#retirement-planning

#retirement-planning

Many financial experts recommend the 4% rule as a strategy for managing retirement savings. The rule says that if you withdraw 4% of your savings balance your first year of retirement and adjust future withdrawals to account for inflation, there's a very good chance your nest egg will last 30 years. This means that as long as you don't retire too early, there's a strong chance your money will never run out on you.

Roughly 4.18 million Americans will turn 65 in 2025, marking a peak year for the boomer retirement wave. This high annual number equates to 11,400 a day hitting their mid 60s on average. The average baby boomer says they only need about $990,000 to retire comfortably, according to a 2025 Planning and Progress Study by Northwestern Mutual. This post was updated on November 1, 2025 to include the most up-to-date numbers and statistics on boomers.Key Points About This Article Unfortunately,

One of the most fundamental components of effective retirement planning is envisioning your future self the life you want and how you expect to fund it securely, said Caroline Feeney, global head of retirement and insurance at Prudential. This year's Pulse Survey makes clear that even across different economic and cultural contexts globally, one trend emerges: while many people feel ready, far fewer have taken action to ensure they're ready.

In May 2025 , Suze Orman predicted that the U.S. stock market will "absolutely skyrocket" through the remainder of the year and into early 2026. She urged long-term investors to stay invested rather than sell due to fear. Orman recommended building a broadly diversified portfolio by holding at least 25 to 50 individual stocks (or using index ETFs) to take advantage of growth. She specifically highlighted large-cap growth stocks and growth-oriented ETFs (e.g., SPYG, VUG) as likely to benefit in the near future.

Many Boomers in 2025 need dependable passive income, and one outstanding way to achieve this is to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike open-end mutual funds, ETFs trade on major exchanges like stocks. They own financial assets, including stocks, bonds, currencies, debt, futures contracts, and commodities such as gold bars. Having more passive income can help cover rising costs, such as mortgages, insurance, taxes, and other expenses.

Even small optimizations can become meaningful. Assuming a $5,000 initial investment and annual $5,000 contributions for 25 years, the difference in improving your IRR just 1% and going from 8% to 9% annual returns results in nearly $67,000 more in your retirement account. So it's worth spending a little extra time to make sure you're getting the most out of your Roth IRA by understanding all the various benefits and strategies.

Q: I worked in Ireland from the age of 19 until I was 33. I then went to England, and that was 21 years ago. I am now hoping to return home within the next 12 months or so. Assuming I will return to work and retire at the normal age, what kind of a state pension would I receive and how is it calculated?

PRSAs help those without a company pension to save for retirement, but how do you find the one most suited to your needs?

Generation X prides itself on never being surprised, which has generally served us well. Keeping our expectations low and our cynicism-level high has allowed Gen X to remain agile throughout numerous economic and political upheavals. But what if the attitudes that protect us from life's difficulties are also holding us back from our goals? Specifically, many in Gen X may find that the cynicism we have proudly used as armor throughout our lives may be getting in the way of retirement.

The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually for those born from 1955 to 1960. For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67. Baby Boomers and those nearing retirement are likely aware that Social Security alone will not provide a comfortable retirement, so passive income can be a significant help in increasing overall monthly income.

What we recognize is that it's important for us to be there earlier, and it's important for us to be there at these important life moments-whether or not it's your first job, when you're planning for a family, when you start to think about retirement and saving,

As you approach your 40s, it's natural to reflect on past financial choices and wonder if different decisions might have set you up better for the future. Questions like whether you should have spent less on travel, bought a different car, or chosen another home often surface as retirement looms closer. This stage of life is when many begin to seriously assess whether they're on track to retire comfortably.

While reaching retirement age can be both a blessing and a curse, relying on the U.S. government to provide for your needs is not the best idea. The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually for those born from 1955 to 1960, reaching 67. For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67.

But there's something about putting pen to paper that helps mentally solidify your intentions. And when it comes to growing financially, having a budget is critically important. That includes itemizing your assets, liabilities (e.g., expenses) and income. That income should include your present pay from working, but could also include potential future sources like Social Security benefirts, pensions, investments, and retirement accounts.

If you've ever daydreamed about the best places to retire in the US, you're in good company. If you're like most people, career demands dictate where you plant your roots for most of your life-then, once retirement rolls around and you no longer have to worry about a daily commute or company requirements, the possibilities are suddenly endless. Now it's time to choose your next address, but where to start?

When you think about all of the different ways you can create monthly income, you have to think beyond just the traditional job. There is no question that working is the single best way for you to generate money, but what about investments you can make that would do the same thing. For many people, even small investments can yield significant returns with a monthly income.

I retired at 34 in 2012, and my wife retired a few years later at 35 in 2015. We've been mainly living off our passive income and investments since. In 2023, I bought an expensive home I didn't need, becoming house-rich and cash-poor. Buying this house affected our desired lifestyle in San Francisco. As a family of four with two children, we had less liquid or passive income, which made me feel quite uneasy.

It's too bad that your brother and his wife didn't talk about these things beforehand and map out a plan for the future, especially something as important as where they want to live. Obviously, you cannot control what he does, but you might recommend to him that the two of them sit down and review their goals for the future based on available resources, needs and desires.

Is your retirement close? There's nothing to fear. There are ways to make your retirement financially secure and comfortable. Even if you have only 3 years before retirement, it is possible to build a passive income stream. You can achieve the monthly goal of earning $5,000 in dividends if you invest right. The first step is to start with high-yield exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

One of the most important decisions anyone has to make in achieving their financial goals is how to invest their money. This might sound like something you can decide in just a few minutes, but let this be a reminder that any decision now can have long-standing consequences, so you have to decide carefully what your first or next move is going to be.

ETFs allow retirees to invest effortlessly in hundreds or thousands of stocks while managing risk with lower fees.

"Our data shows that the path to insolvency converges significantly on the later stages of a person's working life and beyond."