The oldest baby boomers will turn 67 in 2013. Many of this first wave have already retired, while others may be contemplating taking the plunge this year. Here are some tips for those planning to retire in 2013:
If you're in financial trouble, borrowing from your 401(k) may look smart -- at first. There's no application process, and the low interest you pay goes back into your account -- you're paying it to yourself. Unfortunately, those benefits come with a catch.
Many Americans have been spooked out of the stock market by Great Recession and its aftermath. But despite their apprehensions, the children of the baby boomers are actually eager to jump into stocks -- primarily because they weren't burned personally by the crash.
Like most investing, you're not protected from market meltdown, and there's always the risk of missing out on a star.
Last week's broadside from an ex-employee didn't help Goldman's image, but all the to-do ignored the public's real issue with the firm.
Social Security's trust fund is in the long, slow process of collapsing because it won't have enough funds to pay its promised benefits. Sound like a Ponzi scheme? Perhaps, but at least this "scheme" is one in which you can come out ahead -- especially if you start preparing now.
In this economy, people aren't just cutting out luxuries, nearly half of Americans are skimping on necessities like medication and doctor visits -- drastic actions that could be dangerous to their health.
While Congress and President Obama battle over ways to "fix" Social Security, a small conservative seniors group, the Association of Mature American Citizens, sees a possible solution to part of the reform brouhaha -- a Social Security IRA.
There's a frenzy of stock buying going on now, because no one wants to be left out of the stock market recovery. But all those who are betting on short-term gains are engaged in what I call "wrong ball investing." Here's how to keep your eye on the right ball.
Looking at investing from a child's perspective can be eye-opening. And you don't need to have kids of your own to heed these lessons. Here are five tips for thinking like a child -- and turning that into some grown-up profits.
For investors, fear of losing money in the stock market is finally giving way to the reality that they may actually be losing money in low-yielding investments. So the move back to stocks is underway. But the key is do so safely. Here's some timely advice.
Peer-to-peer lending site Prosper.com has stopped letting high-risk borrowers use its site because too many of them failed to repay their loans. The site's problem, says columnist and one-time lender Alex Salkever, is that Prosper got in the way of letting a social bond form between microborrower and microlender.
With the recession over -- in a sense, anyway -- many CEOs are happy to be standing. And after three tumultuous years, some are even cautiously optimistic. But 2011 is sure to present a whole new set of obstacles for corporate chiefs to confront -- and conquer.
If the extension of the Bush tax cuts triggers a market rally, as many expect, investors will likely rush in. But caution is advised: High prices can also mean high risk. Here are some tips from Alan Lancz, director of research at LanczGlobal.com, on how investors can avoid getting burned.
Buy-and-hold investing has been a loss for the last decade, and low-risk options will never get you the returns you'll need to retire in style. So how can you find real profits in the market? As venture capitalist and business guru Peter Cohen explains, the answer may be in anticipating surprises.
Investors hungry for higher yields are flocking to the credit markets, putting junk-bond issuance on a record-setting pace. And lenders are loosening credit standards, while companies take on debt just because it's cheap. Sounds like a familiar scenario.
IPOs increased last quarter to their best pace since the financial crisis began, and the pipeline is filled with highly anticipated new offerings. It's a sign that markets are more willing to finance long-term growth, and that investors are again willing to take risks for higher returns.
On Tuesday, the FDA will convene a panel of experts to discuss GlaxoSmithKline's type II diabetes drug Avandia. Once a blockbuster, sales of the drug have dropped by more than half since studies suggested it significantly increases risk for serious heart problems.
In the late '80s and early '90, more than 1,000 savings & loans failed in a financial crisis that cost the government $220 billion to resolve. By contrast, it looks like TARP will only cost the government $105 billion. So is the current financial crisis only half as bad? Not bloody likely.
One of the biggest risks to the world's financial health is the $1.2 quadrillion derivatives market. It's complex, it's unregulated, and it ought to be of concern to world leaders that its notional value is 20 times the size of the world economy.
If Dow 10,000 really is a key psychological level, then traders best call their shrinks. The major averages, already on a four-week losing streak, face anxiety over the Euroland debt debacles and waning earnings momentum. In other words, brace yourself for Dow 9,000 and change.
There was a time not long ago when nobody knew what an ETF was. Now, just when you've gotten accustomed to ETFs, you've probably begun hearing a bit of buzz around their cousins, the ETNs: exchange-traded notes. Here's what every investor should know.
