Be afraid.  Be very afraid if the latest research from the Employee Retirement Benefits Institute is correct that nearly one-half (47.2 percent) of the Early Baby Boomers are simulated to be “at risk” of not having sufficient retirement resources to pay for “basic” retirement expenditures as well as uninsured health care costs.  The report paints [...]

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The Senate passed the Dodd-Frank Regulatory Reform Bill and is sending it to the President later this week for his signature but that will be just the beginning of how the new law will affect consumer finance.  The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been tasked with authority to regulate and enable safe guards to [...]

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What is the easiest way for retirees to get involved in their local communities if they retire abroad?  Civic engagement and volunteerism provide the easiest and sometimes cheapest ways for retirees to acclimate themselves into a foreign culture during their retirement years.  The International Community Foundation recently released its report “Civic Engagement, Volunteerism and Charitable [...]

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The Obama administration has been nothing but bold with its determination for healthcare and financial services reform but is that audacity too much for the fight against homelessness?  Late last month, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness released a comprehensive federal plan that will serve as a roadmap to prevent and end homelessness by [...]

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The perceptions about retirement for all Europeans are shifting with the economic times and are beginning to look more like attitudes about retirement in America.  According to a recent survey by Aon Consulting, more than half (55%) of Europeans believe they will have to delay their retirement because of the current economic climate.  French and [...]

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Will a Consumer Protection Finance Agency provide greater protection for seniors that could be victims of fraud?  Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are in conference to help reduce the odds of that happening this week.  According to a recent survey, more than 7.3 million older Americans – one out of every five citizens over the age [...]

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Is budgeting social security into the retirement incomes for seniors and their decisions on senior housing critical?  You Betcha. According to a new study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), it represents almost half of the income for those 65 and older.  The study, based on data from 2008, shows the nearly all individuals [...]

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Everyone else is raising the retirement age, why isn’t America doing it yet?  Greece is raising its retirement age as it copes with its financial mess, Germany and Denmark are at 67, the U.K. is raising theirs to 68 and now it seems France is going to be raising theirs as well based upon pension [...]

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By Mauricio Monroy (Adapted from “Tax Incentives and the 50-Plus To Retire In Mexico) As the North American 50+ population looks to retire after the pain of a severe global economic crisis, retiring in Mexico will offer the benefits of a hospitable low-cost environment in the charm of pristine beaches with either lush tropical or [...]

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What constitutes a good retirement or senior living cost calculator?  Lately, there has been some cross-fire on the value and the accuracy of retirement calculators out on the web.  A recent story by CBS news entitled, “6 Things Retirement Calculators Get Wrong” that covered Mark Miller was critical of retirement planning calculators and their assumptions [...]

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Does keeping healthy really reduce the costs of living in retirement or does it actually increase those costs because improved health leads to longer life?  A recent brief from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College reported new findings on average lifetime health care costs at selected ages and on the distribution of those [...]

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The latest results from a Gallup poll show that the expectations on funding retirement living have significantly changed when compared to results from 10 years ago.  Non-retirees still commonly say IRAs and 401(k)s will be a major source of retirement income (45%), followed by Social Security (34%), work-sponsored pension plans (23%), saving accounts or CDs [...]

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