Retirement Ready?

Does the thought of retirement make you nervous or are you still in the stage where you’re throwing out all the mail you get from AARP?  Peter Finch for the New York Times offers a detailed, five-year plan to help you prepare.  Finch explores the process by breaking each year down into easy steps, ranging from calculating self-worth/future needs, to recognizing health insurance options, investigating reverse mortgages, and considering long term care.

Countdown to Retirement: A Five-Year Plan

Long Term Care, Worth It Or Not?

v_3975Long term care insurance is quickly losing its shine.  In the 1990s these policies were sold in large numbers and seen as the best way to preserve your style of living as you aged.   Since that time, premium rate increases due to high claim volumes and low lapse rates have made the plans much less affordable.  Darla Mercado for CNBC examines when these policies may be right for you and what other ways you can plan for unexpected care needs in Less is more: The dilemma over long term care insurance.