How I Slash Retirement Account Fees: A D-I-Y Target Date Fund
I watched the disturbing Frontline documentary on PBS, The Retirement Gamble, and not surprisingly, I got to thinking about the fees I pay for investing in my retirement accounts. On average, 401(k) fees reduce investment returns by 1 to 2 percent a year. As I read in this Next Avenue post, the Demos think tank published a report last [...]
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Taxes and Divorce: 6 Tips for Women
My hairdresser was a mess last week. As she washed, rinsed and snipped my locks, she talked nonstop about her taxes. She’s in her early 50s, with a child living at home, and in the middle of a nasty, complicated divorce. She told me that a whopping tax bill was the last thing she needed. [...]
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4 Stay-Cool Strategies For Today’s Hot Stock Market
It’s been a pretty gleeful gallop for U.S. stock market investors lately. That’s why I’ve been asking my girlfriends in their 50s and 60s whether the wow Dow had led them to buy more stocks and mutual funds or if it was making them uneasy Somewhat surprisingly, most of them weren’t the least bit worried [...]
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Sheryl Sandberg’s 5 Best ‘Lean In’ Tips For Women
Oh, my goodness. Talk about stirring up a flap. You’ve no doubt heard that Sheryl Sandberg, the 43-year-old chief operating officer atFacebook and formerGoogle executive, has written a provocative, buzzy book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. The outspoken Sandberg tells women that they need to “lean in” at work and assert themselves more. Hit the [...]
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11 Ways Women Can Save Money on a New Car
It has been 10 weeks since I bought my Twilight Blue 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited. Even the color sounds dreamy. I’m still a little giddy about driving a new car. Even better, I’m very proud of the price I paid for my Subaru. I got the car for $4,250 below sticker price, which was [...]
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3 Ways to Invest With Your Conscience
Does it trouble you to invest in a company that makes guns? If so, you might want to take a closer look at your 401(k) — there’s a reasonable chance that a gun manufacturer is among your mutual fund holdings. I’m talking about Smith & Wesson, whose shares are publicly traded. The stock is standard [...]
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And Now, a Cheery View of Women and Retirement
It’s a rare day when you run across someone who says the retirement future for women isn’t bleak. Meet Pamela Everhart, senior vice president of retirement policy development and market planning for Fidelity Investments in Boston. Everhart, a featured speaker at the recent WISER (Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement) symposium on women and retirement in Washington, [...]
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PBS Next Avenue: Mothers, Teach Your Daughters to Save for Retirement
Watching first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha, 11, and Malia, 14, as they viewed the inaugural parade Monday reminded me of what a sturdy role model she is for women — particularly, young girls. Mrs. Obama is well known for her commitment to encouraging girls to study, work hard and break glass ceilings [...]
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USA Today Review: Dark Side of Personal Finance Industry
It’s bleak in the circus-like world of personal finance. In Pound Foolish: Exposing The Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, author Helaine Olen casts a withering eye at personal finance journalists, talk show gurus, and the lion’s share of the financial services industry. Even Sesame Street’s furry Elmo is tainted, thanks to a seemingly [...]
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PBS Next Avenue: Women and Investing: How to Be a Bonds Girl
When I speak with women about investing, I find they’re often a little insecure about investing in bonds. That’s not terribly surprising: it’s ridiculously easy to get information about stocks and stock mutual funds (just turn on CNBC), but it’s much harder to find the basics about bonds and bond mutual funds. But bonds belong [...]
A collection of 65 essays that provides practical and entertaining advice about how to create a fulfilling retirement. The royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to cancer research.
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