Saturday Oct 31, 2009
Should you consider returning your minimum required distribution funds?
Thursday Oct 22, 2009
We all know we can’t time markets, but there has been a recent revival of a theory from financial experts that we are ever closer to a market crash we all should have seen coming. The Congressional Budget Office even issued a report addressing the alleged problem. According to the theory, we are just a few years away from ...
Saturday Oct 10, 2009
Kelly Greene answers a reader's question about retitling an IRA.
Wednesday Sep 30, 2009
Should you try to beat the market? Historically, this has been difficult. Yet recent performance of passive investing isn't encouraging either. Deciding focuses on how much risk you are willing to take to try to get potentially higher returns.
Tuesday Sep 29, 2009
Some retirement savers may not understand the rules of converting to a Roth IRA.
Sunday Sep 27, 2009
Tom Herman answers a reader's question about being able to donate money from an IRA to a charitable organization next year.
Sunday Aug 30, 2009
Perhaps the biggest risk you can take is just not being risky enough.
Saturday Aug 29, 2009
What's your best strategy for transferring money from your traditional IRA?
Thursday Aug 6, 2009
One of the products that has been stung in the retirement product race are variable annuities with benefits for retirement income. Here are reasons why you don’t need an annuity, and some ideas to create a safer portfolio.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2009
Now is an ideal time to become familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Consider these key factors to determine if this strategy is appropriate for your circumstances.
| Type | Today | Week Ago |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Year Fixed | 4.62%  |
4.67% |
| 30 Year Fixed | 5.15% | 5.15% |
| 1 Year ARM | 3.48% |
3.51% |
| 5/1 Year ARM | 3.62% |
3.68% |
| Type | Today | Week Ago |
|---|---|---|
| Line of Credit | 4.89%  |
4.88% |
| 10 Year Loan | 7.47% | 7.47% |
| 15 Year Loan | 7.61% |
7.60% |
| Type | Today | Week Ago |
|---|---|---|
| Interest Checking | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| Money Market/Savings | 0.38% | 0.38% |
| 12 Month CD | 1.13%  |
1.15% |
| 60 Month IRA CD | 2.40% |
2.41% |
| Type | Today | Week Ago |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Back Cards | 12.66% |
12.68% |
| No Annual Fee Cards | 12.08% |
11.97% |
| Reward Cards | 12.75% |
12.61% |
| Small Business Cards | 11.01% |
10.94% |
| Student Cards | 13.77% |
13.49% |
| Platinum Cards | 12.26% |
12.11% |
I personally found the separation into so many sections distracting, FWIW. Other than increasing pageviews and ad clickthroughs, I'm not sure what the rationale would be for cutting a piece of this length into seven sections. Substantively, I think the main drivers of investor behavior going forward (including boomers and other reitrees) will be factors other than savings and consumption patters. We're currently in a period of almost unprecedented uncertainty, unpredictability, and anxiety concerning market and investor behavior. Investors still recovering from the horrifying March 2009 market lows. The savings rates you mentioned are held artificially low via government intervention, making alternatives to equities less attractive. More generally, massive, ultimately unsustainable government intervention is altering market behavior in ways that no one can fully assess. I'm bearish on equities for reasons that stem beyond the scope of a comment on your piece. But FWIW, I agree that those focused specifically on baby boomer behavior are looking in the wrong place.