Savings

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New survey data, just released in the US, finds that it is a good time to be over 65 or younger than 30 – but not such a great time to be somewhere in the middle.

The New York Times today reported data from the Pew Research Center which finds that senior citizens have generally been protected from the effects of the recession in the US, as have younger adults.

“The most vivid finding to emerge from this survey is that older Americans — most of whom have already retired and downsized their lifestyles — have been far better insulated from the current storm than those who need to worry about keeping their jobs and building up diminished retirement accounts,” write Rich Morin and Paul Taylor of Pew Research in their report “Not your Grandfather’s Recession – Literally.”

This finding holds true in Canada, as well. Recently-released consumer data from ad agency Bensimon Byrne (in their quarterly Consumerology report) show that while a national “culture of thrift” has emerged for Canadians, Read the rest of this entry »

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You probably already know that the shelf at your local bookstore has a whole section on retirement, and most of the books have titles like “The Retirement Time Bomb” and “Smart Women Finish Rich“.

Those titles are meant to be motivational, but they might only motivate you to avert your eyes when you walk past that section of the bookstore, thinking if you aren’t among the “smart women” who “finish rich,” you will…get blown up by a Retirement Time Bomb?

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whats-your-number-300pxwhats-your-numberThis is the question that has been floating around me, in the air, over the last few months. People ask me this question, they tell me they lie awake contemplating it, and they want to know if I know the answer: how much money do they need to save for retirement?

What is the exact number of dollars they need to have socked away in retirement savings accounts to fund a post-work life that works?

A life that includes some luxuries, some long-hoped-for travel or the freedom to immerse themselves in a favourite hobby, while ensuring the kids (if there are kids) are fed and educated and Read the rest of this entry »

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I’m at home today; making applesauce, doing laundry, preparing a client’s tax return, and working through my own family’s tax returns. And thinking, as I work, about work: about the paid kind, and the unpaid kind, and how my life is balanced between these two.

Sometimes I feel as though I have “the best of both worlds” – because I am married, and because my husband has been the primary income-earner in our household in the years since our children were born, my family’s economic well-being does not teeter dangerously out of whack if I don’t Read the rest of this entry »

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A version of this article was originally published in the February 2009 edition of Canadian MoneySaver magazine.

Families face many demands on their financial resources: planning for the future, families often encounter concerns about how they will pay down mortgages, establish retirement savings and save for their children’s future educational requirements.

Today we’ll focus on saving for education - helping you sort out what are the best strategies for your family!

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