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November 21, 2004 08:09 PM

Be Happy, And Put Retirement Fears to Rest


Excerpt: The bottom line? Save what you can in 401(k)s, IRAs and other tax-favored accounts. Pay down your debts. And stop being pushed into a panic by an industry that wants you feeling that way. Chances are, you're going to be just fine.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If retirement fears were color-coded, they would be somewhere between orange and red right now.

In honor of "National Retirement Planning Week" the investment industry has churned out a zillion studies, each saying that Americans are woefully unprepared or uninformed about how much money they will really need.

They've also launched a highly visible public relations campaign fronted by actor/comedian/game show host/sometime policy analyst Ben Stein and designed to scare the pants off baby boomers he suggests are delusional if they think they have enough money.

Meanwhile, Washington is threatening to "fix" Social Security. (Hmm ... isn't Medicare the one that's really broken?)

No wonder all those sick-of-work boomers are getting nervous.

Read Full Story ...



Living Trust Offers: How to Make Sure They're Trust-Worthy (November 22, 2004)
You've worked hard for your money, and made every attempt to be a conscientious saver. So it's only natural that you want some control over what happens to your assets in the event of your death. At the very least, you probably want to minimize ...
How to Forecast a Lifespan (November 21, 2004)
Need a better idea of just how long you might live -- and how you might be able to extend that time? Try these life-expectancy calculators. One of the big question marks in planning for retirement, long-term care and related needs is life expectancy. How ...
Seven Ways to Stop Saying 'Oops!' (November 21, 2004)
Two wrongs don't make a right. We all make foolish financial decisions. But if you want to see things get really ugly, find folks who mistakenly think they're on the right track, so they end up making the same error over and over again. Want ...
Retirees Don't Have to Be So Frugal: A Case for Withdrawing Up to 6% a Year (November 17, 2004)
Maybe you don't have to order the early-bird special after all. Many retirees have trimmed their spending during recent years, and it isn't just because of plunging bond yields and tumbling stock prices. Instead, they have been reacting to dire warnings from Wall Street, cautioning ...

Read all 23 posts in the same category of Retirement:

Bush Says Social Security Plan Would Reassure Markets - Dec 17, 2004
Are You Ready To Retire? - Dec 13, 2004
Last-Minute Retirement Planning - Dec 12, 2004
Small Change Adds Up To Big Savings - Dec 09, 2004
Bush To Borrow To Fix Social Security - Dec 07, 2004
Moving Smoothly Into Retirement - Dec 07, 2004
Get Healthy, Get Wealthy - Dec 06, 2004
Five Books to Retire By - Dec 05, 2004
Tax Policy Promotes Early Retirement - Dec 02, 2004
Fidelity Analyzes Pension Performance - Dec 02, 2004
Social Security COLA Increase Looks Puny - Dec 02, 2004
No More IRA Leniency - Nov 29, 2004
To Yield A Good Retirement, Get Real, And Work It Out - Nov 28, 2004
Social Security Reforms On The Way? - Nov 26, 2004
Some New Ways To Preserve Your Retirement - Nov 23, 2004
Living Trust Offers: How to Make Sure They're Trust-Worthy - Nov 22, 2004
How to Forecast a Lifespan - Nov 21, 2004
Seven Ways to Stop Saying 'Oops!' - Nov 21, 2004
Retirees Don't Have to Be So Frugal: A Case for Withdrawing Up to 6% a Year - Nov 17, 2004
How to Avoid Living Like a Poor Student at Age 70 - Nov 09, 2004
What Social Security Might Look Like - Nov 09, 2004
Are You Retirement Ready -- Or Not? - Nov 03, 2004