Updated Articles and Resources

By Dana Anspach, About.com Guide

Book Review of Unfair Advantage by Robert Kiyosaki Created: Sunday, May 20, 2012 Updated: Monday, May 21, 2012
Unfair Advantage teaches great principles, yet there are three things I don't like about the book.
A Social Security Owner’s Manual - Book Review Created: Saturday, March 10, 2012 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Social Security rules are complex. The book A Social Security Owner's Manual teaches you what you need to know before you file for your Social Security retirement benefits.
Market Returns Ending in 2011 Created: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Market Returns Ending in 2011
IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty Created: Monday, October 04, 2010 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
An IRA early withdrawal penalty is assessed on IRA withdrawals taken before you reach age 59 ½. Here's how the IRA early withdrawal penalty works.
What Is A Mutual Fund, In Simple Terms Created: Saturday, January 30, 2010 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Using a a mutual fund is one way to invest in the stock or bond market without buying individual stocks or bonds. You buy shares of the mutual fund and they pool your money along with thousands of ...
Ten Financial Life Lessons You Can’t Live Without, Lesson Six: On Investing - The Stock Market Is Not for Rookies and Part-Timers Created: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
The stock market and investment industry are not for rookies and part-timers. Trying to get your hands around the intricacies of the financial markets, you’ll come up against terms such as j...
What Is An Exchange Traded Fund Created: Saturday, January 30, 2010 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Using an exchange traded fund is one way to invest in the stock or bond market without buying individual stocks or bonds. Exchange traded funds differ from regular mutual funds in the way they are ...
Find a Target Date Fund From This List of Great Target Date Funds Created: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Target date funds do the work of investing for you by creating an age-appropriate asset allocation and ongoing management for a low fee. If you have a 401k plan, within your plan you may see target...
What is an IRA Rollover? 5 IRA Rollover Rules To Follow Created: Saturday, May 19, 2012 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
An IRA rollover can be a smart move if you do it right. Here is what it is, and 5 rules you need to use to determine if an IRA rollover is right for you.
What Should I Do With My Money? 8 Steps You Must Take to Answer This Created: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Better Investing - 10 Ways to Become a Better Investor Created: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Better investing doesn't happen accidentally. Good investors work at it. They study. They learn. Start with 10 Ways to become a better investor, and once you start learning, never stop.
4 Easy Ways To Learn About Investing Created: Friday, February 05, 2010 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Even if you plan to seek professional advice, you need to know enough to be able to recognize quality advice from a quality sales pitch. That means you need to learn about investing; enough to unde...
How Much Can You Withdraw In Retirement? Created: Monday, February 27, 2012 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Traditional thinking on how much you can withdraw in retirement may be wrong. You must look at the after-tax impact of your retirement account withdrawals, which may mean taking more in some years ...
Target Date Funds - What is a Target Date Fund and How To Use One Created: Saturday, March 26, 2011 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Many 401k plans offer something called a target date fund as one of the investment choices. Unfortunately many people do not use the target date funds in their plan correctly. Here is what a target...
Retirement Income Research Created: Monday, November 23, 2009 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
This collection of retirement income research takes investment portfolios and annuity products, looks at them inside and out, upside and down, and spits out a generous supply of charts, graphs and ...
9 Ways To Generate Retirement Income Created: Sunday, November 15, 2009 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
As you begin to think about where your retirement income will come from, take the time to work your way through this set of articles that spell out 9 ways to generate retirement income from your in...
Retirement Investments - Best Retirement Investments Created: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
If you’re searching for information on retirement investments you’re probably looking for an investment that will provide income for you. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Be...
What Is An Inflation Protected Bond Or Inflation Protected Bond Fund Created: Monday, April 26, 2010 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Inflation protected bonds, also known as TIPS, (which stands for Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) are issued by the U.S. Government. The principal value of an inflation protected bond is ad...
What Is A Floating Rate Fund? Created: Monday, April 26, 2010 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
A floating rate fund is a mutual fund that holds IOUs made by large companies, but they don't pay a fixed interest rate. Instead the interest rate is adjustable, which makes floating rate funds a g...
Balanced Fund - What Is A Balanced Fund Created: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
A balanced fund automatically spreads your money across a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. Most of the time a balanced fund will specify an allocation such as 60% stocks/40% bonds and sti...
Are You Making These 5 Mistakes When Buying Mutual Funds? Created: Sunday, May 13, 2012 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
These 5 mutual fund buying mistakes will cost you money. Here's how to avoid them.
Index Fund - What Is An Index Fund And Why Use One Created: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Buying an index fund, or even better, a portfolio of index funds, is a way to own almost every publicly traded stock that is available. Think of it like owning every team in the NFL, instead of try...
Closed End Funds - What Is A Closed End Fund Created: Sunday, June 22, 2008 Updated: Saturday, May 19, 2012
What is a closed end fund? Closed end funds can produce consistent income, but their share prices can be volatile. Before investing in closed end funds, take the time to understand how they work.
4 Big Retirement Decisions - What To Know Before You Make Them Created: Saturday, April 28, 2012 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The transition to retirement can be scary. You have some big retirement decisions to make. Here's what you need to know before you make them.
What Happens If You Earn More Than The Social Security Earnings Limit? Created: Monday, June 01, 2009 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
If you take social security benefits before full retirement age, and you earn income in excess of the annual earnings limit, your social security benefit will be reduced. Working while receiving So...
5 New Year’s Financial Resolutions That Will Start Your New Year Out Right Created: Saturday, December 20, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Do you keep on doing the same thing over and over, and yet expect different results? This year, start your year out right with these 5 New Year's financial resolutions.
Your Pre-Retirement Years - 15 Things You Must Do Between The Ages of 50 and 64 Created: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
15 most important things you must do during your pre-retirement years - ideas about health and fitness, family relationsips, anti-aging, careers, travel, money and more.
Retirement Myths - 4 Retirement Myths About When And Why You Should Retire Created: Sunday, October 12, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
These four retirement myths cause people to retire too soon.
5 Financial Planning Tasks For Your January To-Do List Created: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Here are five financial planning moves to put on your January to-do list each and every year. January planning will help you increase savings and lower taxes.
6 Ways Financial Advisors Charge Fees - Which Ones are Fair? Created: Sunday, February 08, 2009 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Financial advisor fees vary from advisor to advisor. Learn the six ways financial advisors charge fees and you can decide which way you think is best.
The Social Security Decision Tool - Great Short Video On When To Take Social Security Created: Monday, October 18, 2010 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to retirement planning, and complex decisions like when to take social security, a video can be worth a thousand spreadsheets. Let me...
Buying Rental Property - 3 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Rental Property Created: Saturday, March 07, 2009 Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rental property can provide a stable source of income, but like any investment, you need to understand what you are getting into before you buy. Here are the three things to consider.

A part of The New York Times Company.