Don't Let The Government Decide When You Retire

By: Amy Calistri of Street Authority

I try not to be tempted by "click-baiting" headlines on the Internet. You know what I'm talking about -- the salacious, ridiculous, or shocking headlines that you click on, only to discover mundane articles that may or may not have anything to do with the headline.

But we all have our weaknesses; mine is information about retirement planning. This explains why I clicked on the U.S. News headline, "The Perils of Retirement at Age 65."

The article didn't provide me with many new insights. For instance, I already knew that even though you are eligible to start receiving Social Security retirement benefits at age 62, most people have to be older than 65 to receive "full" benefits.

What did surprise me were the comments people posted after reading the article. They fell into two general groups.

There was a group that couldn't bear the thought of working until the age of 65 and over: Continue reading "Don't Let The Government Decide When You Retire"

Will Obama's Chained CPI Help Keep Inflation from Eating into Your Savings?

This week we examine ways in which inflation nibbles away at your retirement income, especially in light of the President’s proposal for Chained CPI adjustments to Social Security. The formal title is Chain-weighted Consumer Price Index and it’s a variation of how the government figures out what is what we would call "inflation." Either way, with the low rates on offer from CDs and other "safe" investments, investors who don’t take action fall behind every year.

Unfortunately, the numbers show what most people don’t want to face: the days of relying on Social Security plus a few stable bonds and CDs are long over. To earn decent and sustainable returns, investors must search beyond traditional safe havens. Continue reading "Will Obama's Chained CPI Help Keep Inflation from Eating into Your Savings?"