retirementsavings

A 53-year-old woman got divorced in May, and now, she wants to relocate to a new city and buy a little bungalow for herself and her 100-pound dog. But with her low income, she's wondering whether her best bet to get that home is deplete her retirement savings and buy it with cash. Our experts weigh in.

Splitting up makes a mess of your finances, as Lynn, a nurse living in Florida knows all too well. Her 2008 divorce from her husband of 28 years left her in debt, with bad credit, and with limited financial skills. She's already begun to dig out, but she needs a better plan.

When it comes to managing financial matters, you can't go wrong by hoping for the best but planning for the worst. In other words, underpromise and overdeliver. What does that look like in real life? Read on for some figures and calculations that point the way towards prudent retirement planning.

In many ways, Social Security is just like any other asset you hold in your retirement nest egg. Yes, it's a key asset -- one that promises a lifetime, inflation-adjusted payout to everyone who vests into the system, based on their age, salary, and years of contributions. But, as with any holding,...

Planning for retirement? Don't panic. Here's why you should ignore the market mayhem: You have complete control over the most important component of your retirement plan -- your contributions.

Sick of working 80 hour weeks, Akaisha and Billy Kaderli retired at age 38 and began traveling the world. How'd they pull it off? Here, in their own words, are the steps to take if you want to claim your freedom decades before the rest.

Even if Social Security weren't falling apart -- which it manifestly is -- the average retiree benefits essentially amount to about what you'd earn working full time at a minimum wage job. That's hardly the retirement lifestyle you want. Here's a plan that will allow you to retire comfortably.

In part one of this three-part series on retirement savings, we reviewed how to best manage a 401(k). But as today's companies continue to combat the tough economy by downsizing, part two explores what to do with your employer-offered retirement plan if you lose your job.

It's more than a question of "Do I have enough money?" Practicing retirement is a way to dip your toe into the post-work waters and see if they're too hot, too cold, too "just not you yet," or just right. Are you really ready financially -- and emotionally? Here's how to find out.

Retirement savers are back on track after the 2008 stock market downturn, according to a report from Fidelity Investments, the nation's largest provider of workplace retirement savings plans. Fidelity reported that the average 401(k) savings reached a 10-year high at the end of 2010 with the...