Retirement

Mortgage underwriting rules eased for seniors with assets

2013-05-23 20:23:00

WASHINGTON — Here's a heads-up for the growing ranks of seniors whose post-retirement monthly incomes aren't sufficient to qualify for a mortgage under today's tough underwriting standards: Thanks to a rule change by the largest players in the...

Working past retirement: 75% will do it, most because they want to

2013-05-23 09:45:00

Three in four American workers say they intend to work past retirement age. Slightly more of them say it’s because they want to do so, not because they have to, according to a new poll from Gallup. Among employed Americans, 40% said they will...

Today's retirees face declining standard of living, study says

2013-05-17 12:46:00

The retirement crisis is deepening, with recent generations of Americans less financially prepared for their golden years than their parents or grandparents, according to a new study. The study by the Pew Charitable Trusts suggests that people who...

How much cash should you keep on hand for emergencies?

2013-05-17 19:25:00

Dear Liz: A few years ago I finished paying off my debt and now am in the very low-risk credit category. I have savings equal to about three months' worth of bills and am working to get that to six months' worth. I'm wondering, though, about an...

Five killings at Camp Liberty in Iraq: Calculation or despair?

2013-05-11 20:21:00

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, WASH. — The court-martial of Army Sgt. John Russell concluded Saturday with a military judge asked to decide whether the 14-year Army veteran was deluded by depression and despair as he shot five fellow service members in...

Waiting to take Social Security is usually the best bet

2013-05-10 21:24:00

Dear Liz: When I was 62, I started Social Security and I'm currently saving half of my monthly benefit after taxes (about $750). My decision to take my benefits early was influenced by a financial columnist who suggested that if I started at 62 and...

Time to wake from the American Dream and face retirement reality

2013-05-02 05:00:00

The retirement plans of more and more Americans are about as connected to reality as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Grim is exactly what it is going to be for these folks when, in their 70s, their 401(k)s have petered out, they have no pensions and no...

Chained thinking on the federal deficit

2013-04-23 19:15:00

Washington's tug of war over the federal budget has many wonders, but the biggest one of all must be the lengths to which politicians and pundits will go to deprive Granny and Grandpa of $30 a month. That's the amount by which benefits for the average...

At Milken conference, lots of pension questions and few answers

2013-04-29 13:49:00

Underfunded state pensions are a vexing problem that even the brightest minds at the Milken Institute Global Conference can’t solve. State governments nationwide have fallen behind in saving for employee retirements. The average public pension...

Elderly couple's sons pressuring them to get a reverse mortgage

2013-04-12 23:34:00

Dear Liz: I try to watch out for my neighbors, a married couple in their early 90s. Two of their three sons, who are both in their 60s, want them to get a reverse mortgage. The couple's house is paid off as well as their cars. They pay all their monthly...

Tips for investing in exchange-traded funds

2013-04-05 22:07:00

Exchange-traded funds have taken Wall Street by storm in the last few years. But the boom in ETFs may leave some investors confused about how to make the best use of the portfolios, which come in a dizzying array of flavors. Here's a practical...

Rising interest rates pose issue for target-date mutual funds

2013-04-05 22:08:00

The appeal of age-based mutual funds is that investors generally don't have to worry about them. The funds are geared toward long-term goals such as retirement or a child's college education, and automatically shift into more conservative holdings...

Dusk settles over the ice-covered bay of Lake Superior at Grand Marais, Minn. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area ranks high for retiree-friendly attributes such as environment and spiritual life.

2011-10-31 15:04:13

John Olvany has been hired as managing director at Drexel Hamilton, which on Monday announced the opening of its Chicago office at 30 South Wacker Drive.

2011-10-31 00:00:00

Susan Reimer writes that legal and logistical hurdles prevent a solution that's in the best interests of everyone: a more gradual transition for Baby Boomers from work to retirement.

2011-10-21 11:35:08