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As a member of Generation X, Social Security benefits have never played into my retirement planning considerations since it is not likely that they will be there when I reach retirement age. Even if Social Security benefits were still a viable option, it provides such a small amount of money that I would have to have quite a bit of ancillary income to keep my standard of living.

So how is Social Security doing anyhow? I did some research, and came up with a slew of facts and opinions that are all over the board. In this post, we will go over a very brief history of the program, how the Social Security program is doing, and what it's future holds.

Investors spend decades saving for retirement in their 401k, IRA, or Investment accounts. As a result, it isn't surprising that these funds are extremely high on any family's or individual's list of priorities. eRollover has come up with a list of things that you may want to think about asking your financial planner or insurance agent. These quick questions can increase the likelihood that you will have a positive experience with your investments and insurance moving forward.

At the end of the day, it is difficult to understand how your investments are performing if you do not have a consistent way to calculate your investment returns. Usually this calculation is completed on an annual basis, but many decide to review their performance much more often. In this article, we will show you some simple ways to calculate your investment returns.

There are several popular methods that you can use to track your investment returns. A few are very simple, while others tend to be more complicated, but offer you a greater insight into exactly how your investments are doing.

Many workers have chosen to leave their old 401k plans with former employers, resulting in a potential for lost earnings and very limited investment opportunities. According the the Employee Benefits Research Institute, 1 out of every 3 workers move to a new job without taking their retirement plan with them. Many may not understand the process, resulting in more of an out of sight, out of mind situation. However, most old 401k plans are left behind simply because of the fact that it just isn't a priority. As we will learn, the price of this procrastination can result directly in lackluster returns and poor financial planning.

Given the recent financial turmoil, your credit score could have taken a hit with the rest of your portfolio. If this is the case, then take some slight solace in knowing that you are not unique, as there are millions out there in the same situation. However, one thing that is overlooked when dealing with a negative credit score is the fact that it could have a direct impact on your retirement planning process. As a result, cleaning up your credit score is a vital step towards working towards your goal of a healthy retirement. Listed below are a few items that could impact your ability to retire.

Dollar cost averaging is a technique used in investing that is primarily intended to reduce risk that comes with making a lump sum investment. The idea of dollar cost averaging is very simple. You make the commitment to invest a fixed dollar amount at regular intervals (monthly, for example) on a particular investment or portfolio, regardless of how the investment is performing. By doing so, more of the shares are purchased when price of the investments are low and concurrently, fewer shares are bought when prices are inflated.

The underlying theory of dollar cost averaging is to prevent the investor from losing a large portion of the value shortly after making their initial investment. In proceeding with this strategy, the investor chooses to spread their investment over a period of time, with a regular schedule.

Target date mutual funds by all accounts seem simple. Determine the year in which you want to retire and put a bull's-eye on the calendar. Go to your employer-sponsored 401(k) or IRA, or to your individual brokerage account, and find the target date mutual funds that match your retirement date. Start pouring your retirement dollars into that one fund.

As the years go by, your fund is routinely rebalanced and becomes incrementally more conservative. The theory is that as your retirement date arrives, the changing asset mix will provide the proper recipe for stability and growth.

Inherited IRA plans are not intended to permanently shelter IRA distributions from income taxes. Instead, they are intended to provide for the retirement of the IRA holder or, after they have died, for the support of their beneficiaries. As a result, the IRS has established IRA distribution rules so that investments will be depleted over the course of the IRA holder's or beneficiary's life expectancies. These rules are known as required minimum distributions (RMDs). 

If an IRA beneficiary does not take an RMD by the applicable deadline the beneficiary is subject to a 50% penalty on the amount that should have been taken out. If a spouse is the sole beneficiary of an inherited IRA and they miss an RMD

Have you ever considered rolling your 401k or other retirement account from one financial institution to another? Whether it is for higher returns, a greater variety of investments or better service in general, many times this can be a great move! If you roll over your 401k, there are some mistakes that many commonly make that you must avoid. These mistakes could result in unnecessary taxes and a 10% early withdrawal penalty. As you read below, we will give you an overview of 401k or retirement rollover rules and tips to keep you out of trouble.