Social Security benefits are probably going to be important to your financial security in retirement. But you need a realistic assessment of what they will -- and won't -- do for you. Unfortunately, many Americans either overestimate the financial help Social Security will provide or are too gloomy about the program's prospects. To better understand what you can actually expect, here are five key facts about Social Security you should [...]

How much income will you need in retirement? Here’s an eight-step plan for figuring that out. 1. Start with your current income. As an example, let’s assume you make $100,000 annually. 2. Assume some inflation. No one knows what inflation rates will be between now and your retirement. What we do know is that postage stamps cost 55 cents today. Twenty years ago they cost 34 cents. Thirty-three years ago [...]

A brisk walk around the block several times a week could do wonders to preserve a healthier mind - as well as body - as you age, a new study suggests. In a year-long study conducted by University of Texas, Southwestern, researchers found that middle aged and older Americans scored higher on cognitive tests and were less likely to report memory loss after getting into the habit of walking often.

Given the various ways in which retirement resources might be taxed, it is important to consider that the potential tax liability could account for a significant share of retirement assets, according to a new study. In fact, households in the aggregate will have to pay about 6% of their income in federal and state income taxes, but this liability can rise significantly for those in the top quintile of the [...]

For the last decade, Mark Gluck has been running brain health education programs at churches and senior centers in the Newark, N.J., area. Often, they focus on how exercise and memory are linked.He likes the people and the work. It is not only his passion, but also his profession. He is a Rutgers professor of neuroscience and public health and director of the Aging and Brain Health Alliance at Rutgers [...]

Even if you've already started saving for retirement, you might not know exactly what it takes to get there. And you're not alone. According to new data, there's a lot Americans don't know about retirement planning. Fidelity Investments surveyed over 1,200 American adults who had not yet retired but had at least one retirement account. The survey tested knowledge about retirement planning and saving, and found that Americans had some big blind [...]