Can You Afford to Retire?

readings and links

Retirement News and Articles

New York Times Special Report: Retirement
A multi-part series about the changing nature of retirement (April 11, 2006).

The Los Angeles Times' Series: "Retirement At Risk"
A smart overview of retirement issues and challenges. Start with the eye-opening article, "Fees Eat Away at Employees' 401(k) Nest Eggs."

"The End of Pensions?"
New York Times Magazine article by Roger Lowenstein covering the entire pension problem, from bankruptcy to public pensions to 401(k)s (October 30, 2005).

"Generations Will Feel Pension Act Differently"
A Washington Post article about the varying effects of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 on workers entering the workforce and on retirees leaving it (August 20, 2006).

"On Point: Your Pension"
An episode of the NPR program discussing the newly signed Pension Protection Act. Real Player or Windows Media Player required for audio (August 21, 2006).

"Once Safe, Public Pensions Are Now Facing Cuts"
A New York Times article on the growing instability of public pension funds (November 6, 2006).

Yahoo! Finance: Retirement
Links to retirement news and advice, with an extensive retirement calculator.

CNN Money: Retirement
Retirement articles from CNN and elsewhere. Also features a retirement calculator.

Marketplace Money: "Retiring"
Stories on retirement planning from this National Public Radio personal finance show.

 

Retirement Advice and Research

Choosetosave.org
A non-profit site advocating stepping up retirement saving and other savings. Many links to studies, and an entire page of financial calculators.

360 Financial Literacy.org
Don't know the difference between a Keogh or Roth IRA, or how much you should be investing in equities versus bonds? This site, run by the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), provides detailed information on retirement planning for investors of any age.

EBRI Retirement Confidence Survey
Annual survey of how prepared Americans think they are for retirement.

Boston College Center for Retirement Research
Academic studies of retirement saving.

Profit Sharing/401k Council of America
Home page of advocacy group representing companies offering 401(k)-style retirement plans.

 

Links for Young Investors

"Youth Is Wasted on the Generation Y Investor"
A New York Times report on the mistakes young workers are making in managing their 401(k)s and what financial planners advise.

"Why Does Retirement Cost So Much?
A short summary of the answers, drawn from FRONTLINE's report, "Can You Afford to Retire?"

Financial Calculators
A sampling of online calculators you can use to evaluate where you stand in saving for retirement -- and how long your savings would last in the retirement years.

Business Week Online: "Life Without a 401(k)"
A 7-part special report that collects articles about money management geared toward younger workers. It includes advice on starting an individual retirement account (IRA) and strategies for saving and managing credit card debt.

"Generation Debt" Blog
Anya Kamenetz, author of the recent book Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to Be Young, blogs about the political and economic issues affecting Generation X. You can also read her column for the Village Voice on the same topic.

 

Mutual Fund Retirement Pages

Vanguard
Retirement site of the mutual fund giant and pioneer of index funds started by John Bogle.

TIAA-CREF
Retirement site of another major non-profit investment company serving employees of non-profits and educational institutions.

Fidelity Investments
Retirement center of the largest for-profit 401(k) plan adminstrator.

 

Government Resources

Social Security Online
Learn more about Social Security and calculate your estimated annual Social Security benefit in retirement.

Pension Protection Act of 2006
The full text of the pension legislation signed by President Bush in August 2006.

Public Pensions: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Home page of a February 2006 conference on public pensions at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. Download presentations detailing the underfunding of pension plans.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Home page of the federal corporation that insures private-sector pensions.

 

Bankruptcy Resources

Bankruptcy Basics
A concise explanation of the different chapters of the bankruptcy law.

United Airlines bankruptcy page
View the original court documents filed in United's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, including the first day orders mentioned in FRONTLINE's report.

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posted may 16, 2006

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