- Understanding the Basics
- Introduction
- Now That You Have the Time... Will You Have the Money?
- How Sturdy Is Your Three-Legged Stool?
- Myths about Retirement Planning
- Big Picture Preview
- Basic Guidelines
- Get a Head Start on Your Retirement Today
- Retirement Action Steps
- Five or More Years from Retirement
- Two Years from Retirement
- Six Months or Less from Retirement
- Bridging the Retirement Insurance Gap
- Company-Sponsored Retiree Medical Coverage
- Medicare
- Long-Term Care Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Taking Inventory
- Your Social Security Benefits
- Will You Qualify for Social Security Retirement Benefits?
- When Can You Collect Full Social Security Retirement Benefits?
- How Much Will You Collect?
- What Can Your Spouse Expect to Receive?
- What If You Want to Receive Social Security Retirement Benefits Early?
- How Much Can You Earn without Reducing Your Benefits?
- What If You Postpone Collecting Your Benefits?
- How About Inflation and Social Security?
- Will Your Social Security Benefits be Taxable?
- Auditing Your Social Security Statement
- Discovering Your Retirement Lifestyle
- Fine-Tuning Your Investment Strategy
- Distributions from Your Retirement Plan
- Introduction
- What Initiates a Distribution?
- Five Dates You Should Know
- Selecting a Distribution Option
- Deciding on a Payout Option
- Annuity Form of Payout
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking an Annuity
- Taking a Lump-Sum Distribution: Know Your Options
- Annuity vs. Managing Your Own Retirement Assets
- Advantages and Disadvantages of a Lump-Sum Distribution
- The Roth IRA–How Does It Fit In?
- Making the Decision: Annuity or Lump-Sum?
- Taxation of Distribution Options
- Rollover into a Traditional IRA
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Rollover to a Traditional IRA
- Annuity Payouts
- Early Distributions
- Should You Defer Your Retirement Plan Distribution as Long as Possible?
- Distributions Following Death
- The Role of Your Home in Retirement
- Estate Planning Considerations
- Countdown to Retirement
- Glossary