May 2010 archive

Annuity—or not?

By on May 28, 2010 10:07 am

I recently attended a conference in Washington on the question of retirement income—how baby boomers will generate income from their 401(k) accounts once they retire. Read more »



Winning the loser’s game

By on May 25, 2010 8:25 am

I don’t really follow tennis, but it turns out that an insulting label for tennis players connects to a very important investment idea. Read more »



Keeping the “bag lady” specter at bay

By on May 14, 2010 9:09 am

I’ve never heard this discussed by men, but some women carry the worry that they will end up old and alone, with no money and no home. It’s not generally ever-present, but rears up as reports on foreclosures, unemployment, plant closings, and law-firm and hospital layoffs proliferate in the press. It’s often termed “bag-lady syndrome”.

Read more »



The new retirement

By on May 10, 2010 9:31 am

A new poll from Gallup says that Americans expect to depend more on Social Security when they retire—and less on 401(k)s, IRAs, and part-time work. I don’t believe it for a minute.

Read more »



When to start spending your retirement savings

By on May 5, 2010 10:53 am

For many years, the government has published statistics on Americans’ age and employment. A version of that data is shown in the chart below. My sense is that these figures are the basis for much of the conventional wisdom on the age at which people retire, as well as for whatever general notions people have about when they’ll start to need “replacement income.”

Read more »