When Roger Ibbotson recently published a new report on fixed indexed annuities and their place in an optimized retirement portfolio, everyone took notice. Few economists and financial researchers garner the attention and level of respect that he does.

He is Professor Emeritus at Yale School of Management, former chairperson of research firm Ibbotson Associates, and chairman as well as chief investment officer at Zebra Capital Management. Ibbotson is also a prolific author, having conducted financial research on many topics including investment returns, mutual funds, international markets, portfolio management, and valuation.

In past studies, his analysis has been groundbreaking and his principles adopted by financial markets at large. So, it's not surprising why his research on fixed index annuities has gained such wide attention.

In his latest study, Fixed Indexed Annuities: Consider the Alternative, Ibbotson expands his view of the use of a fixed index annuity (FIA). Here, he defines a fixed index annuity as a tax-deferred retirement savings vehicle that "eliminates downside risk while allowing for the opportunity to participate in upside market returns."

As baseline benefits, he believes that fixed index annuities, if properly structured, can help control financial market risk and mitigate longevity risk.

What do you plan to do the first day you actually retire? Plan that dream trip? Write that first page of your novel? Explore new opportunities to partake in hobbies or other interests? Just take a deep breath and learn to relax?

If you are like most of the retirees surveyed in the 2018 Retirement Preparedness Study, your retirement years may look a lot like your working years.

Or, at least, that is what working-age Americans foresee for their retirement futures. Commissioned by PGIM Investments and conducted by The Harris Poll, the study found that 52% of pre-retiree baby boomers expect to have a full-time or part-time job during retirement.

This finding is in sharp contrast to the lifestyle of current retirees, with only 6% of them working for a paycheck. Pre-retiree Gen Xers are even more convinced they will need to work in retirement, according to the study, as a substantial 58% responded this way.

Once a retirement staple, pensions have been gradually disappearing. Now we hold more responsibility for retirement than ever. That has its own challenges, including how to overcome longevity risk. You have to figure out how to pay for potentially decades of retired living.

Arguably one of the best ways to combat longevity risk is with annuities. However, as you come into the home-stretch and explore your income options, it’s natural to ask, “How safe are annuities for my retirement?”

The good news is they can be quite safe. But there will be some legwork involved to make any annuity-buying decisions that are right for you. Here are some pointers to follow as you consider an annuity for your retirement portfolio.

Evergreen market positivists, take a seat. It seems equity market instability is taking over financial headlines again.

With the tit-for-tat trade war taking shape between the U.S. and a good portion of the rest of the industrialized world, analysts are once again reaching for—if not yet raising—their red flags.

MarketWatch recently featured this eyebrow-raising headline: "The Dow and S&P 500 are 10 trading days away from their longest corrections since 1984."

And in a story about some of the worst layoffs in 2018, TheStreet.com declared: "Let the layoffs continue. It's been a rough ride for some companies so far in 2018. The tariffs have spooked many industrial companies, as well as automakers. The market is flip flopping all over the place."

Barron’s unique take on this hot topic centered around legendary market technician Ralph Acampora, who is a pioneer in the field of chart-based trading.

Barron’s said Acampora "is growing increasingly concerned about recent moves in the stock market, notably in the Dow Jones Industrial Average." They added that "the primary utility of reading charts is a 'risk management' function, and what he's observing currently suggests that the bullish dynamic in equities may be unraveling."

Do you have a current annuity or insurance policy that doesn’t fit your needs well? If you are on the lookout for a new policy, a 1035 exchange may be a worthwhile option.

A 1035 exchange is a section of the U.S. tax code that lets policyholders replace an existing annuity or insurance policy with a new policy – and with no tax consequences. This tax-free exchange may be used for life insurance policies, modified endowment contracts (MECs for short), and non-qualified annuities toward a new policy.

With new waves of innovation available – such as living benefits for terminal illnesses or long-term care situations – you might wish to explore new options. The good news is you don’t have to keep your current policy forever.

Let’s take a closer look at how a 1035 exchange may and may not benefit a policyholder looking for new annuity or insurance choices.

It’s well documented that women often earn less than men in the workforce. While progress toward pay equality is a hot topic, less discussed are the factors women face when trying to plan for their ideal retirement.

Among the hurdles that are unique to women:

• lower lifetime earnings
• wages lost when leaving the workforce for child rearing or caregiving
• part-time work without access to benefits, including retirement benefits
• longer lifespans leading to longer retirements
• longer exposure to retirement risks

These factors can definitely affect the quality of life women enjoy during their retirement. Which makes having a strong retirement plan more critical than ever.

If you are gearing up for retirement, chances are you have seen the headlines. Earlier this June, the trustees of Social Security and Medicare published their annual reviews of both programs. And, at first glance, their news isn’t good.

The trustees acknowledged the programs face funding challenges. But that is a far cry from them being completely emptied. Even so, it wasn’t long before the Internet was flooded with alarmist headlines on the outlooks for Medicare and Social Security. As we will see in a bit, even some prominent news organizations had a few of the critical details wrong.

Like many people, you may have thought at some point: “Will Medicare and Social Security be there when I retire?” It’s a legitimate question, especially considering how you have paid into these program funds for your entire working life.

Let’s try to get to the bottom of these worries—and clear up some confusion—by consulting the latest research and findings on the one issue that affects every American who plans to retire one day.

According to the American Psychological Association, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples get divorced. While it’s no secret that divorce disrupts lives, it can also threaten a divorcing couple’s financial future, according to new research.

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR), with the support of Prudential Financial, just released a study. Their findings? Divorced Americans are at greater risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living in retirement.

The study compared the risk divorced households face using the center’s National Retirement Risk Index (NRRI). It revealed divorced households have a 7-percentage-point greater risk of not having adequate retirement income than households not experiencing divorce. Among all households, exactly half are at risk of not having adequate retirement income.

"Millions of American households are at risk for not having adequate retirement income, and the challenge is even more acute among divorcees," said Kent Sluyter, president of Prudential Annuities. "These are sobering numbers that highlight a fundamental shift that needs to take place in the way we think about retirement. Instead of solely thinking about accumulating savings, people also need to consider a plan for protecting and generating retirement income."

Divorce can be one of life’s most challenging experiences. Not only is it distressing, but it also brings financial upheaval. And depending on your age, divorce may pose yet another risk: taking what was an on-track retirement plan squarely off balance.

For people in their 50s and up, the challenges are particularly acute. There will be less time to make up for what you will have lost. You will have a shorter timespan to gather earnings, put away savings, and accumulate more wealth from portfolio investment growth. Your goals and plan for retirement will also change, since you likely counted on a financial future with your partner.

Later-in-life breakups are a growing trend, as researchers at Bowling Green State University discovered. They found that, from 1990 to 2010, the divorce rate among couples in their 50s and beyond more than doubled. In that same period, the overall divorce rate remained relatively flat.

While it may be tempting to put finances on the back-burner, now isn’t optimal to fall back on planning ahead. Your financial security is at stake. If anything, it’s time to refocus on your financial progress and create a new plan for your personal retirement goals.

In the last three years, Americans have reported they have become more accustomed to market volatility. But a lingering anxiety over this market uncertainty has led them to seek, in record numbers, strategies to protect a portion of their retirement savings.

This latest snapshot of Americans’ attitudes toward market volatility, and its effect on their retirement planning, comes from Allianz Life’s 2018 Market Perceptions Study.

Conducted this April, the online study surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 respondents. Of this population, more than half had investable assets above $200,000.

Good news for insurance companies and customers who purchase their retirement-income products. In the first quarter of 2018, purchases of fixed index annuities rose 10% when compared with the same period last year. Not only that, overall fixed annuity sales also saw a significant upward swing.

Fixed index annuity sales were $14.2 billion for the first quarter, according to Wink’s Sales & Market Report, a leading resource in the insurance industry for indexed annuity sales. Not only did sales rise year over year, they were also up 4.4% when compared to the previous quarter, Wink reports. Index annuities have a floor of no less than zero percent and limited excess interest that is based in part by the up-or-down movements of an external index, such as Standard and Poor’s 500^®.

Another financial research firm, LIMRA, also observes that fixed annuity sales are on the rise. It projects sales of fixed-rate annuities to reach more than $50 billion by 2019. LIMRA calculates that this is close to 50% greater than the $34 billion in purchases of fixed-rate annuities reached last year.

Still, these strong numbers are short of the record—$60 billion plus. That figure was spurred by retirement savers seeking conservative market protection and guaranteed income strategies in the wake of the Great Recession.

Overall, LIMRA forecasts all annuity sales will grow 5%-10% year-over-year in 2018. And they may even rise up up to 5% in 2019.

The American workplace has seen remarkable advancements over the past 20 years. From technology that has revolutionized the way we work, to the physical environments we work in, to the changing workplace conditions, almost every facet of the American workplace has been modernized. Every facet, it turns out, except, perhaps, the workplace retirement plan.

But American workers may soon benefit from new options within their retirement plans, thanks to several bipartisan bills. The pieces of legislation are currently under review by a congressional subcommittee, and they are designed to update the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

"Many ERISA provisions related to retirement plan administration are in desperate need of updating, with some having last been revised over two decades ago," according to Rep. Tim Walberg, chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions.

Walberg voiced this opinion during a recent hearing on "Enhancing Retirement Security: Examining Proposals to Simplify and Modernize Retirement Plan Administration."

For many soon-to-retire households, the timing of when to take Social Security benefits is an important choice. David Freitag, a Social Security expert with Mass Mutual, says that if you calculate the present value of a couple’s monthly benefits, it could exceed $1 million.

People are living longer and spending more. As a result, they need to know how their benefits really work, according to Freitag.

And it’s largely due to longevity risk, as the head of MassMutual in the U.S. explains: “This is not a retirement planning conversation. This is a longevity planning conversation, and near-retirees have the power and responsibility to ensure that they protect and receive every dollar they deserve in Social Security retirement benefits when the time comes.”

Even so, a large number of people take Social Security benefits before their full retirement age. In doing so, they may begin receiving income from Social Security sooner. But there are trade-offs, which vary depending on just how early you start benefits.

The mantra for success in real estate is "location, location, location." For success in retirement, the canned phrase becomes "income, income, income."

When you retire, you no longer have a salary from full-time employment. Or maybe you were an entrepreneur, so you brought home the bacon in other ways, such as business ownership. Either way, your income situation will probably change.

A key factor for living well is how much money you can expect to receive every month from your own unique mix of retirement income sources. However, some Americans may fall short of the income they need for their golden years. Consider research done by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, for instance.

In one study, center researchers found that as many as 40% of baby boomers in the study may run out of money in retirement. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Readiness Ratings, released in 2014, only 56.7% of “early” baby boomers (born from 1948 to 1954) and 58.5% of late boomers (1955 to 1964) will have the financial resources required to meet their retirement expenses. The remaining retirees would struggle with income that falls short of their needs.

The EBRI’s model indicates that a household is considered likely to run short of money if its assets can’t meet "minimum retirement expenditures." This is a combination of expenses from the federal Consumer Expenditure Survey (as a function of age and income); some health insurance and out-of-pocket health expenses; and expenses from nursing-home and home-health care.

Guess what, class. The results are in… and most of us did not pass a very important test. Nearly half of Americans age 50+ failed a basic Social Security quiz, according to a newly released nationwide consumer poll by MassMutual Life Insurance Company.

Why should this news alarm us all? Because Social Security is a major income source for many Americans in retirement. And if we don’t know how to maximize our benefits, or even know what questions to ask regarding how to get our best payout, it can hurt us. We may be leaving money on the table when we need that income the most -- whether enjoying healthy income for your lifestyle or enjoying greater income certainty for monthly retirement expenses.

In some sense, it’s as if each point not scored is potentially a dollar amount of benefits we may lose, unless we start paying closer attention. It's time to consider how much in Social Security benefits we have accrued and start exploring strategies to maximize them.

"Getting Social Security right is critically important to inform plans for other income stream needs later in life as it may be difficult, and sometimes not even possible, to hit the reset button," said Mike Fanning, head of MassMutual, U.S. "This is not a retirement planning conversation. This is a longevity planning conversation, and near-retirees have the power and responsibility to ensure that they protect and receive every dollar they deserve in Social Security retirement benefits when the time comes."

The latest is in on how many people think they will be financially comfortable in retirement.

Nearly half of non-retired Americans said they foresaw an uncomfortable retirement, according to new findings from Gallup. Meanwhile, 51% predicted they would have enough money for comfortable living in the golden years.

What’s the verdict for after retirement? Good news on that front, as the numbers go up. Almost 8 in 10 retirees (78%) reported that they were financially comfortable.

It’s a trend that has been pretty consistent since Gallup started tracking the data in 2002. In past years, 72% and 83%, respectively, were the lowest and highest measures of retired Americans reporting financial retirement comfort.

Many people know about life insurance and how it may give financial protection. What about using life insurance in retirement? Just look online, and you will find all sorts of opinions on the subject.

No question about it, everyone’s retirement will be different. However, health costs may be a substantial expense for many households, as research shows. And while we all hope to get lucky and be like those octogenarians who take up running and finish a marathon, reality (and statistics) suggests we should be ready for the alternatives.

There’s good news. Consumer demands and care needs have evolved. In response, life insurance companies have come out with new-generation life insurance products – “hybrid” policies that have a death benefit, but that also let you accelerate those benefit proceeds for qualifying health situations.

Once upon a time, pensions were a staple of the U.S. retirement system. But in the last 20 years there has been a seismic shift in the way employees fund their retirement. In 1998, an estimated 50% of current Fortune 500 companies still offered their salaried employees a pension, or also known as a defined benefit plan. Today that number sits at just 5%.

With this type of plan, a company makes regular contributions to their pension fund and then provides monthly payments or “partial paychecks” to retired employees throughout their retirement. In that sense, pensions give retirees a source of ‘guaranteed income.’

Working tenures in previous decades generally lasted much longer than they do now in our current highly-mobile, job-hopping workplace. You could be with the same employer for 20 or more years, with your defined-benefit pension accruing value over your career. Pensions were often a main motivation for people to stay with the same employer. After investing your work life with that company, you were financially rewarded in retirement.

At retirement, the pension would give the financial comfort of knowing where your money was coming from, month to month, from guaranteed monthly paychecks coming in the mail. For years, the U.S. retirement system was built on this foundation. Then, bit by bit, employer pension circumstances gradually began to change.

Company pensions started to dwindle in number, and while today’s continuing shrinkage in pension plans can be attributed to many factors, one well-respected economist points out the effects of recent economic events.

Are annuities taxable? It's an important question if you are shopping for annuities with the goal of guaranteed income. An annuity can help us sleep better at night, knowing how much income the contract will provide each month and that it can last as long as we do.

But while guaranteed income may sound good, there is also the flip-side to consider. You may wonder about whether annuity contracts might pose a potential tax trap.

It's smart to consider the topic. And why? Because taxes are a primary concern for people in retirement. While released in 2010, a survey by Lincoln Financial Group still has relevance today.

The study of affluent retirees found that federal income taxes were their largest expense. Among the respondents—age 62 through 75 with annual household incomes greater than $100,000—taxes were their largest expense. The survey results show that nearly 1 of every 3 dollars a retiree spent went to taxes.

Good news, though. A 2016 article by the Center for Retirement Research suggests that a "tax time bomb" may not be inevitable for many retirees. However, that premise is based upon 2007 U.S. household taxpayer numbers crunched by the Hamilton Project.

And other research, like a 2014 study on middle-income household awareness of retirement tax issues by Bankers Life, shows that taxes could well be a considerable chunk of future retiree spending.

All of which leads back to that question: How could throwing annuities into the mix affect a tax bill?

It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that the cost of college tuition has gone up since back in the day when you got your degree. But how much college tuition has climbed may surprise you.

According to the College Board’s "Trends in College Pricing 2017" report, students at public four-year institutions paid an average of $3,190 in tuition for the 1987-1988 school year, with prices adjusted to reflect 2017 dollars.

Fast-forward 30 years and that average is $9,970 for the 2017-2018 school year. If you weren’t a math major, don’t worry, we have a calculator. That's an eye-popping 213% increase. And that is not even taking into consideration the increased cost of room and board, not to mention everything else that causes the college cash register to keep ringing.

Editor’s Note: This is the last feature in a fourt-part series on financial education for April, which is National Financial Literacy Month. To see the first part of this series, click here.

As Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” But actually investing in gaining more financial knowledge is an activity that many Americans don’t seem to do.

While studies suggest that lots of people understand the value of financial literacy, the truth is many things compete for our time. When so much is going on, it’s easy to put learning time for money matters on the back-burner. Even so, what we know drives our money behaviors and decisions, and so a gap in knowledge can hit home in many ways.

This is a complex problem for several reasons. For instance, in one survey, GoBankingRates found that over half of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings. In another study by TD Ameritrade, 96% of Americans knew what they paid for streaming media services like Netflix, but only 27% knew what they paid in 401(k) plan fees.

In fact, the majority of investors in the TD Ameritrade survey thought they paid no employer plan fees, didn’t know if their plans had fees, or didn’t know how to determine the fees. Other studies have also captured similar data with investors and their familarity with their employer retirement plans.

All of this adds up to an ongoing cycle of money headaches, mistakes, and disappointments for many households.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was on track to notch its steepest daily decline in about a month, as selling accelerate in afternoon trade Tuesday. The Dow DJIA, +0.22% was off about 600 points, near its nadir, if that level holds it would represent the sharpest drop for the benchmark since the 724-point fall back on March 22. Market participants were broadly attributing concerns about climbing yields, with the benchmark 10-year year Treasury yield touching 3%, as part of the impetus for the added selling pressure. More broadly, the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.15% was down 1.9% at 2,621, the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.36% declined by 2.3% at at 6,980.

Global debt has reached a record high, and three countries account for more than half of it, according to a new International Monetary Fund report released Wednesday.

The IMF’s fiscal monitor said total debt reached $164 trillion in 2016, or 225% of global gross domestic product. That includes the debt of governments, households and companies.

Compared with the previous peak in 2009, the world is now 12% of GDP deeper in debt, the IMF said.

Just three countries — China, Japan and the U.S. — account for more than half of global debt, and China alone accounts for almost three-quarters of the increase in private debt since the financial crisis.

It would be nice to think that, once you retire and no longer are “bringing home the bacon,” worrying about paying taxes would be a thing of the past. But that is not the way Uncle Sam works.

In fact, unanticipated taxes in retirement can disrupt an otherwise well-crafted retirement plan. Perhaps it’s not surprising as to why financial professionals call this situation a “tax time bomb.” For this reason, it’s important to consider the impact of taxes when preparing your retirement plan, so you can make well-informed choices ahead of time and budget for taxes as part of your retirement expenses.

What you will pay in taxes during retirement is unique to you and to the make-up of your retirement income sources. But one thing that seems to be universal can be this: how big a tax bite that retirees may face.

Editor’s Note: This is the third part of a four-part series on financial literacy in the United States. You can find Part 1 of the series here. Stay tuned for more helpful articles on how you can reach the retirement you have worked hard to attain.

Like other working-age investors, you may have a 401(k) account — or another employer retirement plan. In anticipation of the future, you probably are socking away money for retirement. And if you are lucky, your employer is even contributing to help your nest egg grow even more.

But, with April being National Financial Literacy Month, now is a good time to be honest with ourselves. Many working-age investors don’t fully know what their investments are. Various studies, like the “Wellness in the Workplace” survey by KRC Research, have shown that, in many cases, the majority of working investors don’t understand their retirement plan make-up.

So, take a moment to ask yourself about whether everything makes sense to you. It’s okay to admit not being fluent in your 401(k) – or even retirement in general – because money matters are hard enough for many of us. And when it comes to retirement issues, you aren’t alone.

A comprehensive barometer of U.S. adults’ readiness to make sound financial decisions is found in the TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) from TIAA Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center. This report examines financial literacy across eight common activities: earning, spending, saving, investing, borrowing, insuring, understanding risk, and gathering information.

And the findings aren’t great.

Editor’s Note: This is the first part of a four-part series on financial literacy in the United States. You can find Part 1 of the series here. Stay tuned for more helpful articles on how you can reach the retirement you have worked hard to attain.

If financial matters concern you, you aren’t alone.

A recent survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Purchasing Power, reveals that 87% of survey participants who are employed full-time (or have a spouse employed full-time) are at least somewhat stressed about their current finances. And 25% of the people feeling the heat over money matters measure their stress level as either “quite a bit” or “a great deal” of stress.

So what’s worrying everyone? Plenty. Household bills are the major cause of financial stress among the 900 participants in the Purchasing Power survey.

The primary stress triggers, ranked in order, are:

• Household bills (mortgage/rent, utilities and transportation) – 47%
• Lack of funds to cover unexpected expenses (car and home repairs) – 43%
• Retirement planning (little/ no retirement savings, no post-employment plan) – 37%
• Healthcare expenses – 34%
• High credit balance – 30%
• Accumulating credit card debt – 29%
• Lifestyle changes (loss of/decrease in household income, elderly care) – 25%
• Education (tuition, daycare fees, student loan payments) – 21%

In turn, these money stressors and others may have a profound impact on people’s quality of life.

Editor's Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on different ways that a retirement plan can go bust. You can find Part 1 of this two-part series here.

In many ways, retirement is like a puzzle. It’s a matter of fitting different pieces together. You probably know what you want your retirement lifestyle to be. The next step is making that vision real. You put together a financial plan to make things happen.

But just planning for retirement isn’t a guaranteed formula for success. We also have to stick to the plan and, at times, revisit it to see if any adjustments should be made. After all, life throws curveballs and life situations change.

Even so, there are many situations that can throw a retirement plan off balance. Those variables can vary, from suddenly finding oneself as a surviving spouse to having personal health decline or taking on the responsibility of caregiver for parents.

While it isn’t a complete solution, understanding some situations that might put a financial plan on the rocks is a good starting point.

Editor's Note: This is the first part of a four-part series on financial literacy in the United States. Stay tuned for more helpful articles on how you can reach the retirement you have worked hard to attain.

Now that April is here, it’s National Financial Literacy Month. This is a good time to gauge our knowledge and comfort with money matters. Why? Well, because financial literacy is something that affects all of us.

In its research, the FINRA Foundation has found that financial literacy is “strongly correlated with behavior that is indicative of financial capability.” People with high literacy are more likely to plan for retirement, have an emergency fund, and avoid expensive credit card debt. In turn, those behaviors can lead to quality-of-life outcomes, including more financial wellness, more confidence, and more peace of mind.

But in the same breath, studies show a gap between what Americans say they know and how they actually rank in their financial knowledge base. A recent study brief by the FINRA Foundation drives it home.

In the study, nearly two-thirds of Americans failed a quiz on basic financial concepts.

Choosing when to take your Social Security benefits — whether that moment is before, at, or beyond your Full Retirement Age (or Normal Retirement Age) — could be one of the most important decisions you will make for your retirement income plan.

Why is knowing your Full Retirement Age (FRA) so critical? Claiming your Social Security benefits prior to reaching your FRA results in a reduction of your benefit, a reduction that lasts for your entire life. Since Social Security is likely to be the largest “income asset” for many people, understanding what could reduce that payout, and potentially how to avoid that reduction, is paramount.

It’s not just that. If you are working and take Social Security benefits before attaining your Full Retirement Age, the Social Security Administration will also reduce your benefits payments should your earnings exceed certain limits. This is called the “Earnings Test” by the SSA and financial professionals. According to Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, 53% of workers plan to work past 65, and 56% plan to work after they retire.

Given that lots of Americans have working plans for their retirement future, how could the Earnings Test affect their benefits payments? For one, it isn’t clear to many people exactly what earnings apply toward the Earnings Test — and therefore what could affect their benefits payouts.

Remember those television commercials from a decade ago showing people walking around town carrying a giant orange “retirement number” under their arms?

That is what everyone thought a retirement plan should look like. A big number that you divvy up and draw down during your golden years. With that strategy you are taking 100 percent of the risks many retirees may face, from market volatility to longevity risk to healthcare risk.

Modern thinking has taught us that, as the average life expectancy continues to climb (Could age 90 be the new 70?), our real concern should be more than a magic number for retirement savings. It should be creating a retirement income plan that ensures we will have income in retirement that lasts as long as we will.

Generation Xers, you have probably heard yourselves referred to you as the "Sandwich Generation." For those of you on the upper end of Gen X’s age range (35 to 55) this means that, not only are you likely to be responsible for caring for your long-living parents. You will also likely provide some financial support to your children. For many Gen X parents, that may be helping with college tuition.

And there you are in the middle, needing to build a retirement nest egg and prepare for your own future needs, like the possibility of long-term care. What's more, you have to account for all the other routine expenses facing retirees.

You may not be feeling like the middle of a sandwich as much as you are feeling like the middle of a famous chocolate sandwich cookie. The two rigid outside edges (financial support for both parents and kids) may seem like they are squishing you—and your financial future—in the middle.

In a recent survey, the Insured Retirement Institute found three key money risks that worry Gen Xers. Below are those money concerns, as well as some ideas to help you preserve your financial strength and maybe even “Double Stuf” your retirement resources in the face of them. But first you need to start the conversation.

You may have invested a fair amount of time crafting your retirement plan. Your financial plan might include an annuity that could both maximize your lifetime income and maximize the potential payout to your chosen beneficiaries. But you may not have focused on the options that your beneficiaries have when choosing how to take their payout.

So, what are the annuity beneficiary payout options and how do they work? Let’s find out.

It's relatively straightforward to know how much insurance you might need for certain valuables, like a car or your home. But many people don't know the answer to this question: "How much life insurance do I really need?"

If you find yourself in these shoes, you aren't alone. According to a study by Life Happens and LIMRA, 40% of people haven’t bought life insurance, or more of it, because they are unsure of how much or what type to buy.

Whether you are retired or still working, life insurance can help solve for many issues. For young to middle-aged couples with dependents, it may be a source of financial protection, income replacement, or supplemental liquidity.

And for households of retirement age? Life insurance can let you enjoy tax-advantaged income, pass a legacy to heirs in a tax-efficient manner, mitigate tax burdens upon death, and even provide much-needed liquidity for post-death expenses.

Here are some helpful basics to consider as you research how much life insurance may be right for you.

Fixed and variable annuities may be appealing for a number of reasons – especially guaranteed income. Yet many people find it hard to discern what may be good annuity options for them. And that’s as their fear of running out of retirement money remains strong.

Americans are more afraid of running out of money in retirement than they are of dying, according to a well-quoted statistic from Allianz Life. Of 3,000 people surveyed, 63% said they feared not having enough retirement money for life over leaving this Earth. That was the highest percentage of those who mentioned their financial concerns in the survey.

Fears like this are what drive Americans to look for dependable income-paying vehicles. When shopping around for income solutions, many investors find annuities to be of interest.

If you are considering an annuity for your portfolio, it’s important to understand everything before you make a decision. Knowing what a fixed versus variable annuity is, will be a good starting point.

Let’s look at some of those distinctions now.

Editor's Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on retirement risks that we should definitely plan for. For more information on retirement money mishaps and how you can enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle, you may find helpful answers in The New Retirement Report. 

In the first half of this series, we discussed 5 of the 10 Retirement Risks you need to plan for. With apologies to the Late Night Show and Late Show, no Top 10 List would be complete with a stop at the halfway point. So, without further ado.... Here are 5 other retirement risks that retired and working-age investors should definitely heed.

As you read through this list, you may want to consider the strategies your plan has to manage these risks. If you are unsure or would like more confidence in your plan, a retirement-knowledgeable financial professional can help you. Their guidance can help identify potential financial gaps, clarify your needs, and solve for those shortcomings. 

Editor's Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part series on retirement risks that we should definitely plan for. For more information on potential retirement money mistakes and how you can enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle, you may find helpful answers in The New Retirement Report. 

Top Ten Lists were a signature of David Letterman’s Late Night and Late Show legacies. Now that he’s 70, if Letterman were to prepare such a list today, it might look something like this: "The Top Ten Retirement Risks I Didn’t See Coming, But Should Have."

While three decades on TV may give Dave the aplomb to tackle top retirement risks with more leniency, this isn't the case for everybody. Not everyone can be blasé about what they face as they enter and move through retirement. To help you look ahead—and plan accordingly—we offer these Top Ten Retirement Risks You CAN See Coming.

Over the years, you and your spouse have probably had many wonderful conversations about your retirement dreams. Maybe you talked about traveling to exotic destinations. Maybe you have always wanted to move closer to the grandkids. Or you might have dreamed of taking up those elusive hobbies neither of you had quite the time to pursue.

Of course, there are many things to discuss for retirement so you can prepare for a retirement lifestyle that you both find meaningful. One thing you may not have discussed, or agreed on, is how to harmonize your grand plans with your retirement income plan. Because not only will you need money to fund that retirement wish list… You will still need income to support your everyday needs, not to mention healthcare and other potentially costly unknowns.

What will those needs be? That seems to be where the disagreement begins. According to a Fidelity Investments Couples Retirement Study, almost half of the couples surveyed (47 percent) disagreed on how much they needed to save to maintain their current lifestyle in retirement.

One reason may be the small percentage of couples who have taken time to develop a detailed retirement income plan… just 21 percent, according to Fidelity.

There is no doubt that individual investors were hit hard by the financial crisis. Several months of double-digit negative stock market returns almost halved investor portfolio values from April 2008 to March 2009, according to Netspar (the Network for Studies on Pension, Aging, and Retirement).

If you think losing a significant proportion of your nest egg sounds like a life event that would color future money choices, you might be surprised by a November 2017 survey.

When Hartford Funds asked people about the lasting impact of the market meltdown and the ensuing “Great Recession,” 40 percent of them said the financial crisis of 2008 has had no lasting impact on their life. A higher number though, 42 percent, said they now avoid the market. And 46 percent of respondents said they have adjusted their spending and savings habits in the aftermath.

Interestingly, people have made investment and lifestyle changes in the wake of that momentous market downturn—including avoiding the market all together—yet the perception of its impact has faded for many. “Americans are forgetting what it felt like during those challenging times of 2008-11,” according to a Hartford Funds executive.

U.S. equity markets have taken investors on a wild roller-coaster ride over the last several days. Equities started free-falling after U.S. wage data released on Friday, Feb. 2, showed positive results. While economic news continues to be good, it raises the specter that the Fed will raise interest rates to ward off inflation.

Higher interest rates would result in higher borrowing costs for companies and businesses. Not only that, it would become more expensive for consumers to buy cars and homes.

It turned out that Friday’s drop was just the tipping point. The stock market went on a wild ride again on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing down 1,175 points. This represented the worst point drop in history. And at one point Monday afternoon, the Dow was down 1,579 points, which was the largest intraday point drop in the history of the index.

If all this market anxiety had you reaching for the Dramamine, you aren’t alone. Most people are invested in the market in one way or another. So, many households felt the sting, and it has only slightly abated as the market has begun to recover some of its losses.

Editor's Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part series on common retirement planning mistakes made by high net-worth investors and households. For more information on the retirement and financial challenges awaiting today's investors, please consider a review of The New Retirement Report. Many investors have found this resource useful for planning out for their financial futures.

With even more on the line than traditional retirees, high net-worth households need to be cautious of several all-too-common retirement mistakes that can cause a reversal of fortune.

Review these threats with your retirement planning professional or advisor to ensure your plan has strategies to address—and avoid—these potentially costly pitfalls.

When you begin claiming your Social Security benefits is one of the most important decisions you will make. Knowing when to start your benefits—and when not to—could mean thousands of more dollars to you, and your surviving spouse, when you could use the income the most.

But with so many claiming possibilities, when is the right time?

You probably have heard arguments for claiming early and waiting. That being said, it pays off to understand the break-even ages for Social Security benefits, their impact, and how different claiming ages may compare.

Millions of Americans depend on life insurance for financial protection, not to mention for many other reasons. But as people get older, insurance coverage may seem out of reach. Many seniors think they don’t have good life insurance options due to age or health.

Even if you are in your golden years or not quite there, the good news is you do have choices. For example, there are some life insurance policies that may be bought up till age 90. That isn’t the most frequent age to get life insurance for seniors, but it’s helpful to know there are options for just about any life-stage. Some insurance options might also be available for those who may not be in the best health.

Countless surveys say that Baby Boomers and Gen Xers aren't saving enough for retirement. But a recent survey from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies shows another place where American workers are falling short: preparing for work in retirement.

In the study, 56% of workers said they expect to work at least part-time past age 65. Among Baby Boomers, 6 in 10 (65%) expect to or already working past the traditional retirement age. More than half of Gen Xers (56%) also planned on at least part-time employment during retirement.

However, that vision may be out of reach, as few workers seem to be taking steps to make it happen. Less than half of workers (46%) are keeping their skills up-to-date, a finding that held for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers alike. And only 18% are scoping out the job market and opportunities available, with 15% of Baby Boomers and of Gen Xers alike reporting an active lookout.

Overall, a number of workers seemed to believe their employers would let them stay on part-time -- which well could not happen due to present employment market conditions and practices. Meanwhile, the findings don't bode well for expectations of working past 65. That's even as 83% cited financial reasons as why they plan to continue doing so.

If anything, the new year tends to be a time of reinvention. From resolutions of healthier eating or more frequent exercise to more diligence with household finances, there is no shortage of areas for self-improvement.

For people aged 50 and over, it’s another year closer to retirement. You have spent a long time preparing and setting aside money to be able to retire when and how you want to. After many years of careful preparation and personal sacrifices, this milestone can seem close and yet far away.

If your retirement date is within the next five years, now is a great time to refocus on your retirement planning goals. Here are a few steps you might need to take now for enjoying greater financial confidence in your golden years.

As 2017 has rolled by, many headlines have documented new economic upsurges. U.S. stocks saw record growth, foreign equity markets rose in value, and domestic unemployment fell to its lowest rate since 2000.

Then tax reform legislation was passed, and now optimism is growing for what the New Year may hold. Nonetheless, while all of this is positive, a number of market risks could reverse the growth trends of 2017.

In a recent Global Markets Research report, Deutsche Bank mentions 30 potential game-changers that can influence the economic landscape in 2018 – and even bring market reversals. As you review your financial picture for the New Year, here are some important risks of which to take note.

When it comes to retirement saving plans, Americans can have a variety of options. For millions, employer-sponsored plans are a primary savings vehicle – especially 401(k) plans. It’s no surprise as to why. A 401(k) plan offers a number of benefits, including tax-deferred accumulation, a high contribution limit for pre-tax savings, and in many cases an employer match.

As retirement nears for many Americans, it brings up an important question: How will their 401(k) plan prepare them to enjoy a comfortable, meaningful post-work lifestyle? Even with these benefits, many Americans are dissatisfied with their 401(k) because they perceive shortfalls in other areas. Limited investment options, low access to personal financial advice, and lack of money control are just a few investor frustrations.

There’s also the issue of subpar financial knowledge. Surveys indicate many people don’t understand 401(k)s, even though these plans dominate the workplace savings landscape. According to the Investment Company Institute, as of December 31, 2016 Americans held $7 trillion in all employer-based defined-contribution plans. Of this, $4 trillion was in 401(k) plans – or 57.1% of total defined-contribution plan assets.

The holidays are approaching, and everyone is stepping into high gear. From Thanksgiving dinners and seasonal gift shopping to family get-togethers, these are busy but joy-filled times. Aside from the festivity, fellowship, and merriment, though, it can also be financially stressful for many households.

The holiday season brings more pressure to spend, and this can put strain on retirees, many of whom live on a fixed income. For lots of Americans, there’s also the issue of personal debt. Having the pressure of growing debt loads, many people feel the impact of debt on their retirement goals, not to mention other objectives. And excessive holiday spending can be partly to blame. A survey by NerdWallet found that 24% of shoppers overspent last year, while 27% made no budget at all.

The good news is with the right steps, financial wellness is within reach. If you are in your 50s or 60s, it’s prudent to start taking steps to set goals, plan for the future, avoid financial missteps, and make changes so your money works for you.

Here are some steps to get your financial house in order for the year-end and for greater financial confidence in the future.

Considering its interest rate potential, a multi-year guarantee annuity, or MYGA annuity, may seem pretty "boring." This can happen especially when you compare it to a fixed index annuity and its growth potential.

But while many people see indexed annuities as appealing, not everyone does. Some retirement investors just want an unchanging, fixed growth rate for their money. The prospect of changing interest rates, from time to time, doesn’t appeal to them.

If you desire straightforward choices like this, a MYGA annuity might be of interest. Unlike with a fixed index annuity, a MYGA annuity gives you a fixed interest rate over time. In many cases, this interest rate doesn’t change in later contract years, like you often get in a traditional fixed annuity.

As you think over different types of annuities, it’s important to understand your options. Here’s a quick guide to understanding MYGA annuities, their benefits, and potential drawbacks in retirement planning.

The interest rates that an annuity earns largely hinge on two things: the type of annuity you have, and how the annuity is credited interest. Some annuities declare the interest rate ahead of time.

Other annuities earn interest based on ups or downs in an index, like the S&P 500 price index. Most annuities come with compounding interest. However, you may come across some contracts that offer simple interest growth.

If you are researching the potential for typical annuity interest rates, it’s important to know how annuities can differ by growth potential. Here's some crucial information to consider as you think through your potential options.

Good news! Next year, Social Security beneficiaries will get their biggest raise since 2012. The Social Security Administration reports that monthly benefits will receive a 2% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2018.

For the average retiree, the increase amounts to around $27 extra a month. For the year, it adds up to an extra $324 in benefit payments. Social Security beneficiaries will see increased payments in January 2018, while increased payments for SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017.

While this is welcome news, another development may offset the increased benefits for retirees. Many retirees actually may see little or no increase in payments. Most beneficiaries have Medicare Part B premiums taken from their Social Security. For those who have benefited from the “hold harmless” provision of Medicare law in recent years, Medicare may eat into some or all of the raise.

Let’s get more into the details of this now.

For people in their fifties, it’s never too early to think about a retirement financial plan. Even if you are starting a bit late in the game, now is an excellent time to catch up on planning.

However, so many investment, fixed-income, and insurance products are on the market. Like other investors, you may find it challenging to create strategies that meet your needs for safety and income.

Of the many options, annuities may be on your radar, but you may have heard bad things about them too. How can you judge if they are right for your financial situation?

To get started, learn about some scenarios where annuities can help people achieve their retirement money goals. Here are some things to consider when you are thinking of buying an annuity.

Life insurance isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You have many options to cover your needs, including the ability to purchase additional benefits on a basic life policy. These additional policy benefits are called life insurance riders.

Some riders are automatically included in a policy at no extra cost. Other riders will require additional premium cost. Life insurance rider benefits are available for many needs, from terminal illness and long-term care costs to term insurance coverage of children or of a spouse. With that said, you must meet the conditions outlined in the rider to enjoy its particular benefit.

In some policies, you may blend different riders together, at additional cost. The riders you choose, whether included in the policy or purchased at additional cost, may be used for current or future insurance needs.

Since many life insurance riders mean additional premium to be paid, it’s prudent to be sure you don’t get too much insurance. Knowing the basics of different riders and what they offer is a good starting point. Let’s go more into that now.

Common Life Insurance Riders – What You Should Know

Here are some of the most common life insurance riders you will find. Keep in mind that rider options will vary among policy contracts and insurance carriers. Some rider benefits also vary by state, and in some cases they may not be available for purchase.

Retirement planning is an essential step in financial life. Part of the transition is to ensure that your money is safe and you have income available for the rest of your life. For risk-conscious and lifestyle-minded investors, one instrument to consider for a retirement portfolio is an annuity.

Apart from principal protection, low risk, and tax-deferred growth, annuities can generate a guaranteed lifetime income. This income benefit can help ensure that the contract owner has a constant, dependable cash-flow throughout retirement.

However, there are many aspects of an annuity that people should understand before making a purchase, such as fees and conditions. One of the important conditions set out by annuities are surrender charges.

Let’s take a closer look at what a surrender charge involves.

 What is an Annuity Surrender Charge?

You can think of an annuity surrender charge as a deferred sales fee. Most deferred annuities come with a “surrender period.”

The surrender period is a time-frame when excessive early withdrawals, and contract cancellations, are subject to a penalty. Generally, the surrender period tends to run from 5-15 years. The penalty levied on the withdrawn amount is the surrender charge.

To provide some liquidity, deferred annuities come with a “free withdrawal amount.” It’s a specified amount of money that can be withdrawn, annually, without fees. Free withdrawal amounts can vary, but most annuities go up to 10% of the contract value.

Note, if someone makes a contract withdrawal before age 59.5, they may have to pay a 10% penalty on the withdrawal along with ordinary income taxes.

Achieving financial security isn’t an easy task. The dynamics of retirement income planning have evolved. It used to be that retired households could rely upon Social Security and personal pensions for the income they needed.

But that has changed. Now Americans shoulder more individual responsibility for their future income security. Also, life expectancies are on the rise. The challenge becomes ensuring our money will last for a retirement lifetime.    

As you create your own retirement income plan – or consider potential changes to your current plan – here are six risks to retirement income to consider. Keep these potential pitfalls in mind as you formulate your own strategy.

When calculating individual benefits, the Social Security Administration draws on up to 35 years of personal earnings history. To receive Social Security benefits in the first place, you have to work at least 10 years. Therefore, it’s not that surprising that many people see their benefits as something they have earned.

Yet each year, Uncle Sam collects a share of people’s benefits through income taxes. You may have to pay taxes on as much as 50%-85% of your benefits, depending on how much income you report to the IRS.

Why are Social Security Benefits Taxable?

Decades ago, Social Security benefits used to be tax-free. Then in 1984, the U.S. government had its first Social Security funding crisis. Congress passed legislation to shore up the program and made SS benefits taxable in certain cases. Up to 50% of benefits could be taxed, but later Congress upped it to as much as 85% of benefits, with some collected revenues going toward Medicare.

As you plan and prepare for retirement, it’s important to know whether your own benefits may be taxable.

Year after year, many Americans are finding it harder to provide for their spouses during retirement. Guaranteed pension payments have been disappearing as more companies move toward 401(k)s and other savings plans. And with the end of file-and-suspend in Social Security, numerous couples now can’t use the higher earner’s wage record for greater benefit payouts.

This brings up the question of survivorship: How can retirees ensure their spouses receive sufficient income for current and future needs? Many couples have turned to joint life annuities as a long-term solution.

However, that doesn’t mean that a joint life annuity is right for everyone. In some cases, having separate annuities can be more prudent. Or it may be appropriate to seek retirement income strategies with other means. But no matter what, whether someone should choose a joint life annuity or a few single life annuities will vary on an individual basis. It depends on the potential buyer’s needs, goals, and situation, among other factors.

If you are considering a joint or single annuity, here are some pointers to help you think about your options.

According to MagnifyMoney, people are carrying more than goal checklists into retirement. A recent analysis by them looked at data from the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center (MRRC) Health and Retirement Study. Their results found that more Americans are shouldering debt in their 50s and over.

It’s a serious finding, given that Americans have named mortgages and other debts among their top five money concerns. In the study, MRRC researchers survey over 20,000 Americans aged 50+ on many topics of financial well-being. This publication showed survey results from 2014.

MagnifyMoney found a number of debt trends that could undermine, or even cripple, the retirement goals of numerous Americans. Let’s look at how debt is affecting older Americans and their post-work lives.

When shopping around for a life insurance policy, you have many choices. From monthly low-cost term insurance, to more expensive but long-term coverage benefits of whole life and universal life insurance, there’s a wide landscape of options.

As you consider different selections, it’s important to understand how these types of insurance differ from another. Among permanent life insurance, two widely-purchased options are whole life insurance and indexed universal life insurance.

While term life insurance is the most straightforward, it covers you only for a short-term period. Conversely, whole life and indexed universal life policies give lifelong coverage, so long as a policy remains active.

But they are more complex, tend to cost more than term coverage, and can be better-suited for long-term objectives. With that said, the cash value component of permanent insurance may be attractive for a number of reasons, including for efficient legacy planning, tax-advantaged wealth building, and tax-deferred retirement saving.

If you’re exploring term life insurance versus whole life insurance and indexed universal life insurance, it’s prudent to be diligent. You will want to research and consider your options carefully, and to help you get started, here's a quick guide on the differences between these life insurance types.

As far as financial security goes, when thinking of retirement, it’s important to consider the safety of your financial portfolio.

Do you have reliable income streams in place for retirement, whether for a set period or life? Is there enough liquidity in your assets to allow you to retire comfortably? Is enough of your money safe and put in secure, dependable places? Do you have an appropriate financial strategy for combating the the impact of inflation, high-ticket expenses like long-term care, and other costly retirement risks?

All of this brings us to a discussion on building a dependable safety net and how to make sure that you can answer these questions with confidence

There are many types of IRAs. But two of the most common are the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. The type of account you select can have a significant impact on your long-term household savings.

The biggest difference between a traditional IRA and Roth IRA is their classifications in the IRS tax code. A traditional IRA is a “qualified plan,” which means that money going into it has pre-tax status. On the other hand, a Roth IRA is a “non-qualified plan.” This means that the account is funded with after-tax dollars. The qualified and non-qualified classifications also mean both types of accounts have different rules for required minimum distributions.

Because of this difference and others, it’s important to understand the fundamentals behind these two plans. This brief discussion will help you understand their distinctions, their eligibility criteria, and other important factors. Let’s get into it.

nd the fundamentals behind these two plans. This brief discussion will help you understand their distinctions, their eligibility criteria, and other important factors. Let’s get into it.

Yes, it’s possible to buy an annuity at nearly any age. Usually there are few or no lower age limits. But annuity purchases do have older age limits. These restrictions vary based on annuity type, product, and individual contract rules.

Technically, you may be able to buy an annuity for even a child. However, most annuity purchases are with retirement money, especially IRA money. So, annuities tend to be more appropriate for people of near-retirement and retirement age. You will also see retirement savers in their 30s and 40s purchasing annuities for principal protection, safe growth, or tax-deferred accumulation in another place alongside retirement accounts. Overall, annuity buyers tend to range from ages 40-80, depending on their needs and goals.

In the 2013 Gallup Survey of Owners of Individual Annuity Contracts, the average age for first-time annuity buyers was 51. The survey found the median age of first-time contract purchasers to be 52.

Since age limits can vary among annuity types, let’s take a look at those now.

Time and again, we are told of the importance of having an emergency fund. It makes sense, especially for retirement. After all, retirees are likely to have unexpected costs creep up, just like everyone else does. But according to a BankRate survey, even a small unexpected expense could be a struggle for many households.

In the survey, nearly 60% didn’t have enough savings to pay for emergency expenses. Almost half (45%) said they or immediate family had incurred a major emergency expense in the last 12 months. Among high-income households and college graduates, nearly half lacked enough savings to handle emergency costs.

While emergency expenses can affect anyone, they may create harmful setbacks for retired households. Many retirees live on a fixed income. Without the fallback of healthy earned income, like that in the working years, they could find unexpected expenses to be disruptive. All of this underscores the practical wisdom of having financial cushioning for emergencies.

So, what’s a target amount to have in an emergency fund? And what are some ways you can build up emergency reserves? Here’s a quick look at some strategies.

Although it’s been around for nearly 30 years, a MEC, or a modified endowment contract, can still be confusing. Let’s straighten it out. A modified endowment contract is a unique type of cash value life insurance. A life insurance policy becomes a MEC when the policy has been funded more than federal tax laws permit.

Upon changeover, a MEC loses some of the favorable tax treatment it had as cash value life insurance. For tax purposes it’s now treated like a non-qualified annuity. While the cash value does stay intact and grow tax-deferred, you will be taxed on the cash value growth upon taking withdrawals.

Depending on state laws, cash value withdrawals may be subject to state income tax, along with the federal income tax you must pay. If taken before age 59.5, an early withdrawal penalty of 10% may apply, as well.

Because of these potential tax implications, it’s important to understand MECs, their features, and their potential consequences. Here’s a look at a MEC and how it may affect a life insurance policy.

Sure, many people stress over money issues. From mortgage payments and other bills to household spending and transportation costs, more than a few financial stressors are taking a toll. But retirement is quite different from the earlier stages of life. What may be Americans’ top money stressor as they venture into their retirement years?

According to a recent survey by Allianz Life, a top economic worry is inflation. Nearly one-third, or 32% of Americans said that they are “panicked” or “very worried” about inflation and its effects on their retirement.

It’s good that retirement investors are aware of inflation, but many underestimate it as a significant risk. In the survey, 64% said they don’t have a plan to address inflation. Among the 36% who do, 51% indicated “being more frugal with their money” would be their plan of action. And what about when it comes to actual planning? The Society of Actuaries reports that 45% of retirees and 28% of pre-retirees neglect inflation in their retirement plans.

Because inflation can be a real dealbreaker for retirement lifestyle – especially as lifespans increase – here’s a look at the power-punch that inflation can land over time.