Your Emergency Fund – How Much, Plus Why, How, and Where

It is times like these that stress the importance of planning a healthy savings strategy and how much of an emergency fund you should have. If you are experiencing your own personal recession amid these times of Social Distancing and are among the almost 40 million Americans that have filed for unemployment since March, this probably is not your top priority. Times of[...] Continue reading

Should you work past your retirement age?

It’s common for investors to hear that they should delay retirement and work for an additional few years. Although the benefits and implications that come along with working past retirement age may seem obvious, it doesn’t always register how age can impact retirement savings. The amount of money they’ll need to live on in retirement is a function of what it will[...] Continue reading

Critical questions for plan participants: Are my beneficiaries up to date?

Having your beneficiaries up to date is essential because what you’ve saved in your 401(k) is part of your estate plan and should match your wishes for your other assets. To make sure your beneficiaries are up to date, you first need to know who tracks that information at your employer. Some 401(k) providers track that on a website or portal while others track this via[...] Continue reading

Critical questions for plan participants: Should I be looking at Roth contributions?

Roth contributions to your 401(k) are something to consider based on your time-horizon until retirement as well as your current and expected tax bracket in retirement. A Roth 401(k) is an option at some employer-sponsored plans, but unlike a traditional 401(k) it’s funded with after-tax dollars. This means you pay taxes on those funds now, and won’t have to pay taxes[...] Continue reading

Critical questions for plan participants

A few years ago, we did a Q&A series on critical questions for plan sponsors. We’d now like to revisit this territory and address critical questions for plan participants. Investing and saving for retirement can be daunting; but investing in your employer sponsored plan is a great place to start. Here are a few questions you may want to ask at the outset — these[...] Continue reading