Retirement savings

The Retirement Savings Education Campaign has information for employees, small businesses, and employers about saving for retirement and the tools to get started. ...

Find out if your monthly savings will meet your retirement income needs. ... Step 3. How Much Retirement Savings Have You Already Accumulated? ...

Wondering how to get started saving for retirement? Wishing you could get a free, second opinion about the retirement savings plan you already have in place? ...

The U.S. Department of Labor, along with the Department of the Treasury and 65 public and private organizations launched a Retirement Savings Education Campaign in ...

Find out how to save for retirement and get closer to your retirement goals. ... Like employer-sponsored retirement savings accounts such as 401(k)s, the money you save ...

Complete the Ballpark E$timate retirement planning worksheet. ... It is a retirement savings plan sponsored by your employer and funded by you with money ...

A few weeks back, I ran a poll on retirement savings accounts which revealed that more than 9 out of 10 respondents are saving for retirement through either an

So where do we find the average retirement savings by age? We are forced to rely on the internet. ... I think you're looking at your overall retirement savings, not just IRAs. ...

C. P. Montalto, Retirement Savings of American Households, April 26, 2000 ... The types of retirement savings of American households, the levels of these savings, and ...

Concordia Retirement Savings Plan.      Email    Print ... The Concordia Retirement Savings Plan is a 403(b) Tax-Deferred Savings Plan with a ...

Take these five steps to maximize your retirement savings after the bear market dragged down your investments.

401k retirement savings plans from Putnam Investments. ... We offer the capabilities and expertise to help advisors and plan sponsors deliver effective retirement solutions. ...

I have Fidelity for my retirement and my husband has Principal Funds for his because that's who our employers go through. We want to open another investment account to save money for a down payment for a house hopefully faster than the low rated savings and CD accounts would get us. Are these really good companies or are their better ones out there?

My wife and I have a disagreement. We have two kids (13 and 10 years old). We have a pretty good start on both retirement savings and college savings. However, she says we need to save more aggressively for college than for retirement, and I say we need to save more aggressively for retirement than for college (we are both 48 years old). My logic is that, if we fall short of our goal for college savings, there will always be an option to borrow at low interest rates. Borrowing for retirement will never be an option. Your thoughts?

I'm 43 years old and have a good 401K at work but no real retirement/savings besides that. I have some extra cash I'm looking to do something with and a friend suggested a Roth IRA.

i need help on this to figure out the correct amunt of tax on my salary. Me and my wife working on W2,My salary is $125,000/year and my wife salary 68,000/year We both get pay check for every two weeks.I do not have any retirement savings but my wife has 401K.We have two kids (ages 4 and 2). For two weeks my earnings are :$4,800 (Before tax) For two weeks my wife's earnings :$2,615(subtract $250 insurance and $160 401K) AFter Insurance and 401K,my wife's salary $2,205 (Before tax) To avoid IRS penalty/estimated taxes,how much we need to pay federal taxes ? Thanks in Advance. Trips

Here is the story: The company I had worked for, for nearly 20 years was bought out and the new company laid off over 80% of the employees. The severance package I received and my vacation "buy out" totaled nearly 7 months. During the last month I worked, the company brought in people from the state unemployment office and job assistance programs to meet with those being let go. During that meeting it was mentioned that people who receive severance packages etc may not be immediatly elligable for unemployment benefits. There were two "waves" of employees who went out before my "wave" went, and I was hearing from some of those, that because of the size of their severance package they were being told they did not qualify yet and wait till the severance package ran out. Then I heard the nightmares they went through when they reapplied. When I left with my packages, I opted to not go through what they went through. Frankly, with a package that equalled almost 7 months, I wasn't expecting to be unemployed that long. I had never been unemployed for more than 6 weeks in five jobs I had over nearly 25 years. I had always been able to find work quickly. One time I wasn't even without work long enough to receive my first unemployment check. After 7 months I was still unable to find a job and the severance package ran out, so I filed for unemployment. During this time I was faithfully paying my bills. When I decided to file for my credit card insurance is when all hell broke lose. I called the company, was told they don't deal with BofA anymore. I called back, oh yes they handle BofA, but I'm not on the list. I call BofA. BofA gets angry and calls themselves. They get the same runaround... first told they don't handle it, then when the lady at BofA said "Um, I AM BofA!!" The lady on the other line said "Oh, let me transfer you to the people who take care of that" Then that person said I'm not on the list. The lady at BofA said BULLSH*T (yes she did). Then I was miraculously found. They sent me the paperwork. I filled it out and sent it back. They lost the paperwork and wouldn't accept a copy of my copy. So I refilled it out. They declined me saying I didn't file for unemployment within 30 days. I got pissed. By this time, I had to move and couldn't deal with this, while looking for work and a place to live. When I got settled again, I called BofA. at that time my intent was to find out how much I paid over the years and atleast try to get that money back. BofA wasn't happy with what I went through, so they tried again. Again we went through the same situation... They don't handle BofA, oh you're BofA, yes we do, that person is not on our list, oh, wait yes she is. You should have been approved, we'll resend the paperwork. Again I filled out the paperwork and again I was declined. What are my options at this time? Do I have any legal recourse? Is this even legal? There are extrenuating circumstances for everything and these people don't seem to acknowledge them. Frankly, I feel by the way they tried to sneak around saying they didn't handle that account and then saying I wasn't on their list, it's as if they are trying everything possible to not pay up. I have prided myself on keeping my credit in good standing. To get this monkey off my back and not knowing what exactly my future was, I opted to take money out of my retirement savings to pay it off. But they still should reimburse me. I paid them... for years. This is not right. I appreciate you reading my story and appreciate any assistance and advice you can offer.

My brother in law who lives on the opposite coast got himself into major financial trouble. My husband wants to give him a loan of which we can barely afford and which I am reluctant to give b/c his brother is used to the "good" life and does not seem to have learned any financial lessons. Case in point: He bought an iphone when he pretty much lost everything. He had 2 impractical vehicles (big truck & leased BMW - expensive townhouse - top of the line stuff in the townhouse - etc.) We don't know the loan amount but that he can pay back $200 a month. We've had creditors call us b/c he owes them money. He owed the state taxes. I don't feel good about this at all. We can barely afford it so I have to tell my husband that whatever we give - we have to be prepared to take it as a loss. I have loaned money to friends and have not been paid back. -- What kills me about this is that his brother in law is absolutely ignorant when it comes to finances. He wants to impress. He is depressed that his life is the way that it is but he doesn't seem to connect the dots. He was overspending his means by a huge amount. He blames others. He was a bit mean to his ex-girlfriend - making snide comments about her inability to afford a BMW like him. He also made remarks to his brother and me - indirect really about how we weren't living it up like him. His brother also slept with my husband's ex-wife. At the time - from what I've been told - he didn't seem to get that what he did was wrong. -- I'm just beside myself. I need some advice. Please be kind. Can you see why I'm not feeling good about lending this guy money? It would be different if we could afford to but we really can't. We have already been sacrificing and cutting back for years. We have built up a savings in case we hit a rough patch. I don't even think he has a retirement savings and he's not that far from 40. He wants his own place. I say that he should try to rent a room from someone (house) or see if he can stay with someone from work temporarily. He doesn't have a vehicle. He lost his vehicle b/c he's still stupid with finances and paying bills. I don't think he's stupid. I think he's ignorant and closed. He has a good job. Ironically, he is a finance manager. He also does sales. But he's making a lot less. What he sells is highly cyclical - dependent completely on the economy. Shouldn't he have seen this coming? Thank you. I will talk to him. My husband knows how I feel. We've talked about it before. My husband was almost in the same position. I got him out of it. He told his brother that - so why his brother isn't coming to me for some advice - I don't know. Maybe embarrassed but I already know. I have experience in finance professionally. My parents taught me money management early on. By saying no, does that make me seem insensitive and cold? I don't think so in this case b/c of the circumstances. He got himself into this mess. Before everything fell apart - I did advocate for savings and not spending it all before it was earned. I don't think so in this case b/c of the circumstances. He got himself into this mess. Before everything fell apart - I did advocate for savings and not spending it all before it was earned. I don't think so in this case b/c of the circumstances. He got himself into this mess. Before everything fell apart - I did advocate for savings and not spending it all before it was earned. I just did. I said "no". I was brave. It's hard to say no. But you know - forget him. Who buys an iphone when you don't need it b/c he already had a smart phone? Isn't a place to live and a car to get to work a bit more important? He has no kids - no wife. He should be able to afford himself. He had at least 2 gaming systems. Xbox - PS3 - etc. Flat screen tv - etc. etc. We don't even have that.

Why do people put money towards retirement when inflation is going to occur anyways? People should buy stuff like gold and silver because you never know what your money will be worth in 10 or 20 years. Why do people SAVE then?

There is really no excuse - Americans make more in salary (on average) than most other countries, except for a few countries in Europe. That means that the average American has plenty of opportunities to save money for retirement and for emergencies. And yet - the average American worker has less than $10,000 in total retirement savings! The average American household has around $9,000 in credit card debts. Many Americans save so little money that they can't even pay for their own healthcare coverage if they lose their jobs. What the heck is up with this? I remember being in Germany, and even though people make less money on average than Americans, they saved a lot more, and they could afford nice stuff like yearly beach vacations to Thailand, simply by managing their money carefully. Why haven't Americans done the same? "Who the hell are you?" I'm an American born and raised in Texas, you moron.

. . . What is your answer to the fact that there isn't enough gold to cover the accumulated wealth in America? I'm not talking about what the government spends, I mean the money people have in savings, retirement funds, checking accounts, and other non-physical currency areas. Should those accounts just be wiped out and the people told "Sorry that you spent your life saving money."?

The value of the US dollar is plummeting, the stock market is doing soo poorly that thousands have lost their savings and retirement and the economy has literally been crushed! Top that off with a proposed health care plan that will surely cost you dearly... he's not responsible? he borrowed trillions from China and printed trillions more causing the biggest drop in the value of the dollar in the past 235 years! and, there won't be another term...

I'm putting $15000/yr into my 401(k) and my employer is putting $10620 into it. I'm also putting $5000/yr into a Roth IRA. I'm 38 years old, and my wife is 31 and doesn't work so she's not saving anything. We currently have $231,000 in retirement savings. AM I saving enough for us to live comfortably at say a $100,000 retirement salary in 30 years?

I will be 23 this year and my son will be one in two months. I want to start planning for our futures. I want to start a savings for him and a retirement plan for myself. The savings for him is the easy part. The retirement for me...not so much. I found places like ING and Liberty Mutual, but I don't know where to business. Can I do this on my own? And How?

I really want to save for my retirement. But my savings account has a 0% interest rate while inflation is HIGH. Why is Obama forcing me to spend money I want to save for retirement? The dollar has dropped against every other major currency except the Euro. Its down vs the Canada by a ton. And you think theres no inflation? Wow.

The 6 months living expenses thing is NOT an option. So basically I have 2 grand in saving. Now student loan repayments are coming soon. I have two part time jobs at the moment and I plan to spend about $500 a month on student loans starting next month (I have one private loan with a 12% interest rate so I'm trying to knock that out before the others are in repayment as well. Also plan on paying off ALL accrued interest so it won't capitalize. My other loans have a 6.8 interest rate) That $500 is AFTER I paid off my bills, food, maybe $100 in savings, and $100 for free-will purchases (let's face it, everyone wants to go out sometime. This includes fast food, shopping, movies, or whatever. But I don't spend out much so I might not even use all this). I would feel really comfy keeping that 2 grand in the bank for rainy days even though the savings interest doesn't even compare to the interest those loans are gathering. I was thinking maybe putting $100 away a month to build up savings... if that. Should I be saving more or focus on paying off the loans. Basically, having two jobs, I don't feel too scared about being unemployed since I'll have something to fall on if something happens. I also have a $3000 limit credit card (no balance on it) if I needed something (but since I have no car and I rent, I can't see myself ever having that problem. No big ticket items to worry about. I have renters insurance if you're thinking what if my place burns down or I get robbed.) So is it wise to keep that two grand in the bank or use it towards loans? And should I be saving more than $100 a month while trying to pay off loans? I was thinking any extra money, like if i pick up hours at work, would also go to savings or should I use that for loans? Should I be saving at all? I know savings is important long run but I'm hoping to be debt free in 5 years or less then I can worry about things like retirement. Maybe saving for a car or house is good but not thinking about owning anytime soon so I don't feel pressed about that. I just turned 22 if that helps but things in perspective. If you don't want to read the question, don't give an answer. I clearly said I'm 22.

I'm a part-time student and a part-time food service worker in my early twenties. I make about $12,000 to $14,000 a year. I have absolutely no savings whatsoever, and very little knowledge on the subject. I'm considering opening a Roth IRA to start saving for retirement. Anybody have any advice for me? Is it easy to set up? How much should I contribute? Can I put as much in whenever I want, or is there a minimum you have to contribute? How is the interest rate determined? I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm really quite confused on the subject! Any advice would be appreciated. I also have a question about 401k plans, if anybody can help me out with that, too! http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aplt8J4Df3e8__.hOjmxf4bsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100313023709AAG9Mhi

I don't know exactly what retirement plan would be best for me. Please help. I am a young married mother with 2 children. I make 15.00 hourly, full time. My husband makes very good money and has no problem supporting our family if need be. Would would you suggest I do for retirement savings and why?

When my husband and I got married, I had NO debt and he already had a high debt load. We have used up all my savings in support of paying his bills. Now that he's gotten a higher paying job, he is blowing all his money on buying random things which add up. Presents to his entire side of the family, big nights out, electronic gadgets, etc. We still have no savings. How do I get him to understand that we need to discuss big purchases (e.g. he's just spent US$ 2,000 on buying presents for HIS family) and that we need to start saving??? He thinks that we can dip into our retirement fund whenever he feels like it. ARGH!

My father, 51, had been an hourly worker in a machine shop of for 21 years and four months. On a Christmas holiday, he suffered a severe heart attack and was hospitalized for three weeks. At his release, his doctor said he was to rest at home for a couple of months. After his recuperation period, his doctor, along with his company’s physicians, was to decide whether or not my father should retired for disability reasons. They never got the opportunity to make this decision; in February, my father died of a second heart attack. He left my mother, four sons, two daughters and two-daughters in-law. His wife, my mother, still had four children at home. As part of my father's estate, my mother received the normal group insurance payments, the balance of his savings plan account, and the other benefits due her. However, my mother did not receive a pension from the company as a survivor of an eligible employee. When my mother and the company representatives had discussed the settlement, my mother had inquired about my father's pension and about my mother's right to receive it. The human resource department had stated that since contributions to this fund were made only by the company, no survivor’s benefits were provided. 1.What do you think my mother should do at this point? 2.What does the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 have to say about this issue?

I am writing a short story for school. It is suposed to have a strong emphasis on theme. I started writing one. It is 300 words now and needs to be 1000. Any ideas on how to finish? Jeff Hayes never thought it would come to this. That he would be on the outside looking in, or the inside looking out, however you want to think about it. For the past year he was always a couple steps ahead of everyone else, until they finally caught up to him. It started off small, but Jeff just couldn’t help himself. *** one year ago *** Jeff was worried, what was he going to do about his retirement? He was all set to receive a hefty pension in three years, after all he was the chief of police. When he was informed of the financial cutbacks, Jeff was devastated. He had no investments, and only enough savings for a couple of years. He was only 58 years old, he thought he still had some good years left before he would sit and do nothing. He needed to think of something, and fast. After weeks of brainstorming and coming no closer to an answer, it hit him when he least expected it. He was about to take down one of the city’s larger drug importers, he just needed some extra evidence. Jeff was shocked when the man, Jermaine Taylor, called him off the record. For some reason, maybe fate, Jeff decided to answer, and his life was never the same. “Listen Hayes, I think we can both help each other out here,” said Taylor. “What do you mean?” Jeff replied. “What I mean is that I know about the pension, and you know about my business dealings. How about we help each other make that go away. I’ll give you $20,000 right now to back off,” answered Taylor. “OK,” said Jeff.

please help me with my economics homeworks.. Jonathan is planning ahead for retirement and must decide how much to spend and how much to save while he's working in order to have money to spend when he retires. When the substitution effect dominates the income effect, an increase in the interest rate on savings is likely to Answer A.increase saving. B.decrease saving. C.have no effect on saving. D.All of the above are possible.

Or do you have a good pension or savings and investments fund? Millions of Britons are apparently gambling with their future by hoping for a lottery win or an inheritance to fund their retirement a study of 3000 people carried out by Skandia has shown.

Excellent credit score, 20% down, No debt except student loans (will be deferred during residency), retirement savings and assets such as two paid vehicles. Problem I will be moving so need to get new job (same profession). Husband will have contract on proof of salary (will be a doctor doing his residency) but not begin until July. Could have co-signer if needed. Want to take advantage of tax credit if possible.

I am 30 years old and just started a new career. My employer offers both a Traditional 401K and a Roth 401K. I have zero experience investing and have never owned a retirement account before. Which should I choose....or can I choose both? I have allocated 10% of my income to invest for now. Should I do 5% in 401K and 5% in Roth 401K....or other options? I am totally confused by all the choices and not sure where to put my money so that I can make to best investment. My employer does offer a "matching" bonus. I currently do not have any other investments or savings. Any advise would be great!! Here are the funds available to invest in....managed by Fidelity COLUMBIA STRATEGIC INCOME GOLDMAN SACHS MID CAP VALUE MUNDER MID-CAP CORE GROWTH FIDELITY SPARTAN 500 INDEX PIMCO TOTAL RETURN FIDELITY ADVISOR FREEDOM 2010 FIDELITY ADVISOR FREEDOM 2020 FIDELITY ADVISOR FREEDOM 2030 FIDELITY ADVISOR FREEDOM 2040 AMERICAN FUNDS AMER H/I AMER FDS GROWTH FD OF AMERICA AMERICAN FUNDS EUROPACIFIC DODGE & COX STOCK EATON VANCE FLOATING RATE FEDERATE PRIME OBLIGATIONS MM VIRTUS REAL ESTATE SECURITIES DAVIS NY VENTURE ALLIANZ NFJ SMALL-CAP VALUE FD BUFFALO SMALL CAP AMERICAN CENT INFLATION ADJ

Im 40 years old and I dont have any savings for my retirement, but working on starting one pretty soon and do not know where to go. I know depending on social security at the age of 65 will not be enough to feed us due to the inflation? Please help!

im 27 with no savings. never even thought about this stuff till yesterday. i wanna retire when im about 55-60 but i want kids too. i have a bachelors degree. any advice?

I was talking to these 2 girls at school today, one of which is one of my closest friends and lives an in apartment, and the other i don't really like and is rich and her mom is literally the treasurer of our city. Well my friend was saying her mom has over 50,000 dollars saved up for just her retirement, already payed for her brother's college, and already has enough for her to go to college. The other girl the same but had over 100,000 saved up. And I was like "ARE YOU EFFING SERIOUS???" they were like, "uhhh yeah... how much do you have?" I'm like "umm, well my mom gets like $400 every time she gets paid and we got paid monday, and she just bought a ton of clothes yesterday and groceries, so about $200." And they were like "no, i mean how much savings?" and i said " .... we don't have any, we just spend money when we get it" And they started cracking up and they were like "$200?!! thats not even enough for the Washington DC trip!!! hahahahaaaaaa!!! how are you going to go to college?" and i was like I'll make a student loan, and the rich one was like "whats that?" I almost frickeng slapped her right there, she is one of the stupidest people i have ever met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Am I the only one who is paying for their own college? Are your parents? Sorry not today, on Friday i was talking to them.

My husband and I are both 22, we are both graduating from college and can no longer keep our student jobs. We are moving to another city and looking for work, we aren't expecting to make much money initially because we have BA's. We might even just get two part-time jobs each to begin with. We have $29,000 in student loan debt. If we pay that off in five years, we will only be paying $5,000 in interest. With a ten-year plan, we would be paying about $11,000. Needless to say, we are going to try pay the debt off in five years. We don't currently have an adequate emergency savings and would like to buy a house in a few years. I have a plan to save $20,000 in three years for a down payment on a home (I live in TX, you can find a perfectly good home for $100-150k) which will also serve as our emergency savings during that three year period. In order to follow this plan, we will need to be making a combined $38,000 a year, which is not a lot. We are used to living thrifty and the cost of living in our state is very low. However, if we are splitting our extra money between an emergency/house fund and student loan debt, we won't have money to put towards retirement. Should we wait until we find full-time jobs to begin saving for retirement? Should we wait three years until we get a home? Or should we pay our student loans off more slowly in order to save for retirement? Planning for retirement at 25 sounds pretty good to me, but I'm no financial guru. Thanks!

I hear these stories about people who have been working since they were 14 or 16 years old (they started while in high school) who are now in their 60's - and they are broke! Or on food stamps or something. How is this possible? If you started setting aside a measly 2% of your take-home paycheck into a basket of T-bonds and other slow-growing but secure treasuries, along with a few index funds, you'd be sitting on a million-dollar gold mine by the time you were eligible for social security. Remember, a dude who is 68 today who began working at age 16 would have began working in 1958! That means FIFTY-TWO YEARS of retirement savings should be built up! How is it possible for someone with such an advantage to be broke or poor? I am only 28, and I have only been working for three years (it took me until age 25 to graduate from college and law school), and I already have $110,000 saved up for my retirement. It's not hard - I just live frugally, drive an older truck, repair it myself, and I don't waste money on useless things like heroin or crack. If I can save up $110K by age 28, how is it possible for someone with FORTY YEARS more wisdom and work experience to be BROKE? I'm not even that smart!

My wife is now a stay at home mother. I have a good job and am investing appropriately out of MY income for our retirement. She did however have a full time job in the past and has a little over 4k in a 401k.. Would it be worth it to just cash it out and use for savings and/or other investments? We are doing OK financially, this isn't a move of desperation. I just wonder if there are better things we could be doing with that money instead. Thanks in advance for your answers!!

The Baby Boomer generation was born between 1946 and the early 1960's. Those people enjoyed prime working years during both the Reagan boom-times and the Internet Revolution of the 1990's. Therefore, they should all be sitting on massive fortunes from their investments and other financial instruments which they accumulated back when they were in their 30's and 40's. And yet, on the news, they had a report about people in the Baby Boomer generation who were relying on food stamps and unemployment insurance to survive. WTF????? There is NO REASON for ANY Baby Boomer to EVER be poor! They ALL got rich off the Reagan/Clinton eras! What kind of scam are these people trying to pull. Give me ONE SINGLE REASON why someone from the Baby Boomer generation would lack money? I'm only 28, but I already have substantial retirement savings. But then again, I am not a mentally retarded spendthrift who chooses to burn his money in open pits of fire rather than invest it sensibly.

I have noticed that some patients in my care have worked all of their lives and bought a nice home, savings etc and one of them becomes ill in their retirement years. I have then seen the family have to sell the home,empty all savings and pensions until below the state level,the state will then take over payments for care,home help, specialist nurses etc. On the other hand, A person who rented all their lives, did not save a pension or ISA's receives full,free care and allot less hassle such as keeping the home and possessions? Why do we strive to buy homes,get pensions if we will just be made liable again and taxed twice on the money we have saved? I am asking as I despair at seeing the same thing happen to old people I work with on a daily basis.

I'm divorced,head of household and 50. I must wait 1 year before being able to participate in my new companies 401K retirement program. Considering re-building my savings first with a 6 month cushion. Thanks for your advise

There are two people: Jane and Paul are both are 22 years old. Neither has any savings. Both have just finished college and are starting their first job, making $50,000 each. For simplicity, assume their salaries remain the same throughout their careers. Also assume that there are no taxes. Both will retire at age 65 (in 43 years), and both will earn 9% annually on their investments (i.e., savings). Jane saves nothing every year. That is, she spends all of his income. Paul saves and invests ½ of his income every year. Income is defined as salary + earnings on investments. By the time they retire, which person will have spent more? At what age are they spending the same amount annually? At what age will they have spent the same amount cumulatively? How much does each have in the account at retirement at age 65?

My roommate has a gambling problem. I have been living with her since 2007. She gambles all her money then looks pitiful. I didn't realize how bad it was because she never complained about bills being late or anything. So I would pay my rent in advance so she won't be behind on mortgage or on bills. But only thing I retired in 2009 and have bills I have to catch up on plus I retired early so my retirement check isn't that much. We were trying to help each other financially that's why we agreed on this living arrangement in the first place. I have been dipping into my retirement savings to pay rent in advance to help her stay afloat. I notice when she goes to her favorite spot she even hits and gives it back then comes home flat broke then she will play the casinos (free or with money I don't know) on the computer (I have seen her). I don't know what to do anymore because right now I can't afford to move. I have talked to her numerous times about it but she still sneaks and does it. We are both older adults. I suggested that she pay her bills first then whats left over. Im stuck any suggestions. I already suggested Gamblers Anonymous. She is in denial.

This year I decided to use an 'approved' third party site accessed thru www.irs.gov. After filling in ALL the following info: 1. One full time job during 2009 (Form W-2) 2. Got fired from above job and cashed out my 401K ( Form 1099-R ) 3. Cashed out a savings acct from above employers retirement plan (another 1099-R) 4. Whilst looking for job got unemployment benefits (Form 1099-G) 5. Towards end of 2009 hooked up with shady temp agency (Form W-2) 6. Proof of payments made to Roth IRA totalling a whopping $650 from 2008 through April 15th 2009 (Form 5498) After entering all that info into esmarttax it comes back and says "REJECTED DUE TO INCORRECT AGI" So I called the IRS and the automated system gives me the 5 digit PIN which is basically my AGI but without the comma. I enter it again and still.....Rejected. I've typed it in, copied and pasted the numerical text over. Still rejected. So now, since my tax return hasn't officially been filed...Do I just leave the info on esmarttax.com's website and go to another site or just do my own damn taxes?

A year ago, you deposited $30,000 into a retirement savings account at a fixed rate of 5.5 percent. Today, you could earn a fixed rate of 6.5 percent on a similar type account. However, your rate is fixed and cannot be adjusted. How much less could you have deposited last year if you could have earned a fixed rate of 6.5 percent and still have the same amount as you currently will when you retire 38 years from today?

About a year ago both my ex and I paid a lot of money to our lawyers to have an agreement about the amount of child support and (spousal support which is a small amount and for a short time). Both of us, with the help of our lawyers signed the agreement and didn't have to go to court. He lost his job nine months ago. His salary used to be about $140,000 minus profit sharing, stock options and bonuses which could be at least $25000 a year, probably $40,000 a year. I am going to college now. I am going to be an accountant. I am trying to find a part time job, which would be minimum wage. When we were married, he did everything in his power to prevent me from getting my bachelor's degree or getting a job. I had to get restraining order against him because of his violence. He is from Iran and so am I. We live in America and are US citizens. He is married now and his wife makes at least $100,000 a year. She is 49 and he is fixed, so they are not going to have children and she had never been married before and has no children. He says that he doesn't have to give me a dime for my 14 year old daughter since he has no job. But he has a lot of savings and retirement fund. I am using my savings to pay for my daughter. Is he required to pay child support even if he has no job? What can I do about this. We used to live in California. He moved to Indiana, and I moved to Arizona.

I have 90K put aside that I want to invest, I have two objectives 20K need for wedding for 3years from now and rest for retirements savings I am trying to create my own portfolio This is what I would like to do, which ticker sybols do I need to look at for these and why 40% Equity mutal Funds - $36,000 30% Government Bond Funds - $27000 20% Growth & Income Funds- $18000 10% Index Funds.- $9000 I prefer a moderate risk portfolio I forgot to include that --

I graduated from college like a good little do-bee, and I had a good job for 20 years. I dutifully paid my income taxes for all those years, part of which paid into the many federal entitlement programs, including food stamps for the needy. Now that the Obama Depression is looming, I've been out of work since May, and I don't have any employment prospects in the forseeable future. I am rapidly running through my savings, including my retirement accounts. I am facing the prospect of going on food stamps in the forseeable future. But then a terrible thought occurred to me - there are so many people losing their jobs, and they didn't save up nearly as much as I did. What if they all go on food stamps, and by the time I need them there is not enough money to pay for any more recipients? How would you feel if you paid into the food stamps system for 20 years, then when times changed and now you're the one in need, you are told "I'm sorry, there is a shortfall of funds, the program is closed to new applicants. All the available funds are going to existing participants who are in the program already." Then when you say "I paid into this system for 20 years, now you're telling me I can't get any benefits when it's my turn to get some?" Then the social worker just sneers back "Benefits were provided on a first come first served basis, Sorry, you snooze you lose!" How would you react?

True or False if true anyone has that legislation proposal link?

I want to find the ultimate safest stock or fund to put my 401k savings into. I'm tired of Wall Street games and I'm too close to retirement to worry about "returns"..........safety only.

im trying to fill out paperwork for a retirement savings plan at work and am having trouble with part of the paperwork. Below is what the paperwork says. Thanks! ten pts! "Employee contribution percentages (authorization for payroll deductions) 1. Pre tax contributions _______% (enter a % between 1 and 25%) 2. After tax contributions _______% (Enter a % between 1% and 10%). important notes- the total of 1 and 2 above cannot exceed 25%. " I want to put away just 30$ a month out of my 30,000 salary and I know i need to find what the % is for that. The part i'm confused on is how do I split up this % between the two lines(once i have it figured out)? I dont want to put the wrong %s down for each line but I'm not sure what the meaning of each line is. If you can, I need it dumbed down because i'm so lost when it comes to finances..taxes..ect. Like what is the diff between me putting 2% on the first and 4% on the second or flipping that around? I dont get it.thanks!! (and i DO know my total cannot exceed 25% lol).

im trying to fill out paperwork for a retirement savings plan at work and am having trouble with part of the paperwork. What is the relationship between the two sections below (1. and 2.) and what am I supposed to enter into each? I know I chose the %s but Because i dont understand how one affects the other, i need to have it explained.Below is what the paperwork says. Thanks! ten pts! "Employee contribution percentages (authorization for payroll deductions) 1. Pre tax contributions _______% (enter a % between 1 and 25%) 2. After tax contributions _______% (Enter a % between 1% and 10%). important notes- the total of 1 and 2 above cannot exceed 25%. " okay i understand the two lines added cannot exceed 25% and i understand the math. BUT, what do the two lines mean? I want to put away just 30$ a month out of my 30,000 salary and I can do the math for what the total % will be but i dont know how do I split that up between the two lines? If you can explain it to someone who's like a 6 year old (because i'm so lost when it comes to finances..taxes..ect). Like what is the diff between me putting 2% on the first and 4% on the second or flipping that around? I dont get it.thanks!!

i have worked all my life from the age of 15 during my life i have had 2 children only having 9 months of in all ,some jobs i worked in i payed the small insurance stamp but worked at the least 50 hours a week ,my relation god love her has 2 special needs children and because of this gets the full retirement pension, and dose not have to work any more ,although i would never wish to be in her shoes ,my husband came home after a hard days work as a Slater /plasterer /rough-caster .he did most jobs in the building trade , laying slabs removing and fitting fireplaces , cleaning chimney's,digging out old concrete ,removing walls and rebuilding them ,and that is just mentioning a few jobs he had to do, now he cannot work and is diabetic hard of hearing depressed,and arthritic as in for my me i still have to look after him and work ,although i have had a mild stroke ,arthritis,deprecon ETCt, i could go on and on , so why should i have to give up my home if i need care in the future , because i want to give my (home )savings to my family when she and her husband have had holidaysjewelleryy ,nice cars nice meals, clothing (not from a charity shop like me) why should i not give up sell out andgovernmenttt take of me and my husband no wonder people like mdepresseded with our country it sucks no wonder the people just let government take over i just want them to do the same (I GIVE IN ) and hope i die before i have to go into an old folks home before my mind or hope for a careing society give up to the blood sucking politicians of this land we call great britain (what is so great about it )if you do work save and look after yourself and children you are a sap, depend on hand outs the government in my mind are saps and will take care of you and yours just frightened of not getting votes little do they know it is people like me and my husband and kids who work hard and take the time to vote for you all, as far asi am concerned you all suck in fact(YOUR ALL BLOODSUCKERS)taking mine and myfamily'ss to service your lives and thoses who wont work , and dont get me started on the ones who ,laugh at the gvernments of this country past and present , who don't or wont put people into jail for offence'ss they commit , because it costs to much ,i and my kind would pay extra to put them away you are ALL JUST A LAUGHING STALK,ho may i say sorry for any bad spelling , well you know us working class we are all ignorant ,and have had little education.

QUOTE: "Your Retirement Plan Will Soon Become Washington’s ATM Machine" QUOTE: "Today over $15 trillion is sitting in tax-favored retirement plans, including $4 trillion in IRA accounts. Retirement savings make up 35% of all private assets. Washington is broke, the deficit is soaring and Congress simply can’t wait for Americans to retire so they can start taxing these funds. The politicians are tired of waiting; they need your money now." http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/the-obama-retirement-trap-has-started/ .

Canada Retirement Savings Plan and Canada Retirement Income Fund. what are the differences between the two? i only know they're both related to the Canada saving bond and that they receive compound interest....

will there be a tax revolt if these scumbags steal our private retirement money like they've done in Argentina?

I have 6 years left until my house is payed off at 5.75% interest. Would I be better to take my money out of retirement fund to pay house off and be debt free, then start over with retirement money? I would still have substantial savings account, and both of us still work.

According to his suicide manifesto: http://www.webcitation.org/5ndnnvvrP He ranted and raved that the IRS cleaned out hs retirement savings by taking $40K. OK, anybody who was born in 1956 has done their retirement planning by now. How was he anywhere near ready for retirement if he never saved even $100K for his retirement, even before the IRS took it? That guy couldn't have retired even if the IRS let him keep his money.

My wife and I have been living on fixed income for some time--despite having jobs, despite doing everything we can to be (quote un quote): "productive". Our amounts have fluctuated in recent months going from $339 a month to now $214 a month. But some people think that we can *still* save money! How? For what? A house? A car? College tuition? Let's just say--for example--that we are able to save money. $16 a month on average--and that's *only* if we have any money leftover--okay? By my calculations, saving for the following would take: College tuition: 208.3 years. (That's going off the $40,000 minimum tuition here with no increase) An SUV: 166.6 years ($32,000 total--again no increase) A house: 1,562.5 years ($300,000 average price--no increase) I don't want a house, I don't want a car (I can't drive anyways), and I certainly am through with going to college for the time being--because past employers (to high-level jobs I applied for) kept saying I was "overqualified" for the job at hand for the years that I did apply after college. (They took one look at my resume and hit the panic button!) So what is that people want me and my wife to save for anyways? Retirement's out of the question--that's for sure. I don't know. I just get so easily frustrated because people just can't *grasp* what it means to live on so little. We're supposed to be the richest country on Earth and yet...? We are swimming in DEBT. People complain they don't have enough money or they have too much and want special treatment, or either demographic can't pay bills or live the lives they want. Me? I don't care about that sort of thing! I take what is given to me by law and I make it stretch as far it can go. Saving is something that isn't even in the playbook for people like myself. We can't simply dump a couple hundred dollars in the bank each month for a rainy day and pull it out when we need it--like normal people, with *normal* jobs do. People like me and my wife are at the *mercy* of the system. At any time--for any reason--we can get our assistance reduced or pulled (the latest excuse stating: "Being married in the state of Washington is a penalty under DSHS rules.") and we'd be really up shit creek for sure; since my wife was just diagnosed with hyperplasia and I'm still having to deal with my Factor Five disorder on a regular basis. We don't have safety nets to speak of, we don't have savings, we don't even have a *life*. (Actually, what we should all call this fixed-income lifestyle a *prison* that we'll never escape from.) What we have is bare minimum existence. The most *anyone* can acclimate to and understand. Not a Mercedes, not a $50 million dollar estate, *nothing* that will give us any semblance of a normal life by working class or middle class standards. We're at the lowest of the *low*--okay? We're not going to be massively productive, we're not going to be paying taxes, we're not going to contribute to society in any way. We simply do not *exist*--until somebody out there starts blaming us for the ills of our nation, our deficits, and taxes. Then people like me are paraded out in the open, called all kinds of slurs, and belittled for the position and place we are now in. But saving money? Being noticed? It's not even remotely possible. Sorry for the ramble, but things like this really hit home for me and rub me the wrong way. Because I feel like I'm being branded a criminal, or have committed some kind of grave injustice in the world and I should be punished adequately by those in position of power and authority. Y'know? Sometimes, it does happen. Because they think *I* did something wrong--when all I did was follow the rules. How am I supposed to know what goes on behind closed doors? Or our own bureaucracy? It's humiliating because there's very little that I can do right now to improve on my situation--except to keep pushing on until something positive comes my way. That's all I can hope and look forward to. I just want people to better understand what it is people like me go through. Or what we have to live with. Instead of being so narrow-minded and telling us we have to stop being "lazy" and "get a job"--because often...? Getting a job doesn't solve the problems, it just compounds things a bit--because now you're faced with a whole slew of obstacles to overcome! (I know! I had 2 jobs once! I *knew* what I was up against! And I wasn't living high off the hog either...back then. I had more responsibility and more understanding of what I had to do to make ends meet--by living on a fixed budget. Just as I do now--but with less and less money.) Thoughts?