Ask the Expert
MONEY's Walter Updegrave tackles your questions.
Even when bond yields are down, they are still a safer bet, especially if you are retired. Play His wife refuses to talk about money. Our expert advises one reader on a productive -- and peaceful -- way to have a conversation about the family finances. More When I retire next year, should I keep my 401(k) funds with the same firm that currently manages them or roll them into an IRA with a different firm? More If I hire a financial adviser to manage my retirement porftolio will it be worth the extra cost? More Waiting for interest rates to climb before buying an immediate annuity may seem like a solid strategy, but there are several reasons why it could backfire. More The younger you are, the less money you typically need to stash away for retirement. Money's Walter Updegrave provides a helpful online tool to help you calculate that elusive number. Play Borrowing against your home to buy stocks may seem like a good way to generate returns, but there are plenty of risks to consider. More Need strategies to maximize your retirement withdrawals so you can take more out while you're still active? Our expert has them. More Starting a college fund for your newborn may not be the best investment. Money's Walter Updegrave says get your own finances in order first. Play Money's Walter Updegrave says that investing on the whims of a volatile market is not wise. Base it on when you'll need the money you're stashing away. Play Even when bond yields are down, they are still a safer bet, especially if you are retired. Play Don't fear high-risk investments when you have youth on your side -- you'll lose out on substantial returns. More Just because dividend funds carry better yields than bond funds it doesn't mean they are a better investment for your retirement portfolio. More My company doesn't offer a 401(k) and I maxed-out my Roth IRA, how can I save more for retirement? More Whether you should buy or rent is a question that plagues many homeowners. Here are four questions you should ask yourself before you make a move. More Worried about investment returns? Stop trying to beat the market and boost your savings rate instead. More The average 401(k) features almost 20 investment options. Here's how to find the right one for your money. More Money magazine's Walter Updegrave says that income, not assets, is the best way to track progress towards a secure retirement. Play Find out how to put yourself in a great financial position after you take your first job. Play A life insurance broker told me a variable universal life insurance policy would be a great investment that could grow by 10% a year. Is that possible? More Stashing as much cash as you can in tax-advantaged plans and utilizing catch up plans can keep you on track for retirement. Play Money Magazine's Walter Updegrave advises that gold can be a safe investment in volatile economic times, but it should be a small part of your overall portfolio. Play Diversifying your investments is a smart move -- within reason. If you aren't careful, though, you could end up with a hodgepodge of investments that are difficult to manage. More Is there a way to calculate how much I would need to save in order to retire at age 65? More I plan to retire in April, but I'm afraid I'll lose everything before then. I want to put my money in a safer place, but I don't know where. More They spend instantly, and we don't want them moving into the spare bedroom when retirement comes. More Retirement planning tools can't predict the future, but they can help you strategize. More Make sure you have a big enough savings cushion before you embark on a big remodeling project. More It's question No. 1 for most retirees when it comes to retirement savings: How much income can I get from my portfolio? These four strategies can give you the answer. More I switched employers and want to roll over my 401(k) balance into my new plan. But I'm afraid I might miss a market rally while the transfer is taking place. More You may be able to get more from your portfolio with an annuity. Many offer payouts that are, initially at least, higher than what you'd get with the 4% rule. Plus the annuity won't run out. More Most of my money is currently in the market. Does it make sense for me to own an annuity, as well? More I'm nervous about the stock market, so all of my retirement savings is in money funds. What's the best way to move back into the markets? More My mother-in-law is hooked on shopping and it won't be long before she runs out of money and the burden will fall on us. We've tried talking to her. What can we do? More How much lifetime income should I expect to draw from the $160,000 I have saved for retirement? More Should I hire an investment adviser or save the fee and invest my money on my own instead? More Money magazine's Walter Updegrave says adding up your assets is an easy and essential step to sound financial health. Play How to estimate how much you'll need to save now to cover your expenses in retirement. More We made $175,000 when we sold our home. We want the money to grow, but we don't want to put it in stocks. Any suggestions? More Amid market turmoil, a panicked investor asks whether they should move all of their retirement investments into cash. More Am I invested conservatively enough to ride out the recent selloff and retire within a year? More How can I be sure I can count on an annuity's income well into the future when I'll be most vulnerable? More With the debt-ceiling deadline looming, do you think it would be a good idea to move all of my investments in my 401(k) to cash? More Money magazine's Walter Updegrave offers three rules of thumb when planning your retirement savings. Play Is using an online calculator the best way to determine whether I'm on track when it comes to saving for retirement? More A couple who borrowed to pay for a big wedding is now struggling to pay it off. Here's a plan to pay down that massive wedding debt. More A reader who's hiding in cash knows he's doing wrong. Here's a course for getting back to a sensible retirement plan. More 
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