Manage your money like a woman
Women typically earn less yet live longer than men, which suggests they need a different financial plan. Here are 13 strategies to ensure a comfortable retirement
Retirement: Time it right
Most women collect Social Security on their spouse's work record, not their own (you're entitled to whichever is more). Yet most men take Social Security before the full retirement age, inadvertently shortchanging their wives, who then receive a smaller benefit if they outlive their husbands, says Anthony Webb, an economist with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
Of men collecting benefits in 2008, 58% were below the full retirement age. If your husband has been the higher earner, the longer he waits to collect, the bigger your monthly benefit will be after his death.
NEXT: Retirement: Know what's yours
Last updated November 05 2010: 11:13 AM ET
