Retire with MONEY

My Teenage Dream Was to Live on a Boat. Now I’m Doing Just That — and Will Make Money in Retirement by Elizabeth O'Brien Gary Baker was sorting through memorabilia in the basement of his Ann Arbor, Mich., home about two years ago when he stumbled upon a bucket-list he wrote when he was a young teen. Now 64, Baker didn’t recall making the list a half-century earlier, and he and couldn’t believe what he wrote first: “Living on a boat.

Spirit Airlines Is Actually…Good?! Here’s Why the Budget Carrier Deserves a Second Look by Shaina Mishkin If you’ve counted Spirit out as an affordable airline, now might be the time to reconsider. The budget airline was the most-improved carrier in MONEY’s Best in Travel ranking this year — thanks, in large part, to notable improvements in reliability between 2017 and 2018.

This $3 Trader Joe’s Item Transformed My Weeknight Dinners by Paul Schrodt Cooking for one can be a surprisingly fraught and expensive experience. Recipes are typically written — and supermarket ingredients are packed — for multiple servings. If you’re living and eating alone, you can end up with a glut of leftovers, or, worse, eating more than you should. You might also spend all that money and energy on the process, only to wonder why you didn’t just order takeout.

Nervous About Stocks? There Are Great Opportunities in the Bond Market, According to Experts. Here's Where to Look by Ryan Derousseau Fixed-income investors are starting to see bond market opportunities after years of enduring ultra-low interest rates. But amid increasing uncertainty about the strength of the U.S. economy, you need to be careful. After raising short-term interest rates four times in 2018, to a high-end target of 2.

The Biggest Reason You Should NEVER Use Your 401(k) to Pay Off Debt by Alix Langone Bankruptcy among older Americans is on the rise, and some of those who ultimately file sacrifice their retirement savings in the process. This is a mistake, experts say, because funds in your 401(k) are protected in bankruptcy by federal law. So even if most of your assets are seized to repay your creditors, your retirement account is considered exempt and can’t be touched.

7 Things You Should NEVER Buy at Costco, According to a Shopping Expert By Gina Zakaria Costco can be an amazing savings tool in your arsenal. But you may be putting items in your cart that are costing you much more than you think. As a frugal living and budget blogger at The Frugal Convert, my mission is to find the lowest prices possible for the most common staple items so you save money on your grocery bill.

Filing for a Tax Extension Takes Less Than 10 Minutes. Here's How To Do It for 2019 by Alix Langone As the saying goes, there are only two things in life that are certain: Death and taxes. So if you know you have to file your taxes, you probably know they’re due April 15th. But there are exceptions to every rule — even when it come to Uncle Sam. If you can’t file your taxes by Monday, you can receive a six month extension from the government.

53% of Americans Want to Live to Be 100 but Are Anxious About Paying for a Long Retirement. Here’s One Solution That Could Help by Alix Langone Americans are optimistic about how long they’re going to live — so optimistic, in fact, that more than half hope they’ll live long enough to blow out 100 candles. Some 53% of Americans say their goal is to live to 100-years-old, according to a new survey by AIG Life & Retirement.

When Banks Pay Colleges to Market Their Debit Cards, Students Pay Millions More in Fees by Kaitlin Mulhere College students paid more than $24 million dollars in overdraft, ATM, and other bank fees last year—and a majority of those penalties stem from accounts marketed to students as part of a paid agreement between colleges and the bank offering the account.

Here's the Shocking Amount a Couple Retiring Today Will Spend on Health Care by Elizabeth O'Brien The average couple retiring in 2019 at age 65 will need $285,000 to cover health care and medical costs in retirement, according to an annual estimate by Fidelity, released last week. For single retirees, the estimate is $150,000 for women and $135,000 for men, according to Fidelity. (These are estimates for today’s 65 year olds — barring major changes to the U.S.

There's Still Time to Make This Smart Move to Lower Your Taxes AND Boost Your Retirement by Alix Langone Tax season is upon us, which means many Americans are seeing some extra money in the bank. If you haven’t filed yet, you could get even more cash back from Uncle Sam (or a reduced tax bill, if you owe) if you make a contribution to a traditional IRA by the April 15th deadline to file your 2018 taxes.

70-Year-Old Gloria Gaynor Has A Roommate, And She Says More Older Americans Should Do It Too by Alix Langone Gloria Gaynor may have recorded dozens of singles and sung one of the most recognizable songs of all time, but she still has a roommate. When a friend going through divorce needed a place to stay, the “I Will Survive” singer, who is 70, invited her to move into Gaynor’s four-bedroom home in Somerset County, N.J., while she sorted out a newly single life. She never left.

A $2 Million Scam by a Former Vanguard Supervisor Is Scaring Investors. Here’s How to Protect Yourself — and Your Elderly Relatives Too by Sergei Klebnikov Most people don’t expect to ever become victims of financial fraud. But as one recent case at investment giant Vanguard shows, it can sometimes happen even to customers of the biggest, most-reputable organizations.

Your Old 401(k)s Could Be Costing You Thousands. Here's When and How to Consolidate by Elizabeth O'Brien Americans hold an average of 12 different jobs by age 50. Even if you don’t have access to a retirement account at every one, you’ve still probably accumulated your share of 401(k)s over the course of your working life.

“It’s Really a Good Life.” This Retired Couple Has Been on at Least 100 Cruises. Here’s How They Budget for Their Adventures by Mali Schantz-Feld Judy and James Franklin have discovered how to happily navigate the ebb and flow of life — through 56 years of marriage, in sickness and in health, this retired couple has sailed on approximately 100 cruises.