Retirement Readiness

Imagine that you’re retired, living on a fixed income, and your energy bill has just gone up by 11 percent. On top of that, your gas tank now costs 50 percent more to fill up, and groceries cost 5 percent more than usual. That might sound crazy, but this is exactly what’s happened over the past year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the consumer price index (CPI) for all items has risen

Does the massive run-up in stocks have you concerned? It’s OK to nod your head. The fact is that many people are worried as we head into the 2021 holiday season. The MSCI ACWI index, which measures the global equity market, has almost doubled since March 2020 (Exhibit 1). This has some investors (and TV pundits) exclaiming that the stocks are officially in a bubble. Fear-mongers often look at trailing returns in isolation — then

Financial security in retirement is an important target for most working-age adults. There are many ways to reach that goal. An employer-sponsored retirement plan often comes in the form of a defined contribution plan, where employees contribute pre-tax or Roth dollars from their paycheck to a retirement account and select the investment optionsto help grow the balance. Many employers offer to match a certain level of contributions to encourage participation in the plan (and to