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Retirement Calculator, Inc. provides the tools and resources necessary to assist you in making critical economic decisions regarding your retirement future.

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Colleen's Corner

Asset Allocation

Often financial "experts" make asset allocation difficult to understand. My goal in this series of articles is for you to understand asset allocation thoroughly, in an easy to understand format.
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NATIONAL OVERNIGHT AVERAGESTODAY+/-LAST WEEK
30 yr fixed mtg 4.56% 4.61%
15 yr fixed mtg 4.04% 4.09%
5/1 ARM 3.62% 3.66%
30 yr fixed jumbo mtg 5.42% 5.43%
5/1 jumbo ARM 4.17% 4.19%
Rates may include points
NATIONAL OVERNIGHT AVERAGESTODAY+/-LAST WEEK
$30K HELOC 5.08% 5.05%
$50K HELOC 4.82% 4.78%
$30K home equity loan 7.55% 7.53%
$50K home equity loan 7.40% 7.39%
$75K home equity loan 7.43% 7.42%
Rates may include points
NATIONAL OVERNIGHT AVERAGESTODAY+/-LAST WEEK
36 month new car loan 6.16% 6.17%
48 month new car loan 6.23% 6.24%
60 month new car loan 6.28% 6.29%
72 month new car loan 4.23% 4.23%
36 month used car loan 6.51% 6.52%
Rates may include points
NATIONAL OVERNIGHT AVERAGESTODAY+/-LAST WEEK
6 month CD 0.79% 0.78%
1 yr CD 1.14% 1.13%
5 yr CD 2.40% 2.43%
1 yr IRA CD 1.04% 1.06%
5 yr IRA CD 2.34% 2.41%
Rates may include points

Debt Negotiations

Retirement Calculator, Inc.
debtnegotiations.biz

What's Involved in Debt Negotiations?

The current economic climate has got a lot of people thinking about debt negotiations. However, it's important to remember that this process isn't just for the major corporations that are deemed to be "too big to fail;" the average consumer also has the opportunity to look at their own financial situation and to focus on getting ahead of their finances.

The challenge is that not everyone knows what steps to take in order to undertake debt negotiations. Because of this, if you think that you would like to try to reduce the amount of debt that you have - unsecured debt like student loans, the amount that you owe on your credit cards (both major credit cards and those for individual stores) and medical bills - you'll find that it's a good idea to work with a debt consolidation company that will work with your creditors. After all, the term "negotiation" doesn't imply that you just take out a new loan in order to pay off the debt that you have; debt negotiations involve a discussion with your creditors to work out an arrangement that benefits them and you.

The important thing to remember is this: your creditors want to be paid - and they would rather be paid less than have to lose the full amount that you owe. Many debt consolidation companies - particularly those that are run as not for profit companies - are able to negotiate with your creditors to lower the interest rate that they charge against the amount that you've borrowed, to reduce the overall amount that you owe, to bring your accounts current and to lower the monthly amount that you must pay against your debt.

In other words, there are debt consolidation companies out there that will negotiate better terms on which you can repay the debt that you have. If this sounds like a great thing for you - if you've been struggling to make your payments on time or you find yourself in a position in which you're tired of making minimum monthly payments and not seeing the balance go down at all or you're worried about what could happen if you were to lose your job - the next step is to find the right partner to work with. A good rule of thumb is to find a company that:

  • Is licensed and bonded and that has a solid reputation.
  • You feel comfortable working with.
  • Has had success negotiating with their clients' creditors and that has past clients willing to talk about the services that they received.

Debt negotiations are a great asset when you are trying to take control of your financial situation and to finally start to get ahead. Shouldn't you be sure that you are able to get the services that you need, to reduce the amount that you owe and to know that you will be able to improve your credit score all at the same time? When you have the right partner in the process, you will be able to take advantage of all of those benefits and then some; it's as simple as that.

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Retire In a Weekend

Would you like to retire, but aren't sure you can?

Have you wondered if you have enough money to retire, how long it will last, how much you can take out, and the best way to invest?

Everyone who has thought about retirement has asked themselves these and other questions. Now you can get ALL the answers in Retire in a Weekend! This short, simple, humorous, easy-to-understand book answers the 10 most popular questions and addresses the 5 biggest concerns people have about retiring! So stop asking yourself IF you can retire ... with Retire in a Weekend! you'll learn HOW to actually do it.

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Analysis of the Economics of Early Social Security Withdrawal

Robert J. Phillips
Chief Retirement Consultant

Deciding whether or not to take the early withdrawal of social security at age 62 can be difficult. If you need this income at 62 to fund your retirement the decision is fairly straightforward. Take it early! On the other hand, if you have another source of revenue to fund your retirement your decision will be primarily based on lifestyle, health and investment preferences.

Several factors can affect your decision. First is your life expectancy. If you are in good health and have a family history of living beyond 90 then waiting for full benefits may be best. Two other factors impact this decision. First and most important is the value of money or your expected return from your investments. If you are using other investments instead of social security to fund your retirement you should use the rate of return of these investments as your value of money. There is another way to look at the value of money. If you do not require the social security money to live, you can invest the distributions for the future. The rate of return of this investment is your value of money. If your investments will make larger returns such as stocks this would favor taking the early withdrawal.

The last factor impacting your decision is inflation. Social security includes an annual adjustment based on inflation. You cannot control this variable but you should be aware of its impact. If future inflation is significant it will favor a later full distribution

FREE Social Security Calculator:

Find Out Your Breakeven Age

We developed a calculator to assist in analyzing the impact of taking early benefits at age 62 or waiting for full benefits at age 66 to 67 depending on the year you were born...If you were born in 1960 or later your full benefits will begin at age 67 and your reduction for early benefits at age 62 will be 30%. If you were born between 1946 and 1960 your full benefits begin as early as age 66. We have included a chart that summarizes information.

To use the calculator you need to input your year of birth. You also need to input a value of money up to 10% and a projected inflation adjustment. The calculator analyzes income generated over time from both the early and full benefit investments. It calculates the age at which full social security will catch up and breakeven with the early withdrawal. If you were born before 1960 your breakeven age will be impacted by the year you were born. An early breakeven age favors waiting for full benefits.

The social security calculator is not the final answer whether to take an early withdrawal but it does give you additional economic data to assist in that decision. Ultimately you must balance income, investments and lifestyle to optimize your enjoyment during your retirement years.