Retirement

Three big 401(k) administrators are making it easier for workers with accounts of less than $5,000 to transfer the money to their new employers’ plans. Moving retirement savings when switching jobs is about to get easier for millions of workers with small balances. The changes aim to stem what retirement researchers call a “leakage” of

Higher interest rates made annuities more attractive in 2022. Better quality products are increasingly available, but consumers still need to read the fine print. In a kinder universe, retirees wouldn’t need to worry about market volatility or outliving their money. But 2022 was a nail-biter: Bonds plunged alongside stocks, and many people in or nearing

Angry protests over a plan to raise France’s retirement age pile uncertainty on small businesses, but most are siding with the demonstrators. Maxime Clausier stood inside the barricaded entrance of his butcher shop in central Paris and surveyed the swelling crowd of protesters outside his door. He had closed early Tuesday amid the latest demonstrations

New developments that integrate senior housing into age-diverse apartment buildings offer a more affordable alternative to isolated suburban retirement communities. Getting older comes with challenges. For the architect and designer Matthias Hollwich, one of the more taxing ones is something often taken for granted: moving. His point — that leaving behind friends, social connections and

Misconceptions about passive income abound, namely that it’s easy to earn. Luca Alboretti was enticed by the thought of making money in his sleep. He was looking to supplement his income as a real estate agent in 2018 when he created an online store selling golf products, an idea he had hatched after watching a

When you invest and where matters for taxes. But a few rules of thumb can stave off some nasty surprises, our columnist says. Tax planning is usually the least of my financial concerns. Most of the time, just making a living, paying the bills and salting away money in suitable investments are much bigger deals.

Hidekazu Yokoyama has spent three decades building a thriving logistics business on Japan’s snowy northern island of Hokkaido, an area that provides much of the country’s milk. Last year, he decided to give it all away. It was a radical solution for a problem that has become increasingly common in Japan, the world’s grayest society.

The Secure 2.0 Act provides for direct government contributions to retirement accounts for low- and moderate-income workers, though that won’t start until 2027. Gig economy workers lag behind those with traditional jobs in saving for retirement, but parts of a new federal law can help them catch up. Nontraditional workers — like contractors, freelancers and

A measure to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62 is expected to expose more people to age discrimination: “Companies in France won’t hire them.” During her 38-year career as a sales and marketing manager, Christine Jagueneau rarely thought about retirement. But when her job at a French industrial company was eliminated just before

Across East Asia, populations are graying faster than anywhere else in the world, and while younger generations shrink, older workers are often toiling well into their 70s and beyond. TOKYO — All Yoshihito Oonami wants to do is retire and give his worn body a rest. Instead, every morning at 1:30, Mr. Oonami, 73, wakes

The offspring of many East Asian immigrants are raised to support their elders in their later years. That gives a segment of Americans challenges others don’t face. A few months ago, I texted my mother to let her know that I had paid her electric bill (as I do every month), and that it was

Countries and companies are facing an aging crisis, and experts say policymakers and business leaders need to rethink how they deal with older workers. The long-life paradox Today’s 5-year-olds have it even better than you think. In the wealthiest nations, more than half of these tykes will live to at least 100, the Stanford Center

Several provisions in the spending bill outline new ways employers can help workers save for retirement. The federal spending package unveiled on Tuesday includes new provisions that would alter how millions of Americans save for retirement, including older people who want to stash away extra money before they stop working and those struggling under the

Want to transfer money from a 529 plan to a Roth I.R.A. or get an after-tax employee match in your Roth 401(k)? You may be in luck. The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that President Biden is expected to sign in the coming days includes dozens of changes to retirement plans. It makes it easier

Most employers allow you to take funds out of your retirement account, but the withdrawals come with significant downsides. Our columnist discusses other options. Hardship withdrawals from workplace retirement accounts are edging upward — another sign, along with rising credit card debt, that Americans have been feeling financial pain from inflation. “Their budgets are stretched

Younger investors who are navigating market volatility and trying to save for retirement are finding that roboadvisers lack the personal touch. Breana Jones started investing in 2014, building up her retirement savings and putting aside money to buy a house. “I have youth on my side,” said Ms. Jones, a 32-year-old Los Angeles resident and

Right-wing officials are attacking BlackRock for overstepping. Those on the left say the world’s biggest asset manager is not doing enough. It was a clarion call to chief executives everywhere. In 2018, Laurence D. Fink, the longtime chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, urged corporate leaders to assess the societal impact of

Automatically adjusted lifetime income is rare and worth protecting, our columnist says. The 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security isn’t just a big benefit increase. It’s priceless. You can’t buy inflation-protected lifetime income like that on the open market, not from an entity as solid as the United States government. “People don’t appreciate what

The moves at the nation’s largest newspaper publisher include a week of mandatory unpaid leave and voluntary buyouts. The chief executive of Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the country, announced widespread cost-cutting to its newsrooms on Wednesday, citing headwinds from the “deteriorating macroeconomic environment.” In a memo to the staff, Mike Reed, the chief

One reason: You pay for it. And, despite what many Americans believe, it’s “definitely a misconception” that it will run out before you retire, experts say. To most young people, few topics are as dull as Social Security. Or, as one 36-year-old friend put it to me recently, “I assume it won’t be around by