The 5-Year Countdown to Retirement

Every once in a while, you stumble upon an article that youwant to share with everyone you know. The 5 Year Retirement Countdown by MarketWatch columnist AndreaCoombes fell in that category for me – so I’m sharing it with all you goodpeople.There’s tons of discussion out there about how to startsaving for retirement, all operating on the assumption that you have years andyears ahead of you. But what about workers who are nearing the event-horizon ofretirement – say, late 50s and older? I find there’s not nearly as much usefulguidance for how to prepare your investments and financial plan to make this majortransition. Coombes’ article goes a long way towards rectifying that. I alsoappreciate that she deals in reality: the article offers tips for super-saversas well as creative suggestions for those who are still playing catch-up. Reversemortgages, downsizing homes (and lifestyles), staying mindful about when youtap which accounts to maximize your overall return – this article will give youlots of great food for thought and future planning, whatever stage you’recurrently at.I also really enjoyed a second article by Coombes, this timein The Wall Street Journal, How to Retire in a Bear Market. It’s a great companion read to herprevious article.It’s surprisingly common to soft-pedal when you’ll actuallyretire – and important to remember that the timing isn’t entirely controlled byyou. Health issues, career twists, and other factors can force your hand – soit’s best to have some plan roughed out well before you’d ideally pull thetrigger on retirement.What’s your best resource for pre-retirement planning?Be Good,Don MontanaroCEO, TradeKing Groupwww.tradeking.com

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[image: 5 by squidish on Flickr]

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