Questions tagged [retirement-plan]

This tag should be used for any questions related to schemes for retirement or post-retirement planning or saving. A country specific tag should also be used if the question pertains to specific geography. There are some tags specific for certain retirement plans like 401k, roth-401k, rrsp that can also be used.

This tag should be used for any questions related to schemes for retirement or post-retirement planning or saving. A country specific tag should also be used if the question pertains to specific geography. There are some tags specific for certain retirement plans like 401k, roth-401k, rrsp that can also be used.

291 questions
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When is employer 401(k) match not worth it?

I have always read to take full advantage of your employer 401(k) match. But what if the match is lower than most? My employer will match 10% of my contributions, up to the legal contribution limit. I understand that an immediate 10% return on my…
Wesley Marshall
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8 answers

Aging parents with no investments

My aging parents (75/77years) own a house on 35+ acres (14+ hectares) in rural NE USA (no mortgage). They have: No investments (other than the obvious property) Savings of maybe $30k in a bank account paying minimal interest No income other than…
moscafj
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4 answers

Justification for aggressive investment strategy when young?

I've frequently heard that the conventional wisdom is to be invested in an 'aggressive' investment strategy when young, and as you approach retirement age, migrate to a more conservative strategy. Given that I've heard it so often, I figure... it…
Rob P.
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9 answers

What are the downsides that prevent more people from working in high-income countries, and then retiring in low-income (and cost of living) ones?

Having experienced living in several different countries, the reality of different salary ranges and different costs of living has struck me. You can work at a high salary country and make huge amounts of money compared to what you would make in a…
Zaenille
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37
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8 answers

How much should you save for retirement in a country that automatically takes care of retirement savings?

I live in Denmark. Most people will automatically receive three sorts of retirement incomes. There's the state pension which is universal (you will receive 12.500 dollars pre-tax annually, which can be almost doubled if you satisfy requirements such…
Massum
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5 answers

Why is half of your IRA Required Minimum Distribution forfeited if you do not make minumum withdrawals by 70.5 years of age?

I do not understand this rule: "IRA confiscates half of your account if you do not make your withdrawals by 70.5 years of age". Why? What does it mean to make withdrawals? Just to request your money getting transferred to your bank account? or get…
YohanRoth
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5 answers

What is the median retirement savings in the United States today?

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/12/heres-how-much-the-average-american-family-has-saved-for-retirement.html The median for all families in the U.S. is just $5,000, and the median for families with some savings is $60,000. I find this very hard to…
curious
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6 answers

Is a Roth IRA good for a high schooler?

I am a high-school Senior who will not earn enough income working this summer to have to pay income taxes. I have a full ride to college, so I was thinking of using my earnings/savings for retirement. Does putting my earnings in a Roth IRA mean that…
28
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2 answers

Saving for retirement... starting at 68 years old

It may sound like a joke, but it is not. I imagine I am not the only one in this situation. I guess. Here is what I have going on. I am a "one man show" self employed carpenter. It took many years to find out how much I need to make to actually save…
Jack
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5 answers

How much money do I need to retire?

Assume that I need $15,000 (USD) per year to cover all my costs including health insurance. How much money do I need to retire? The naive approach would be something like this: An ETF gives, on average, maybe something like 6%, so I would need…
simplemind
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Why do baby boomers have to sell 5% of their retirement accounts by the end of the year?

This article on Marketwatch quotes Raoul Pal of Goldman Sachs claiming that baby boomers have to sell 5% of their retirement accounts by the end of the year. Here is the specific passage: Pal says the third biggest issue facing stocks involves the…
Time4Tea
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11 answers

Is 401k as good as it sounds given the way it is taxed?

I contribute full 18 to my 401k thinking I am letting my money grow untaxed for such a long time. However, looking at how 401k is taxed when I pull the money out, it does not sound like a great deal because it is taxed like regular income. As oppose…
Lost
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Any experience with maxing out 401(k)?

I'm 23 right now, and I'm currently contributing about 6% of my salary to a 401(k) with an employer that matches 20% of my contribution up to 6%. Based on various calculators, continuing at this rate will probably give me something like $2-3…
awshepard
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Have I saved too much for retirement so far?

I currently have a roth ira as well as a 401k from fidelity. I have around 350k in my 401k and another 10k in my Roth IRA. I just turned 40 recently. Am I saving too much for retirement and should I focus more on saving in say a regular savings…
JonH
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24
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10 answers

Does the “15% into retirement” rule include employer contributions?

I keep seeing that you should be putting 15% of your income (link2, link3) into a retirement account. Does that include the employer match? For instance, if my employer has a 4% match, do I still put in 15% or do I drop it down to 11%? What if my…
rhavelka
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