Since the credit crash, investors have been searching for answers as 401(k) accounts have suffered unprecedented declines. Not only have markets been tumultuous but new regulations and concerns regarding hidden fees have been introduced to an already opaque area of investing. Despite the severe economic retreat in 2008-2009, one thing hasn't changed: 401(k) accounts—because of their tax benefits—are still the best way for most people to invest for retirement. Mary Rowland breaks down how they work, why they're still a smart investment, how to keep an eye out for hidden fees, and why now is the time to start reinvesting in your retirement. As the former personal finance columnist for the Sunday New York Times and the author of three books on investing, Mary Rowland has extensive experience covering the issues that 401(k) investors face when they consider how to best prepare for retirement.

A timely guide to overcoming the retirement challenges we all face The Great Recession has placed a wake-up call to America's baby boomers. Many have not saved enough for retirement and have not taken a hard look at how many post-work years they may need to finance. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security tackles the tough questions about retirement in the new post-crash economy. Page by page, it puts retirement in perspective by touching on important issues such as insuring against the risk of outliving your assets, recalibrating damaged retirement portfolios, managing the risk of health-care expenses in retirement, and career strategies for workers who are 50 years old and up. Reveals how to boost lifetime income through better planning, and working just a few additional years Offers advice on how to hire a financial advisor whose first loyalty is to you, not Wall Street Discusses why you should rethink housing in the wake of the real estate crash Offers detailed advice on career reinvention, the 50+ job market and midlife entrepreneurship Engaging and informative, this practical guide provides the strategies needed for a truly fulfilling and secure retirement.

An in-depth guide to 401(k) plans--for the over 24 million Americans participating in them As 401(k) assets accumulate, so do the questions about the plans--especially with regard to the investment options which typically include at least seven choices by employers. This much-needed book explains how 401(k) plans work, how federal regulations and company policies affect retirement savings, how to develop investment strategies that will benefit individual needs, and what happens when money is taken out of a 401(k) plan. It also compares 401(k) plans to other tax-sheltered retirement plans, including IRAs, 403(b) plans, and 457 plans, and provides comprehensive listings of Web and print information resources. Most importantly, J. K. Lasser's Winning with Your 401(k) helps readers to understand their company plan in terms of their own personal needs and goals for the future. Grace W. Weinstein (Englewood, NJ) writes a weekly column on personal finance for the Financial Times and a regular column on tax issues for Investor's Business Daily. She has appeared on Good Morning America and the Today Show.

So you've got the basics of your personal finances under control (at least -- you've controlled your credit card spending, purchased a house, started saving for retirement) but wait! Now that your kids are growing up and your career is moving along, you're facing a whole new set of personal finance challenges. College, weddings, your son or daughter's first car! How to manage these big expenses and still stay afloat?! And how to deal with unexpected changes such as downsizing or a move?! Help is here. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance in Your 40s and 50s is the guide you need to everything from helping your kids get on their feet to buying a second home. Coverage includes: Assessing your own financial position in mid-life -- pluses and minus Being a parent and a blank check -- teaching your kids about money Paying for cars, college, weddings and other big parent expenses Assessing and affording your second home, dream home, or vacation home Keeping your finances in order during a job change -- for the better or worse What to think about if you want to start your own business Divorce and personal finance Thinking of the future -- wills, in-laws, aging parents and more! The basics of investing -- in your 40s and 50s. Where to start or how to progress

The simple message of this book is that divorcing husbands and wives should not allow divorce lawyers to send them off on a fool’s errand that will take what is already a tragedy in their lives and turn it into a nightmare. That is when they are persuaded to employ the law as a weapon in a legal tug of war the object of which is simply to get as much as you can and to give as little as you have to. Rather, they should look to the law as a common framework that they can turn to in their effort to conclude an agreement and thereby get on with their lives. There is a name for this. It is called divorce mediation and it doesn’t take forever or cost a king’s ransom.

In today's fast-paced, ever changing economy, knowledge of current technologies and their impact on the job search is more crucial than ever. Not only must job seekers be focused in their search, but they must also be able to adapt new methods of exploration and communication. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, job searchers must be visible in the marketplace in order to locate those jobs that afford them the best opportunities and are best suited to their interests. Then, they must have the most competitive tools to land the desired jobs. In Career Development: Strategies and Technologies for Career and Life Balance, Fourth Edition, Dr. Breidenbach has revised and expanded the job search process to include information that will ultimately help every job seeker achieve success in their career and life pursuits: CD-ROM Business Cards Interactive Interviewing Negotiations Enrepreneurship Politics Money and Taxes 401(k) and 403(b) Options Investments Retirement Planning

Bonds are the financial Cinderellas of the new millennium. Investors became aware of their charms when they saw their stock portfolios tanking while bonds were delivering double-digit returns. With the discovery that bonds could be a lucrative as well as a safe investment came a major problem: no single source of easily accessible information has been available that uniformly describes bonds, compares their relative strengths and drawbacks, and tells how to select and profit from buying them -- until now. Registered investment advisers Hildy and Stan Richelson have written The Money-Making Guide to Bonds to serve as this solid and thorough, yet user-friendly, resource on the subject. Over 35 different types of bonds and 20 types of bond funds are described, highlighting the specific advantages, risks, and tax implications of each. The stock market decline clearly demonstrated to investors that bonds belong in every portfolio. The Money-Making Guide to Bonds not only gives readers the information they need to select bonds suited to their needs but also tells them how to allocate bonds within a portfolio and then concludes with specific strategies for reducing taxes and increasing income.

The simple message of this book is that divorcing husbands and wives should not allow divorce lawyers to send them off on a fool’s errand that will take what is already a tragedy in their lives and turn it into a nightmare. That is when they are persuaded to employ the law as a weapon in a legal tug of war the object of which is simply to get as much as you can and to give as little as you have to. Rather, they should look to the law as a common framework that they can turn to in their effort to conclude an agreement and thereby get on with their lives. There is a name for this. It is called divorce mediation and it doesn’t take forever or cost a king’s ransom.

Includes, beginning Sept. 15, 1954 (and on the 15th of each month, Sept.-May) a special section: School library journal, ISSN 0000-0035, (called Junior libraries, 1954-May 1961). Also issued separately.