“Neither my spouse nor I know anything about investing. Who do you go to for advice?” Many people learn about financial planning by reading. They cull through the financial pages in newspapers or online and read financial magazines and books. …
Mutual Fund Investing: Investment Concepts to Consider
This guide discusses some of the investment concepts and goals that you should consider when you invest in mutual funds. The first two general concepts to consider when you are choosing mutual funds are total rate of return and risk. …
Guide to Understanding and Investing in Mutual Funds
So you’re looking to get into the investment game? Mutual funds are a good investment option. But before you invest, make sure to do your research. You would never go to a car dealership, hand over all your money, and …
Women and Pensions: What You Need to Know
Women face a greater risk of poverty in old age than men. One important reason is that women are less likely than men to receive adequate pensions. The more you understand about pensions now, the greater your chances of beating …
Callable CDs: Read the Small Print
Certificates of deposit (CDs) are an attractive saving instrument for individuals seeking a low-risk investment that can be converted into cash fairly readily. CDs require an investment for a fixed period of time such as six months, one year, five …
Glossary of 401(k) and Pension Terms
Here is a brief explanation of commonly used pension and savings terms: Annuity: Regular payments of income (usually monthly) over a specified period of time (often for life). The purpose is to provide a steady stream of income. Beneficiary: The …
Spousal Protections in Pensions and Other Retirement Plans
Defined Benefit and Money Purchase Pension Plans: Defined benefit and money purchase plans must provide two types of protections for the spouses of plan participants who have earned a legal right to a benefit. Pre-retirement: If the participant dies before …
Women’s 5 Challenges for Retirement
Challenge #1: Women earn only 82 cents for every dollar that men earn. Black women earn 61 cents and Latinas, 53 cents. Result: Women save less and their economic security is vulnerable, especially if they also experience the loss of …
WISER’s Top 5 Retirement Challenges for Women
Women live longer than men. Life expectancy for a woman age 65 is another 21 years. That is 3 years more than for a man of the same age. Life expectancy at age 65 for Hispanic women is 23 years …
Dollar-Cost Averaging
Dollar-cost averaging is a big term for a fairly simple concept. If you buy a set dollar amount of stocks or stock mutual funds at regular intervals (e.g., every month or every quarter), you’re using the dollar-cost averaging technique. For …