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I heard an interesting story on NPR the other day, about investors who are so frightened of financial markets that they are willing to pay - and get no return - just to keep their money safe. Even with rates so low on US Treasury bonds (about 1.5% for 10 years!) investors from around the world conti...

Last year the Social Security Administration (SSA) stopped mailing statements to taxpayers to reduce their costs (by about $70 million). Earlier this year they resumed mailing to people 60 or older who have not yet started drawing social security. Now they have launched a new online version of you...

Sure everyone would if they could, but an increase in salary is not what I'm talking about here. What I'm suggesting is the most important thing you can do to build your retirement savings: give your retirement contributions a raise. Once you get in a 401(k) or 403(b) and establish your contribution...

We have covered the first question for plan participants: How much? How much should you contribute, how much will keep you comfortable in retirement, how much can you afford today? If you decide what you can afford and that's your contribution, it's a perfectly reasonable approach. But once you have...

The first thing you do when signing up for your employer's 401(k) or 403(b) is decide how much to put in out of every paycheck. You don't need my advice for that, of course; it's a function of how much you can afford. But once you decide on the amount, on how much you're willing to save toward your...

So much has been written about the recent Facebook stock offering that I am reluctant to add to the stack, so I'll keep it short. After going public at $38/share last Friday and climbing briefly to $45, the stock has reversed, closing Tuesday at $31.11, for a loss of 18% from the offering price. Mos...

In most 401(k) and 403(b) plans, money market and short-term bond funds are among the most popular investment choices. That is especially true recently, when fear and panic among investors sent many scrambling for something more stable than the stock market. With the smoke cleared from last year's f...

Back when I started contributing to a 401(k), first class postage cost 20 cents. It was the year Apple introduced the Macintosh. Ronald Reagan was re-elected, and the LA Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII. Hair was big back then. The internet did not exist, and you could check the value of your account 4...

A methadone clinic is a medical facility that heroin or other opiate addicts go to break the cycle of addiction. I've never been to one but I've seen the Hollywood portrayal and it isn't something to aspire to. But if someone is to find themselves in such a situation the clinic is apparently a far s...

My version of the Rapunzel story has my very pregnant wife unable to bear the August heat and yearning for a little cool breeze. Fortunately our baby didn't get locked up in a tower by a witch. I borrowed from my 401(k) and installed air conditioning. Everyone needs a little cash from time to time -...