Retire

Lots of folks have reached retirement by surprise, thanks to the Great Recession. So, if you're scrambling to come up with a Plan B and plug the financial gap created by an unexpectedly early end to your career, here are some good ideas.

Anybody who thought retirement was going to be easy is wrong. Living happily in good health with enough money to pay the bills is no slam-dunk in these financially challenging times. Here are five critical mistakes that retirees make as they prepare to shut the door on a full-time worklife.

Are you ready to get out of debt once and for all? Would you like a plan to pay off your credit cards, student loans, mortgage debt, car loans-and be out of debt for life? Well you've come to the right place! Because on January 5 -- thanks to WalletPop and my publisher Crown Business Books -- we...

Retirement these days doesn't sound like much fun. Too much scrimping and saving and trying to figure out how to turn a lousy Social Security payment into a government gold mine. Why not aim higher? What would it take to retire and live like Bill Gates or one of those oil-rich sheiks? Research...

If you plan on retiring soon, New Hampshire is the best state to retire in, and Nevada the worst. You can stop reading now and save yourself some time, or read on to find out more about the latest of many such lists of the best and worst places to retire. It must be an unwritten rule for anyone...

With concerns rising that the economic recovery is stalling, and that we're at risk of slipping into a "double dip" recession -- when the economy shrinks, grows, and then goes back into reverse -- it's no surprise that one of three Americans are losing sleep. But did you know what we're spending...

A friend of mine nearing retirement is looking longingly at a new Harley, but getting financing is going to be a challenge. He's contemplating refinancing his house and using some of the equity to buy the bike. When he told me that, I didn't say anything, but I guess I didn't have to. My face...

Del Webb, the nation's largest builder of retirement communities, earlier this year surveyed older Baby Boomers and found that about one-third of respondents plan to move when they retire, in search of the best place to spend their golden years. Deborah Blake, Del Webb creative director, said...

Checking out "best places to retire" lists is like taking a cross country road trip to obscure American towns: Lubbock, Tex. Manhattan, Kansas. State College, Penn. Why would anyone want to live out their golden years in a seemingly random town? And in the first place, why are there so many lists?...

About 74% of women say it's very important for their kids to go to college and get a degree, according to a new OppenheimerFunds Inc. survey. But in many cases, women spend a lot more time preparing their children to get into college than figuring out how to pay for it. According to the poll,...