22 September 2018 FT — Articles to Read

22 September 2018

 

Question: According to MSN:Money, what are the 30 greatest threats to your retirement?

 

US Politics – Pg. 8

–          If confirmed, Mr Kavanaugh would likely become the swing voter on the court the next time it examines abortion rights

–          #MeToo has already had a tangible effect on US politics, motivating more women to become politically active

–          A total of 524 women ran for Congress this year – a new record.  Even more notably, nearly half of those women won their primaries, with 255 women advancing to their general election

–          (Prof Note: Regardless of the outcome, I find the important lesson that actions, even alleged actions, no matter how old, can be brought back, decades later, for accountability.  Live a noble life!)

 

Wall St hits record highs on $14.5bn funds inflow – Pg. 15

–          The US stock market’s march to record highs this week was driven by a $14.5bn inflow to US equity funds

–          Investors have welcomed clarity on the next round of trade tariffs between the US and China and responded positively that the levies imposed by the Trump administration – and by Beijing in retaliation – were less severe than some had expected

–          The US economy also received a boost from recent data that showed wages grew at their fastest pace in nine years during August.  Average hourly earnings grew 2.9% from the previous year, the quickest rate of growth since June 2009

 

Answer: (1) Grown kids siphoning off your retirement money; (2) Keeping too much house; (3) Having a mortgage in retirement; (4) Giving too much away, too early; (5) Medical expenses; (6) Long-Term care expenses; (7) Being part of the sandwich generation; (8) Unexpected major expenses; (9) Defined contribution retirement plans in the military; (10) Defined contribution retirement plans in the private sector; (11) The Pension crises across the nation; (12) The myth of spending less in retirement; (13) Taking 401(k) loans; (14) Contributing only your company’s default minimum to your 401(k); (15) Investing too conservatively for retirement; (16) Withdrawing your 401(k) money when leaving a job; (17) Not saving enough for retirement; (18) Retiring too early; (19) Not getting full employer matching contributions; (20) Investing too heavily in company stock (Prof Note: Can you say, “Enron”?!); (21) Having inadequate life insurance; (22) Not having disability coverage; (23) Saving for college instead of retirement; (24) Ignoring the impact of inflation; (25) Faulty decision-making; (26) Poor asset allocation; (27) Boredom; (28) Neglecting your own needs; (29) An unexpected layoff; (30) Lifestyle inflation