#retirement-planning

#retirement-planning

A financial advisor is a professional who helps individuals and families manage their money and grow their wealth by offering guidance on a variety of financial topics. They help with investments, retirement planning, taxes, budgeting, insurance, and long-term financial goals. A good financial advisor assesses your current financial situation, helps you create a personalized strategy, and adjusts that plan as your life changes.

Given the inflationary forces at play in recent decades, achieving a seven-digit portfolio isn't what it once used to be. In fact, most personal finance experts recommend that baby boomers have, on average, around $900,000 saved for retirement in order to maintain most individual's lifestyles over the course of retirement. Of course, those planning some fancy vacations or spending money at a greater rate will need well over $1 million to fulfill these goals.

While Social Security benefits will help you fund your retirement, the fact that they replace only 40% of pre-retirement income means that, by themselves, they cannot provide you with a comfortable standard of living. Unless you're one of the small minority of workers who get a pension from your company, this means you must save enough to cover your costs and live the life you've hoped for in your later years.

In the world of financial names, Suze Orman is a titan, a giant, a familiar voice to millions of investors who want to know how to make the most money in the shortest time. Suze Orman has built her career on helping these very investors avoid unnecessary risks with their hard-earned money. It's not impossible to imagine that many people are skeptical of Orman's take on dividend investing and yet, in recent years, she has become one of this strategy's most vocal supporters.

Many investors in 2025 require dependable passive income, especially those nearing retirement, and one effective way to achieve this is to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike open-end mutual funds, ETFs trade on major exchanges like stocks. They own financial assets, including stocks, bonds, currencies, debt, futures contracts, and commodities such as gold bars.

Many financial experts recommend the 4% rule as a strategy for managing retirement savings. The rule says that if you withdraw 4% of your savings balance your first year of retirement and adjust future withdrawals to account for inflation, there's a very good chance your nest egg will last 30 years. This means that as long as you don't retire too early, there's a strong chance your money will never run out on you.

One of the most fundamental components of effective retirement planning is envisioning your future self the life you want and how you expect to fund it securely, said Caroline Feeney, global head of retirement and insurance at Prudential. This year's Pulse Survey makes clear that even across different economic and cultural contexts globally, one trend emerges: while many people feel ready, far fewer have taken action to ensure they're ready.

In May 2025 , Suze Orman predicted that the U.S. stock market will "absolutely skyrocket" through the remainder of the year and into early 2026. She urged long-term investors to stay invested rather than sell due to fear. Orman recommended building a broadly diversified portfolio by holding at least 25 to 50 individual stocks (or using index ETFs) to take advantage of growth. She specifically highlighted large-cap growth stocks and growth-oriented ETFs (e.g., SPYG, VUG) as likely to benefit in the near future.

Many Boomers in 2025 need dependable passive income, and one outstanding way to achieve this is to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike open-end mutual funds, ETFs trade on major exchanges like stocks. They own financial assets, including stocks, bonds, currencies, debt, futures contracts, and commodities such as gold bars. Having more passive income can help cover rising costs, such as mortgages, insurance, taxes, and other expenses.

Even small optimizations can become meaningful. Assuming a $5,000 initial investment and annual $5,000 contributions for 25 years, the difference in improving your IRR just 1% and going from 8% to 9% annual returns results in nearly $67,000 more in your retirement account. So it's worth spending a little extra time to make sure you're getting the most out of your Roth IRA by understanding all the various benefits and strategies.

Q: I worked in Ireland from the age of 19 until I was 33. I then went to England, and that was 21 years ago. I am now hoping to return home within the next 12 months or so. Assuming I will return to work and retire at the normal age, what kind of a state pension would I receive and how is it calculated?