Zeno
Ancient
Retirement for me seems like a long way off, 20 yrs and a couple of months(I'll be just over 57) but I am trying to plan ahead. Luckily my work offers a pension...a convuluted formula of 3 highest earned years X a percent and X years of service so thats ok..not great money but not bad either. They also have a 401K(we call it Thrift Savings Plan--we can contribute 15%--I contribute 10%, they match the first 5%) but I just saw an article in Time magazine saying 401K's should go away for the benefit of the employees. Not sure what to think about that to be honest, my wife and I did lose a lot in the past few years but we hope the market bounces back eventually. I also have a money market Roth IRA but its only a year old and I max that out ($5000). Then I buy $300 of Savings Bonds every month...guaranteed not to lose money but it doesn't make a whole lot either(for instance a $50 bond I bought over 5 years ago has only made $12.12 so far).
I don't feel like I can count on Social Security as an option so I don't even include that in any retirement calculators I look at.
What does everyone else do? Any ideas of ways to better invest for the future? The first thing I'd change is the Savings Bonds, if I could invest that $300 a month in to something better I would...I've never really done any self investing, whether it be stocks or mutual funds or whatever so I am a little reluctant.
When I retire I want to be sure I don't have to worry about much.
I don't feel like I can count on Social Security as an option so I don't even include that in any retirement calculators I look at.
What does everyone else do? Any ideas of ways to better invest for the future? The first thing I'd change is the Savings Bonds, if I could invest that $300 a month in to something better I would...I've never really done any self investing, whether it be stocks or mutual funds or whatever so I am a little reluctant.
When I retire I want to be sure I don't have to worry about much.