Think You Have What It Takes to Be the Retirement Planning Guide?
Wednesday February 27, 2008
We're looking for passionate and enthusiastic individual to be the Guide to the Retirement Planning site on About.com!
What sort of information do we want the new Guide to provide?
Well, we're looking for someone who can explain to financial beginners (primarily in the US) the basics on how each of the various retirement plans work, how to invest, how much to invest, how much is necessary during retirement, etc. We're also looking for someone who can speak to the self-employed and small-business owners in the audience who are interested in information on selecting the best retirement plan for themselves or their employees.
What sort of person are we looking for to be the new Guide to Retirement Planning?
Our ideal candidate:
- A retirement planner or financial advisor who specializes in helping individuals plan for retirement
- An academic with a specialty in retirement investments
- A journalist or author who has extensively covered retirement investing and retirement planning. This person must have a specific knowledge of the tax and investing aspects of retirement planning, or be able to report it via financial experts.
If this sounds like you, and you've got excellent writing skills and the desire to reach and teach a broad audience through your writing, why not
go over to our application site to learn more about our hiring program and submit an application?
Thursday February 7, 2008
Do you know what you should about your 401k plan? If you can answer these 16 questions, you are well above the average. Most workers don't have a clue when it comes to their retirement plan. Look over these questions and if you don't have the answers, make sure you get them.
Most plan participants sign up for their 401k plan, choose their investment options, and then forget about their plan. This might be OK but at some point, it might be a good idea to know some of the facts about your plan. The better educated you are on how your plan is set up and works, the better you will be able to make wise decisions regarding your plan.
To get the answers to these and any other questions you might have about your 401k plan, contact your HR department or plan administrator. Take advantage of any meetings your company might provide to discuss your 401k plan and look closely at your statement to be sure there are no mistakes.
Suggested Reading:
Tuesday February 5, 2008
When the stock market is volatile it is a prime time for investment fraud. Con artists lurk everywhere trying to get rich from unsuspecting investors who are looking for ways to recoup their lost savings. They pitch their scams on ways to beat the system and get high returns with virtually no risk, making those who choose to listen believers of their 'too good to be true' claims.
Those who have lost their retirement savings or who are trying to build a nest egg could fall victim to these scams unless they use common sense and extreme caution. To prevent yourself from becoming a victim, ask lots of questions and be sure of what you are getting before you turn over your money to anyone.
There are several resources to help spot fraudulant practices. The National Consumers League has a list of things you should be aware of before you get caught in an investment scam. They also have information on how to avoid getting ripped off by Internet fraud and telemarketing fraud. If someone offers you an investment deal, take the time to check it out. According to the National Consumers League, you can start with your state securities regulator. You can also go online and look for information at the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission, The National American Securities Administrators Association, or the National Futures Association.
To report telemarketing or Internet scams to NCL's Fraud Center via their online
report form: https://secure.nclforms.org/nficweb/nfic.htm.
UPDATE--The NCL no longer operates a fraud hot line.
Sunday February 3, 2008
You’re playing a game and all at once someone shouts “Do over” and everyone starts the game over. You get “do overs” in quite a few things in life but retirement isn’t one of them. Whatever decisions you make now you will have to live with. Think about your retirement and what you might want to be doing when you reach 55, 60, or older. Do you want to be scratching out a living or do you want to be enjoying life? What you do right now could dictate your future retirement.
Take some time to consider what you want from your later life and start now to taking action so you won't need to wonder what might have been if you had planned differently or started planning sooner.
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