Planning For Retirement Learning Center!

Impact of Inflation

Estimate the future cost of an item based on today’s prices and the rate of inflation you expect.

Personal Inflation Rate

Is your personal inflation rate higher or lower than the CPI?

Retirement Plan Early Distribution

Estimate how much would remain after paying income taxes and penalties if you took an early distribution from a retirement plan.

Retirement Portfolio Lifespan

How Long Will Your Funds Last?

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Diving into Dividends

Dividends have traditionally been considered a source of income, but they also can be a powerful way to help build savings. A recent study found that dividends contributed 44% of S&P 500 total returns from 1930 through September 2010. This article explains how dividends work and the role that dividends could play in an investor's savings strategy.

Using Living Benefits for Retirement Income

Many Americans are finding it difficult to predict how much they can save by retirement. Because traditional pensions are available to just one out of three workers today, a potential way of creating a guaranteed income stream in retirement is to purchase the guaranteed living benefits that are available with some variable annuities.

Growth, Value, or Both

The average annual return for large-cap value stocks was about 2.1% higher than for large-cap growth stocks, yet growth stocks outperformed value stocks in 13 out of 30 years. This article examines the difference between the two approaches and describes why holding both may help investors take advantage of a variety of market conditions.

Favorable Dividend and Capital Gains Tax Rates Extended—for Now

The 2010 Tax Relief Act extended the 15% maximum tax rates on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains through December 31, 2012. But without further legislation, dividends will be taxed at ordinary income tax rates and capital gains tax rates will return to 20% (23.8% for investors in the two highest tax brackets) in 2013.

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