CHICAGO — This is a difficult time for anyone trying to build a portfolio of savings and investments capable of providing a financially secure retirement. According to the Center for Retirement Research, more than half of the Baby Boomer generation will not be financially prepared for retirement even if they work until age 65.
With corporate pension plans now largely just a memory, it’s up to individuals to design their own financial plans for retirement, and that calls for making some tough decisions.
I can’t remember a time when the economy has seemed more uncertain and fluid. Are interest rates for savings set to rise after a long period of stagnation, or will they continue to remain mired abysmally low? Is it time to start investing in the stock market again, or is it better to wait? How about real estate? Is this a good time to buy or sell a house? These and other questions about our economic future are never easy to answer, but they seem especially problematic in mid-2011.
