toward that special date in the future - the date when they can put their working lives behind them.
Jim Lentini: Make a plan and work it
Under the most common pattern of employee benefits being offered today, workers accumulate substantial savings before retirement. They then gradually draw down those savings during retirement.
What the zero rate of savings means
The personal saving rate in the U.S. has declined sharply in recent years. In 2005, it was zero. It currently is about 2 percent. But for a brief stretch, it was in negative territory. Why has our saving rate fallen, and what does its fall tell us? Darrell Spence, a Capital Strategy Research economist, says, "Many things affect our saving habits, but one explanation for the recent downward saving trend was the multiyear run-up of ...
Jim Lentini: Positioning yourself for market recovery
No one knows when the market will reach the bottom, or whether it already has. A few good indicators of the market moving positively are that the S&P 500 gained 8.8 percent (total return) in March 2009 - the best monthly performance since October 2002 - and the fact that total capitalization of the U.S. stock market increased by $700 billion during the month of March to $9.4 trillion.
Jim Lentini: Why consider in-service withdrawal?
Most investment options offered by company-sponsored retirement plans are designated for the accumulation phase of retirement, and not the income phase.
Jim Lentini: Planning out your retirement income
Many Americans, especially those in the retirement red zone, are facing a new reality regarding their retirement. With most Americans experiencing declines in their 401(k) plans and retirement portfolios as a result of the capital market turmoil over the last several months, many ask, "What do I do now?"
Jim Lentini: Retirement and market volatility
For most investors, market volatility is a fact of life. Stock prices fluctuate from day to day, and markets ebb and flow over time along with the economy and business cycle.
Steps to prepare for the rainy days ahead
If you are like many of the people we talk to lately, most tell us they are moving to conservative holdings in their retirement or long-term investment plans.
What about retirement insurance?
If you could have bought insurance on your retirement account to guarantee not losing your principal and earnings value last year, how much would you be willing to pay to insure it?
Jim Lentini: The latest news from Washington
A recent article in SmartMoney magazine talked about Congress taking aim at retirement by trying to revamp 401(k) and IRA plans.
Jim Lentini: Do some replanning to retire soon
If you are anticipating retiring within the next few years, you may need to do some careful re-planning.
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