Finance
How to Use -- Contents
Slightly Creaky does extensive research to find the links you would most likely need and provides them for you in an easy-to-find format. You can access the various categories from any of our web pages using the top or side menus. Each category has generalized headings, followed by more specific ones.
Categories
Updated March 28, 2008
To simplify your research, we have several categories. Please scroll down, use the index link, or use your browser's "find" or "search" feature to get the the area you are seeking.
- Investing Your Assets
- Financial Planning
Quick Link: Living Trust
- Working After Retirement
Quick Link: AARP Working in Retirement Study
- Social Security
Quick Link: Understanding Social Security
- Tax Information
Quick Link: Tips for Seniors in Preparing Their Taxes
- Recognizing & Avoiding Scams (now on a new page)
Updates
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This listing is the result of more than 500 hours of research. It is the property of Slightly Creaky and may not be reproduced in any form. Every attempt has been made to provide an accurate description of each organization
Additional Information
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Commercial Sites
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Although you will find several commercial as well as non-profit site listed in this financial section. the folks at Slightly Creaky do not endorse or recommend any of them. They are here for informational purposes only.
Recommended Reading
Identity theft is becoming more common and can reach anyone, young or old, rich or poor. For a few good pointers to avoid this, read the article Identity Theft Your Worst Nightmare Coming True and visit our Recognizing & Avoiding Scams section
Investing Your Assets
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Investing Your Assets
| Ways to Fund Your Retirement | Your Thrift Savings Plan is the foundation of your retirement. Start contributing early, find out your risk tolerance, and set an asset allocation that matches your ability to take risk.Dont touch your retirement money; everything you take out will not be there for your later years .Consider Savings Bonds. There are many kinds, each with different benefits and risks. Mutual Funds can add a lot to your retirement. Look at the different kinds and what they can do for you. REITS and UITs are investments you can consider, and DriPs help you roll dividends back into investments.IRAs are another retirement investment, largely for people who don't have retirement plans at work. But you can supplement your work plan with them, too. There are many different kinds of IRAs. You can use more than one kind in your plan. |
| Seniors and Investing: Making the Most of Your Assets | "Eager to supplement Social Security or fixed retirement incomes, some seniors come to investing relatively late in life. But with the wealth of financial magazines and online investment Web sites available today, it's easier than ever to master the lexicon of the financial world." |
| Investing Your Retirement Account Money | You have an ownership interest in your retirement accounts. You will probably have investment choices with your thrift savings account, and you certainly have choices with your IRA account. Rely on your financial advisor to the extent that you are comfortable; but as the account owner, you will pay the price or benefit from whatever happens. Learn at least the basics:
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| Do You Really Need Help With Asset Allocation | "Asset allocation is the process of carving up your savings between different types of investments, such as US and foreign stocks, bonds, and real estate. Why would you want to do that, instead of putting all your savings into an S&P 500 index? Because modern portfolio theory has demonstrated that by combining different types of assets in your portfolio you can reduce the overall volatility of your investments for a given level of return, or raise the returns for a given level of volatility. In other words, building a portfolio of multiple asset types can lower your risk and boost your returns." |
| Allocate Your Assets | "Asset allocation is a strategy, advocated by modern portfolio theory, for maximizing gains while minimizing risks in your investment portfolio. Specifically, asset allocation means dividing your assets among different broad categories of investments, including stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents. " |
| Your Assets: Allocate and Diversify | From Wells Fargo. If you invested a third of your assets in stocks, a third in bonds, and a third in cash, your asset allocation would appear to be balanced. However, if you only own stocks, the equity portion of your portfolio would be overweighted in one industry, exposing you to market risk |
Financial Planning
Use Link to go directly to the Web site. In cases where there are many activities in a category the link will take you to a supplemental Slightly Creaky page.
Financial Planning
Quick Link: Living Trust
| Plan Your Retirement | From the SSA. A secure, comfortable retirement is every worker's dream. And now because we're living longer, healthier lives, we can expect to spend more time in retirement than our parents and grandparents did. Achieving the dream of a secure, comfortable retirement is much easier when you plan your finances. This planner provides detailed information about your Social Security retirement benefits under current law and points out things you may want to consider as you prepare for the future. |
| Financial Planning and Retirement | From the AARP. "Investing is when you use your savings to buy something you think will earn a decent amount of income and/or go up in value over time. The concept of "investing" is confusing to a lot of people, but it doesn't have to be. Investing is not the same as saving or trading. And setting goals is important to being a successful investor. Here are some thoughts on what investing is—and isn't." |
| An idiots introduction to assets and investing | "There are many ways to look at investments. Investments as related to finance include buying securities in the form of stocks or bonds. When buying stocks and bonds you can buy them in the form of common shares, mutual funds and exchange traded funds." |
| Choosing an Executor | "When drafting your will, one of the important choices you'll need to make is who will be the executor of your estate. Your executor can be just about anyone: a friend, a relative or a bank. But, we caution you to choose carefully. Your executor will make all of the crucial decisions for your estate—including overseeing the distribution of your assets." |
| Living Trusts: Do They Protect Your Assets From Creditors? | "Transfer your assets to a living trust and hide them from your creditors are the claims. Sorry, that's not the law." |
| Health Insurance - Is Some Better Than None? | "What should a person do if they don’t have any health insurance or if they have a choice between a cheap discount plan that does not cover core expenses and an affordable plan that may cost a bit more but also provides much better coverage? " |
| IRC 403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans | From the IRS. "A 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) plan is a retirement plan offered by public schools and certain tax-exempt organizations. An individual’s 403(b) annuity can be obtained only under an employer’s TSA plan. Generally, these annuities are funded by elective deferrals made under salary reduction agreements and nonelective employer contributions." |
| 401(k) Resource Guide | "The information contained on this site was designed and developed by agents of the IRS’ Employee Plans (EP) Office in partnership with the EP Customer Education and Outreach Office and the Office of Chief Counsel. These IRS employees have distilled years of experience working with retirement plans into the contents of this guide. They hope this guide will better prepare you for the retirement years of you and your employees." |
| Savings Bond Wizard | With the Savings Bond Wizard®, you can:
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| Mortgage & Financial Calculators | "This resource features over 100 different financial calculators. Through the left column you can quickly access all calculators (sorted by type). Below you can find the 20 most common mortgage calculators." |
| The Financial Planning Association | "The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) connects those who need, support and deliver financial planning. We believe that everyone is entitled to objective advice from a competent, ethical financial planner to make smart financial decisions. FPA members demonstrate and support a professional commitment to education and a client-centered financial planning process." |
Working After Retirement
Use Link to go directly to the Web site. In cases where there are many activities in a category the link will take you to a supplemental Slightly Creaky page.
Working After Retirement
Quick Link: AARP Working in Retirement Study
| Employment After Retirement | Ideas and suggestions for finding and getting a job after you retire. |
| Effect of the Earnings Test on Social Security Benefits | From the Social Security Administration |
| Life After Retirement | "Saving and planning for retirement takes up a significant portion of a person's life. Even after retirement, this process must continue in order to ensure continued financial security and freedom. For many individuals, the goal is not to retire in the traditional sense of the word, but to be free to enjoy their retirement years. In this article, we provide some financial tips for retirees." |
| Retirement Planning | From the IRS. A Q & A format covering employer sponsored retirement plans, 401(k) accounts, and lump-sum distributions |
| Working After Retirement | "Retirement is seen as a time to stop working and spend the rest of your life slowing down and enjoying the leisurely activities you didn’t always have time for while you were working. But maybe you have been considering working after you retire." |
| Working After Retirement: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality | From Pew Research. "More than three quarters of today's workers expect to work for pay even after they retire, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Of those who feel this way, most say it's because they'll want to, not because they'll have to.But whatever the motivation, these expectations are dramatically out of step with the experiences of people who are already retired – just 12% of whom are currently working for pay (either part or full time), according to the Pew survey, and just 27% of whom have ever worked for pay while in retirement." |
| The AARP Working in Retirement Study | "Although the age of 65 has customarily been associated with retirement, previous research has suggested that many workers who are approaching the customary retirement age plan to continue working well beyond the age of 65. AARP recently conducted a nationwide telephone survey of 2,001 workers between the ages of 50 and 70 years old to explore their vision of retirement and to better understand the types of jobs that workers who plan to work in retirement imagine holding and the types of jobs currently held by today's working retirees." Click on the "Full Report" link for the entire 151-page report. |
| Working part-time after you retire (in the UK) | "Reaching State Pension age doesn't mean you have to give up work - paid or voluntary. You can choose to keep on working while taking your State Pension entitlement, or delay your claim and get paid more later on. The government also offers schemes and incentives to help you find work." |
| Return to Work After Retirement | From Monster.com. "Donald Sayner considers himself lucky. At 69, he's working because he wants to, not because he needs to. For many older workers today, this isn't the case. Rising healthcare costs, inadequate financial planning and rising living expenses are a few of the many reasons why people are working longer." |
Social Security
Use Link to go directly to the Web site. In cases where there are many activities in a category the link will take you to a supplemental Slightly Creaky page.
Quicklink to Social Security Disability Section
Social Security
Quick Link: Understanding Social Security
| Official Social Security Online Site | "The Social Security Administration's mission is to advance the economic security of the nation’s people through compassionate and vigilant leadership in shaping and managing America's Social Security programs." From this site access all areas of the Social Security Administration |
| Diverse Perspectives on Social Security | "The Social Security program honors this country's obligations to all generations by protecting 156 million workers and their families, and by providing benefits to 47 million retirees, people with disabilities, widow(er)s, and children. The following represent the wide range of perspectives on how the program protects people from all walks of life - and the very damaging effects of carving private accounts out of Social Security." |
| Planning for Social Security | From the AARP. "Social Security is the largest source of income for older Americans. It will replace about 40 percent of your paycheck. How can you best plan for when you start to receive your Social Security benefits? Here are some factors to consider." |
| Marriage, Divorce and Name Changes | From the SSA. How to handle these situations and maintain your Social Security benefits. |
| Social Security 101 | From the AARP. Social Security is much more than a retirement program. It is a family income protection program that reflects the commitment of the country to the economic security of workers, retirees and their families. Social Security protects workers and their families during their working lives and through their retirement. It's the primary source of retirement income for most Americans. |
| Understanding Social Security | From AARP.
Social Security will be the foundation of your retirement income. That's because:
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| Choose a Benefit Calculator | From the SSA. "Use any of the calculators below to estimate your potential benefit amounts using different retirement dates and levels of future earnings. The calculators will show your retirement benefits as well as disability and survivor benefit amounts if you should become disabled or die." |
| Social Security Forms | From the SSA. If you would like an SSA form and do not see it on our web page, you can request a copy from us. You never have to pay for an SSA form. |
| Social Security Disability | Detailed information and articles about Social Security Disability: how to get, how to appeal a denial, who is qualified. |
| Benefits For People With Disabilities | From the SSA. "The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are the largest of several Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. While these two programs are different in many ways, both are administered by the Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program." |
| SS Disability Secrets | "Applying for social security disability and SSI benefits, with or without an advocate can be difficult due to how long a claim may take and the high chance of being denied. But those who are denied disability can win benefits by utilizing the appeals process. To increase the chances of winning, applicants should learn about the system and file an appeal when a claim is denied." |
| SS Disability F.A.Q. | "Because individual circumstances differ, you should not rely on any information here as being applicable to your given factual situation. You must not rely on any of the general information provided here as being specifically applicable to you. These pages are not intended to be a source of advertising, solicitation, or legal advice. As a result, you should not consider this information to be an invitation for an attorney-client relationship, you should not rely on information provided here as constituting legal advice, and you should always seek the advice of competent counsel in your own state." |
| Social Security Disability Secrets | "Written by a former disability claims examiner for the social security administration, this website provides answers to a number of disability benefit questions. In addition to providing answers to a wide array of questions, this site also provides tips for individuals seeking benefits, lists mistakes to avoid when filing or appealing for benefits, and explains how the social security disability system works in a plain-english, easy to understand fashion. " |
| Report a Death | From the SSA. "If you are getting benefits on your spouse's record when he or she dies, we will change your payments to survivors benefits. If you are getting benefits on your own record, you can apply for survivors benefits. Call or visit us to find out whether you can get more money as a widow or widower. Current benefits for children will automatically change to survivors benefits after the death is reported to us." |
| Social Security Death Index | "Search the Social Security Death Index by entering one or more fields in the form and clicking on the "submit" button. Keep in mind that the more fields you fill in, the more restricted your results will be (and you may even eliminate the record you are seeking)." |
Tax Information
Use Link to go directly to the Web site. In cases where there are many activities in a category the link will take you to a supplemental Slightly Creaky page.
Tax Information
Quick Link: Tips for Seniors in Preparing Their Taxes
| Tax Forms & Publications | From the IRS. Download or order forms and publications. Forms explained. |
| Free Tax Return Preparation For You by Volunteers | From the IRS. Puzzled by the tax law or which credits and deductions to take? Need assistance with your tax return?You may want to visit a volunteer site. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program or the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program offer free tax help if you qualify. |
| Frequently Asked Tax Questions And Answers | From the IRS. Links to hundreds of articles about taxes. |
| AARP Tax Guides | AARP's "Tax-Aide" page. Includes "Find a Tax-Aide site near you," "Where is my Refund," and online tax assistance. |
| Minimize Investment Taxes | From Wells Fargo. The first step to minimizing your taxes is to know what creates a taxable event. The following are some of the most common investment events and associated taxes. Because taxes are complicated, and tax laws change regularly, it's a good idea to seek the counsel of a tax professional. |
| Tips for Seniors in Preparing Their Taxes | From the IRS. "Current research indicates that individuals are likely to make errors when preparing their tax returns. The following tax tips were developed to help you avoid some of the common errors dealing with the standard deduction for seniors, the taxable amount of Social Security benefits, and the Credit for the Elderly and Disabled. In addition, you'll find links below to helpful publications as well as information on how to obtain free tax assistance." |
| Free Tax Preparation Help for Members of the Military | "If you, or your spouse, are a member of the military, you may be eligible to receive free assistance with the preparation and filing of your federal tax return. The U.S. Armed Forces participate in the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. The Armed Forces Tax Council oversees the operation of the military tax programs worldwide, and serves as the main conduit for outreach by the IRS to military personnel and their families. The AFTC consists of tax program coordinators for the Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard." |
| Tax Publications for Older Americans | From the IRS. Topics include Persons with Disabilities, Planning for Retirement?, and Tax Tips. |
| Moving Soon? Let the IRS Know | "If you changed your home or business address, notify the IRS to ensure that you receive any refunds or correspondence. While the IRS uses the Postal Service’s change of address files to update taxpayer addresses, notifying the IRS directly is still a good idea."- |
| Important Papers: Keep or Toss? | "Most records and papers are kept at home so they are easy to access when needed. Legal documents or papers hard to replace should be stored in a safe-deposit box." |
The obvious legal statement.
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