With all of the recent hype over Suze Orman's new debt card, it's no wonder why many folks think it's better to use a debt card versus a credit card. But for many folks that would be a mistake. The obvious reason many folks do this is to avoid getting into debt on a credit card and the high interest rates and fees that apply when you carry a balance. But if you resolve

This post continues my retirement income scorecard for the first quarter of 2012, showing how much retirement income you can generate with $100,000 of retirement savings at the beginning of 2012.

This post examines immediate annuities, which are one of three ways to generate retirement income from your retirement savings. For background on these methods, you may want to review my recent post, My four favorite ways to generate retirement income.

This post continues my retirement income scorecard for the first quarter of 2012, showing how much retirement income you can generate with $100,000 of retirement savings at the beginning of 2012. This post examines managed payouts, which are one of three ways to generate retirement income from your retirement savings. For background on these methods, you may want to review my recent post, "My four favorite ways to generate retirement income."

Retirement

How much retirement income can you generate from your 401(k), IRA and retirement savings? It's a critical question because it will affect just how much money you'll have to spend for the rest of your life.

The answer can vary widely, depending on a number of factors, the most important being the method you use to generate retirement income, as discussed in my recent post, "My four favorite ways to generate retirement

Have you written a will? Its contents may not matter when it comes to many of your assets. A jointly owned house or bank account will automatically pass to an heir; the joint title also includes an automatic right of survivorship. Also, accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs and life insurance policies include beneficiary designations, which when correctly completed will also take the place of designations in a will.

That means you

Americans aged 62 and older had accumulated $3.19 trillion in home equity by the end of the third quarter of 2011, according to data recently released by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). During the same quarter, home equity increased by $46 billion, reflecting stabilization and improvement in home prices. The $3.19 trillion is the net result of a $4.2 trillion increase in aggregate senior housing values and a mortgage debt of

A recent study released in the U.K. revealed that the gap in life expectancy between the rich and poor is widening. At age 65, men in the highest socio-economic group are living, on average, 3.5 years longer than those in the lowest socio-economic group. Twenty years ago, this difference in life expectancy was just 2.3 years.

Similar gaps in life expectancy have been reported in the United States, Canada, and Finland. Is

One of the biggest weaknesses of 401(k) plans is that they allow workers to cash out when they change jobs. Nearly half of all workers cash out 401(k) savings when they change jobs even though they have to pay personal income tax and a ten percent penalty for early withdrawal.

Most of the workers who do cash out are younger workers with smaller balances. Many of these folks figure it's a

This critical decision, along with other important retirement decisions, have been addressed by a landmark effort from the Society of Actuaries (SOA) to examine the major decisions you'll encounter when planning your retirement. SOA just released its Managing Retirement Decisions series of online briefs; each focuses on specific decisions that you'll face before and during your retirement years. 

The first in the series addresses the big question -- when should you retire? -- by reviewing

Many folks believe that the safest place to store valuable items is in a bank safe deposit box. After all, banks have the best 24 hour security and alarm systems.

But the contents of a safe deposit box are rarely insured, while items in your home are typically covered by your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy.

Also, don't think your cash in a safe deposit box is covered under FDIC