How to Protect Your 401(k) From a Market Crash Before It Arrives
Protect your 401(k) from a market crash before it starts. The 2022 crash erased 21 years of one family's annual 401(k) savings.
Refinedfi
30 min read
Retirement Research & Investing Guides
457(b) vs 401(k): Can You Retire Seven Years Early?
Two people can save the same money and end up with the same portfolio balance. One retires at 52. One has to wait until 59½. The only difference is which account the money went into.
Refinedfi
23 min read
403(b) Retirement Plan: How One Fee Can Add 5½ Years of Additional Work
I used to sell 403(b) annuities to teachers, but not anymore. What I learned to do and what NOT to do could save you years off your retirement date.
Refinedfi
20 min read
The TSP Allocation That Could Save You Five Years of Work
Use 100% C Fund more than 10 years out, 70% C Fund and 30% G Fund inside 10, then let your retirement income gap set the final allocation.
Refinedfi
14 min read
What Is a Good Monthly Retirement Income for a Couple?
You can't pay for groceries with national averages. Start with what you spend now, subtract Social Security and your pension. That gap is your portfolio's.
Refinedfi
14 min read
Latest articles
How to Protect Your 401(k) From a Market Crash Before It Arrives
Protect your 401(k) from a market crash before it starts. The 2022 crash erased 21 years of one family's annual 401(k) savings.
30 min read
457(b) vs 401(k): Can You Retire Seven Years Early?
Two people can save the same money and end up with the same portfolio balance. One retires at 52. One has to wait until 59½. The only difference is which account the money went into.
23 min read
403(b) Retirement Plan: How One Fee Can Add 5½ Years of Additional Work
I used to sell 403(b) annuities to teachers, but not anymore. What I learned to do and what NOT to do could save you years off your retirement date.
20 min read
The TSP Allocation That Could Save You Five Years of Work
Use 100% C Fund more than 10 years out, 70% C Fund and 30% G Fund inside 10, then let your retirement income gap set the final allocation.
14 min read
What Is a Good Monthly Retirement Income for a Couple?
You can't pay for groceries with national averages. Start with what you spend now, subtract Social Security and your pension. That gap is your portfolio's.
14 min read
HSA After 65: The Medicare Landmine You Cannot Afford to Miss
Medicare can reach back six months and turn recent HSA deposits into excess contributions. Here's how to calculate your stop-contributing date before that happens.
16 min read
HSA vs FSA: One Builds Your Retirement, One Forfeits Your Money
Maxing your HSA instead of your FSA can pull your retirement date forward by four years. Here is the math.
15 min read
How to Catch Up on Retirement Savings Without Touching Your Paycheck
How to catch up on retirement savings without cutting your paycheck. Before you save more, retire later, or spend less, check whether your portfolio matches your retirement stage. It's the cheapest fix you have.
10 min read
Your 401(k) Portfolio: One Job, One Fund, and Where the Rest Belongs
A little of everything is not a portfolio. Here is the 401(k) allocation by stage, and what belongs elsewhere.
19 min read
Best Retirement Calculator: Why One Number Is Not Enough
Understand what a retirement calculator should do and use a five-tool framework that turns each answer into your next retirement decision.
16 min read
Target-Date Fund vs S&P 500: Which One Gets You There Sooner?
Target-date fund vs S&P 500, run on real returns. One of them took 4.5 to 5.6 years longer to get you to the same number.
13 min read
Best 401(k) Investments: Find The Index Fund Hiding On Your List
Your plan's fund list is a puzzle with one answer. Look for index, 500, or large cap blend, then check the fees. The cheapest fund is usually it.
20 min read
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