Carnival of Retirement Planning ? Memory Edition | Money and Risk

Anytime under 60, planning for retirement seems to be useless and the issues seem far away.? Unfortunately, retirement planning is something that you need to start right at 21.? But take heart, it?s never too late to start.? You just need to make some adjustments in your lifestyle at retirement if you?re behind.

The nice thing about planning is that once you automate it, you won?t even notice any difference in your life.

Here?s one quick tip about making a choice between spending now and saving for retirement:?? Ask yourself:? Would I even remember this (purchase, activity, dinner, fad) next month or next year?? 99% of the time, the answer will be no.? It makes it much easier to pass on spending.

Here are the entries for this week that address various retirement planning issues from finance bloggers:

Kevin (guest writer) @ Free From Broke writes about options to build retirement funds for a stay at home spouse: ? What is a Spousal IRA and How Does It Work? ? It makes sense thinking that you have to work in order to contribute to an IRA, right? Well, if your spouse works and you don?t then you can take advantage of a spousal IRA.

Lorillia @ yourmoneymentor writes Why being too broke for bankruptcy was good for me! ? Why filing for bankruptcy should be the last option for eliminating debt.

Michael Kitces @ Nerd?s Eye View writes A New Way To Pay For Long-Term Care Insurance With Favorable Tax Treatment ? New rules under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 ? delayed to only take effect beginning in 2010 ? provided a new means for tax-favored LTC payments: by completing a 1035 exchange from an existing life or annuity policy into a long-term care policy. As a result, a partial 1035 exchange each year from a life or annuity policy, as the LTC insurance premium is due, is now available to gain more preferable tax treatment for funding LTC coverage.

Squirrelers @ Squirrelers writes Retirement Planning and Carefully Avoiding Mistakes ? When planning for retirement, there are some aspects that go unnoticed by many. This post covers mistakes that can be made in retirement planning, which are good to be aware of at any age.

Raj @ eMoneyLog writes How to Achieve Financial Freedom in Four Steps ? In this post I explore what ?Financial Freedom? means to various people and how one can go about to try to achieve it in a methodical manner which requires efforts but will help you achieve financial freedom.

Darrow Kirkpatrick @ Can I Retire Yet? writes A Guide to Retirement Health Care ? How Will YOU Get It? ? This is an abbreviated guide to getting health care for retirement, or early retirement. I explain the problem and discuss Medicare, COBRA, HIPAA, Individual Plans, and the new law. I also offer tips for getting coverage, and describe my personal experience. Along the way I include prices, so readers can estimate how much health coverage might cost them in retirement.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Basic Rule to Use Credit Cards and Avoid Debt ? Find out how to use credit cards and avoid debt all together. It can be summed up in one basic rule, but it often implies much more.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes How to Access Cash in a Hurry ? Your home is equipped with smoke detectors, and your car carries a spare tire in the trunk, but are you equipped for a financial emergency?

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes What to Do When an Investment Pays Out ? This Post was Originally published at What to Do When an Investment Pays Out on Start Investing Money

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes The Envelope System Works: Even on a 10 Year Old ? I?ve talked quite a bit about my frustration with my daughter and her lack of concern when it comes to money. She wouldn?t save money to save her life.

Jeffrey @ Money Spruce writes Setting Financial Goals 101 ? The following is a guest post The most fundamental step in setting financial goals is to gain control over your daily financial affairs by setting up and sticking to a budget. Thereafter, you will need to set longer-term financial goals. At this point, you will need to build a financial safety net to ensure financial independence.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Getting Screwed Out of Your Hard-Earned Capital: How CDs and GICs Are Rip-Offs for Long-term Investing ? Is there such a thing as a guaranteed rate of return? There seems to be a trend for people to flock to safety by buying certificates of deposit

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Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Should you buy Supplemental Unemployment Insurance ? Should you buy Supplemental Unemployment Insurance is a post from Broke Professionals; if you enjoy it, please visit us and subscribe to the Feed. Unemployment is one of life?s setbacks that can seriously damage a person?s financial security. It can happen to anyone, even you.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Would Seeing an Older Version of You Make You Save for Retirement? ? Would seeing an older version of yourself make you save more for retirement? I am not talking about a cartoon older version of yourself, instead a legitimate rendering using the same technology ?they? use to produce an older rendering of a missing child.

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes The 5 Commandments for Boosting Retirement Savings ? Here are a few surefire ways to make some minor changes that can result in large increases to your retirement savings.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes Keeping Up With The Joneses In The Digital Age ? As the internet has evolved and we truly enter the digital age as a society, the biggest enemy of our personal finances has been quietly growing stronger and stronger. No it?s not inflation. It?s not government taxes. It?s something much less obvious. It?s those pesky Joneses!

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes 6 Hidden Money Wasters ? We think of many ways to save but what most people don?t know is that many everyday things that they buy on a regular basis are money wasters.

MMD @ MyMoneyDesign writes Yes, People Still Fall for Pyramid Schemes ? Do people still fall for get-rich quick schemes? This group of people I came across in OH did. While traveling for business, I stumbled upon a meeting of people at a restaurant who were being given a sales pitch for something that clearly sounded like a pyramid scheme. Here is my story.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Do You have a Future as the Woman Who Lived in Her Shoes, or the Man Who Lived with His Tools? ? Thirty-Five year old Carrie Bradshaw had a stunning financial realization during an episode of Sex and the City.

Penny Thots @ Penny Thots writes How to Retire Early: You Need a Plan ? Being able to retire early won?t just happen; you need to have a plan in place to enable you to make it a reality. You can?t rely on government benefits or a pension either; it is generally agreed that these benefits will not be available as the population ages. Here are some ideas to help you put an early retirement plan into action.

Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes Buying Only Stocks That Pay Dividends ? I recently ran across a video at Kitco?s Video News page that featured an interview with Kevin O?Leary who is a Canadian entrepreneur who founded SoftKey, a software company that eventually acquired The Learning Company before selling out to Mattel. He made one very important point which I will share with you and which I am working on implementing: Never buy a stock that doesn?t pay a dividend!

Van Beek @ Stock Trend Investing writes Two Different Types of Stock Investing Software ? If you?re considering getting started trading stocks, you may be looking for something to help you with it. Many people look to stock investing software to help them manage their trading. This software comes in two different forms: Investment or portfolio management and Trading platforms. Some companies even try to integrate both. Here is what you need to know.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Secure Your Future by Developing Multiple Streams of Income ? If you are like most people, you work hard at your day job. Maybe you used to make what you considered a good salary, but now, with the economy, your income seems to be dwindling. Perhaps you haven?t gotten a raise in several years, or if you have gotten a raise, you simultaneously face an increase in health.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes How to Increase Net Worth ? As many of you know, several months ago, I challenged myself with several short-term financial goals. One of them, which I haven?t talked about too much is to increase my net worth by 50%. For those who don?t know, net worth is the difference between your assets and liabilities.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The Money Conversation for Couples ? I found this article at US News. It lists six topics related to money that you should have with your significant other before getting married.

KT @ Personal Finance Journey writes Can You Afford NOT to Save for Retirement? ? Saving for retirement can be difficult. With the recent increases in the cost of gas and groceries and other basics combined with a loss of income because of the economy (or a lack of raises over the last few years), saving for retirement can seem like a goal that is out of reach.

Dave @ Financial Conflict Coach writes How To Map Your Financial Relationships ? A Financial Relationship Map helps you create a current snapshot of where your money goes, where it comes from and how strong or weak these financial relationships are. It?s not about numbers- it?s about relationships.

Brent Pittman @ On Target Coaching writes Make a Will: Do It For Your Family ? Nearly 41% of Baby Boomers do not have a will in place. It?s time to show your family that you love them by making a will.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Tax Efficient Investing ? When it comes to investing for the long haul, it?s always important to consider taxes, as the capital gains minus taxes can be significant. The followers of Jack Bogle (otherwise known as Bogleheads) are also a big fan investing tax efficiently. Though their list is somewhat incomplete, I also believe this is an effective way to invest.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Why Bond Laddering is a Bad Idea ? If you are investing in the bond market you have probably had Bond Laddering recommended to you as a strategy. Here is why this is a bad idea.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Reader Story: It?s Never too Late to Start: Personal Finance Planning for Over-40s ? It turns out that over 40s can successfully plan for retirement; it?s just much better if you start earlier. I am proof that it?s never too late too start.

Kraig @ Young, Cheap Living writes How to Achieve Balance and Do What You Care About ? How well do your values and what you care about line up with what you actually spend your time and money on? My definition of life balance here is based on if you?re doing what?s important to you, or other things which are throwing your balance off.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Why Hobbies Save You Money ? Staying active and finding things that you enjoy can actually save you money. Find out how to define yourself not by the things you buy.

Jeff Rose @ Good Financial Cents writes Roth IRA Earnings Limit ? Make too much for a Roth IRA? Think again?.

YFS @ Your Finances Simplified writes 10 Common Characteristics of Millionaires You Can Follow ? Back in 2007, Forbes Magazine reported that all over the world there are a total of 946 billionaires, and according to Capegemini, a financial consultancy firm, in 2011 there are about 10 million millionaires. All of us probably have this dream of becoming millionaires ourselves, and sometimes we?re left wondering how these once ordinary people manage to make it big.

Boomer @ Boomer & Echo writes How To Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster ? When you pay off your mortgage faster, a big part of your household budget will become available to help you achieve your other financial goals.

TTMK @ Tie the Money Knot writes 6 Steps to Increase Your Savings ? Saving money is a prerequisite to be able to retire. This post explores steps to increase savings and get closer to financial freedom and ultimately retirement

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