Mature Resources - Retirement Planning

Baby Boomer - Or Old Loser?

By Mikie Brown

They grew up in prosperous times and lived life to the hilt...but have baby boomers saved enough for retirement?

In the eighteen years between 1946 and 1964, over 78 million babies were born in the United States. World War II had been good for the American economy, pulling it out of the Great Depression for good. During the "fabulous 50s," unprecedented industrial growth provided steady employment and rising incomes. The four-child family became the ideal, along with a house in the suburbs, two cars in the driveway, and that wonderful new invention, the television, in the living room. One-income families were the norm-and for the middle class at least, one paycheck was enough to supply families with an increasing number of luxuries and new experiences. While many boomers have invested wisely for retirement, the majority have just not saved enough. There have been incredible social and economic changes since the 1950s, when boomers grew up with an innocent confidence that life could only get better. Unlike their fathers, who were likely to stay with one company and draw a sizable pension, many boomers have job-hopped-sometimes out of boredom or a desire to find work that would make them happy, and sometimes because of mergers, layoffs, outsourcing, and early-retirement buyouts.

Earning with Alternative Savings Accounts

By Caroline Perez

Because of the typically low interest rates that come with saving accounts, some people just consider them a safe place to store money, and not really money earning investments. There are actually many types of savings accounts to choose from, each with different pros and cons. While all saving accounts are considered conservative investments, you can earn quite a bit if play it smart: