PLANNING TOOLS, ARTICLES & FAQs FOR RETIREMENT PLANNING The following planning tools and articles are designed to provide information on retirement planning.  The information provided is of a general nature and is not intended to address specific individual business situations. Remember, there is no substitute for professional advice.   Always consult with your financial team (attorney, insurance agent, investment advisor and tax advisor) before taking any action.

Retirement Planning   Articles     Health care issues       Buying supplemental health insurance--Medigap       Coordinating long-term care insurance with government benefits       Health insurance in retirement       Medicare       Should you buy long-term care insurance?       Understanding long-term care insurance     Housing issues       Housing options for older individuals       Your home as a source of dollars in retirement     Saving for retirement       Annuities and retirement planning       Borrowing or withdrawing money from your 401(k) plan       Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)       Closing a retirement income gap       Deciding what to do with your 401(k) plan when you change jobs       Estimating your retirement income needs       Evaluating an early retirement offer       Retirement planning--the basics       Saving for retirement and a child's education at the same time       Taking advantage of employer-sponsored retirement plans       Understanding defined benefit plans       Understanding IRAs       What to do after you've been automatically enrolled in your company's retirement plan     Social Security       Social Security retirement benefits       Understanding Social Security   Decision Tools     401(k) plans       401(k) plans       Individual 401(k) Illustration       Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA?     Health care issues       Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care       Medicare figures at-a-glance       Medicare, Medigap, and Medicaid     IRAs       Comparison of traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs       Roth IRA future value calculator       Traditional IRA future value calculator       Traditional IRA required minimum distribution illustrator     Retirement planning basics       Building an investment portfolio       Consumer price index inflation calculator       Growth of annual deposits calculator       How taxation can affect your retirement funds       Investing for retirement       Net worth calculator       Personal cash flow worksheet       Saving for your retirement       What is your risk tolerance?     Social Security       How earnings affect Social Security       Social Security figures at-a-glance       Sources of retirement income: filling the Social Security gap   FAQs     Employer-sponsored retirement plans       Can I roll a retirement plan distribution into an IRA?       Can I still have a traditional IRA if I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work?       Does the federal government insure pension benefits?       How can I plan for retirement if my employer doesn't offer retirement benefits?       I teach at a school that has a 403(b) plan. Is this type of plan a good way to save for retirement?       My company has a profit-sharing plan. How do these plans work?       Should I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work?       Should I use my 401(k) to fund my child's college education?       What are my options if I inherit an IRA or employer-sponsored plan?       What does the term "qualified plan" mean?       What is vesting?     Evaluating an early retirement offer       Should I accept my employer's early retirement offer?     Health care issues       Can I deduct premiums paid for long-term care (LTC) insurance?       How can I pay for nursing home care?       How can I tell if a nursing home provides high-quality care?       How do I enroll in Medicare?       How does Medicare+Choice work?       Should I buy long-term care insurance?       What is long-term care insurance?       What is Medigap?     Housing issues       I'm having a hard time selling my home. Should I take out a reverse mortgage?       I'm retired now and own my home outright, but I need money to live on. How can I use my home to raise some money without selling it?       My husband just died. Should I accept my daughter's offer to move in with her?     IRAs       Can I avoid the 10 percent penalty tax for early withdrawals from a traditional IRA?       Can I contribute to a Roth IRA?       Can I roll a retirement plan distribution into an IRA?       Can I set up a traditional IRA?       Can I shift my traditional funds to a Roth IRA?       Can I still have a traditional IRA if I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work?       Can I take money from my IRA without any penalty?       I need money--can I take funds from my IRA?       It's January, and I forgot to contribute to my IRA. Is it too late?       Should I invest in a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA?       Should I withdraw money from my IRA to pay for my child's college tuition?       What are my options if I inherit an IRA or employer-sponsored plan?       What are required minimum distributions and how are they calculated?       What are the rules for IRA contributions?       What's a premature IRA distribution, and what happens if I make one?     Saving for retirement       How aggressive should I be when I invest for retirement?       How can I plan for retirement if my employer doesn't offer retirement benefits?       How can we possibly save for retirement and our child's college education at the same time?       How late is too late to start saving for retirement?       How much money should I save for retirement?       How should I structure my retirement portfolio?       I think it's time to start planning for retirement. Where do I begin?       What are catch-up contributions?       What should I do if I determine that my income during retirement won't be enough to meet my retirement expenses?     Social Security       Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?       How can I get an estimate of my Social Security benefits?       I'm getting remarried. How will this affect my Social Security benefits?       Should I retire now at age 62 and collect Social Security benefits, or should I wait until age 65?       What happens if I start collecting Social Security after age 65?       When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security?       Will my children receive money from Social Security when I die?