Filed under: Retirement, Fraud, Identity Theft, Consumer Ally
Sure, you keep your Social Security number confidential. However, according to researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, it’s possible for crooks to guess most of the digits in the Social Security number of many Americans using publicly-available information.
Filed under: Banking, Retirement, Consumer Ally
Senior citizens have long been a coveted demographic for financial fraud, but when banks, too, try to get in on the action, something really stinks. The case of a Wachovia client who recently sued the bank for turning a blind eye on a questionable practice that cracked her nest egg, and the attorney who helped her win back her losses, shines light on the hidden relationships between banks and brokerage firms that sell investment products.
Filed under: Debt, Retirement, Credit Cards
It’s been well-documented that the recession was particularly hard on senior citizens; the number of older Americans filing for bankruptcy has climbed, in large part due to a perfect storm of expensive medications, declining value of real estate holdings and a stock market crash that crushed their nest eggs. In desperation, many seniors turned to credit cards to cover their expenses, and now they’re spending their golden years with enormous debts — debts they probably won’t be able to pay back in their lifetime.
A recent study cited in Newsweek shows a pair of related trends on a collision course: More than half of all people today are retiring with debts, but fewer than 5% of those say they’ll delay retirement to pay down their debts. Experts say this means that more elderly Americans will be hounded by creditors, and the heirs of these seniors are likely to be cajoled or outright bullied by collectors into paying for their loved ones’ debts after death — debts that survivors legally have no obligation to pay. (Continue the story…)
Filed under: Retirement, Retirement – 401(k), Retirement Advice
Unless you are able to predict the future with absolute accuracy, you can’t be sure how much money you’ll need to retire comfortably. You can be assured, however, that the sooner you begin socking money away, the more you’ll benefit in the long run. Our friends at Mint.com created this infographic to illustrate winning strategies to save for retirement. (Continue the story…)
Filed under: Debt, Real Estate, Retirement, Saving Money, Wealth
Are you ready to get out of debt once and for all? Would you like a plan to pay off your credit cards, student loans, mortgage debt, car loans-and be out of debt for life? Well you’ve come to the right place! Because on January 5 — thanks to WalletPop and my publisher Crown Business Books — we are going to do something amazing, exciting and best of all, free!
Filed under: Retirement, Investing, Retirement – 401(k), Retirement – 403(b), Retirement Advice
Do you or don’t you want to convert to the Roth 401(k) or a 403(b) by the end of 2010?
Filed under: Retire, Saving Money
Figuring out how to get the most out of Social Security when you finally retire is a little like playing chess: Understanding the strategy is the only way to win.
Here are three things that aren’t obvious about the Social Security system that will help you get the most out of Uncle Sam’s retirement program:
Filed under: Retire, Saving Money
Figuring out how to get the most out of Social Security when you finally retire is a little like playing chess: Understanding the strategy is the only way to win.
Here are three things that aren’t obvious about the Social Security system that will help you get the most out of Uncle Sam’s retirement program:
Filed under: Retire, Saving Money
Figuring out how to get the most out of Social Security when you finally retire is a little like playing chess: Understanding the strategy is the only way to win.
Here are three things that aren’t obvious about the Social Security system that will help you get the most out of Uncle Sam’s retirement program:
Filed under: Retire, Saving Money
Figuring out how to get the most out of Social Security when you finally retire is a little like playing chess: Understanding the strategy is the only way to win.
Here are three things that aren’t obvious about the Social Security system that will help you get the most out of Uncle Sam’s retirement program: