Vanguard: Vanguard Perspectives®

Retirees must often balance the need for income with the goal of making their retirement savings last. Maria Bruno of Vanguard Investment Strategy Group suggests retirees take a total return approach with their investments.

So, you're thinking about setting up a trust and/or a will as part of an estate plan. What questions should you be asking? Meredith Antik and Alisa Shin of Vanguard Asset Management Services discuss both estate planning tools.

Retirees must often balance the need for income with the goal of making their retirement savings last. Maria Bruno of Vanguard Investment Strategy Group suggests retirees take a total return approach with their investments.

Creating a financial plan can be intimidating. Vanguard experts Kahlilah Dowe and Maria Bruno suggest breaking the process down into steps by first identifying your financial goals and then determining the level of risk you're comfortable taking.

Do you pay down debt or save for retirement? Maria Bruno of Vanguard Investment Strategy Group and Kahlilah Dowe of Vanguard Personal Advisor Services suggest investors try and strike a balance between the two competing priorities.

How important is creating an emergency fund? Kahlilah Dowe of Vanguard Personal Advisor Services suggests investors set aside a year's worth of expenses to cover any unexpected costs, gradually building up their emergency fund while continuing to save for retirement.

Vanguard municipal bond expert Chris Alwine reviews what's happened in the muni market over the past year and emphasizes the importance of ignoring the daily headlines and keeping a long-term perspective.

Taxes, quality, risk: There are many factors to consider when building your portfolio. Vanguard fixed income experts Daniel Wallick and Chris Alwine describe the important role municipal bonds can play in a diverse investment strategy.

Vanguard investment experts Daniel Wallick and Chris Alwine discuss the challenges faced by these two entities, starting with the fact that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States while Detroit is a U.S. city.

Which is a better investment? There are pros and cons to each approach, but Vanguard bond experts Daniel Wallick and Chris Alwine emphasize that a bond fund can provide broad diversification and help cushion your portfolio against risk.

What is a municipal bond and how does it work? Vanguard investment expert Daniel Wallick provides a primer for muni bonds, including how they're issued and the tax advantages they can offer investors.

Unexpected economic or geopolitical problems can crop up anywhere around the world. Should investors try to avoid such trouble spots? In a short video, Chief Economist Joseph H. Davis, Ph.D., and Chief European Economist Peter Westaway, Ph.D., explain the importance of remaining broadly diversified.

Not all indexes are created the same and those differences often can be found in ETFs. Vanguard's Joel Dickson explains that ETFs often are the doorway into alternative indexing methods.

It can be difficult to keep your emotions in check during market gyrations, but research shows that steady nerves may reap financial benefits. Vanguard investment experts Chris Philips and Kahlilah Dowe say that a financial advisor can be an effective coach to help you make sound decisions.

You've worked hard to build your retirement savings, so you have decisions to make when you reach your goal. Vanguard investment expert Chris Philips says it can be cost-effective to remain in your 401(k) based on the rules of your retirement plan, and that rolling your assets over into an IRA also is a viable option.