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• Book Reviews
• Consumption Smoothing
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• Retirement

• Replacement Bait: Why the 80% Rule is Wrong

  By Scott Burns and Laurence J. Kotlikoff The Retirement/Investment Complex calls it your "retirement income replacement rate." It's the percentage of your pre-retirement income you "need" to sustain your standard of living in retirement... Posted Sep 05 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Resources, Retirement, Book Reviews

• Gifting, Feasting and Sharing

  By Scott Burns Spending goes in only one direction. Up. This is a fundamental law of the universe. It is always possible to spend more money. This was true when I got my first job out of college, a whopping $500 a month in 1962. It is still true 46 years... Posted Aug 29 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Consumption Smoothing, Resources

• Tools for Evaluating your 401(K) Plan

  Q: How can I prove that my company 401(k) plan is a loser? The company I work for has our plan with Putnam. I believe there is no combination of funds in the 401(k) that has ever beaten the S&P 500 index over any period of time. But I need to figure... Posted May 21 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Resources, Retirement

• When It Comes To College Saving, Keep It Simple

  Q. How about some guidance on saving for college. My daughters both have new babies and want to start saving for college. I recommended mutual funds with Vanguard. One son-in-law wants to fund college through a life insurance program with a fraternity... Posted Jun 06 2007, 09:00 PM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Resources, Retirement

• The Best of Two Worlds: Vanguard Inside USAA

  Q: I will soon have about $74,000 from the sale of my 90-year-old mother’s house. The house is in an irrevocable trust, and I am the trustee. My mother recently moved to an assisted-living facility and does not need any additional income from the house... Posted May 16 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Mutual Fund Investing, Q&A (from print), Resources