Retirement living: Here's what it costs to retire comfortably in every state

Article Excerpt: "...1. Alabama

• Est. total retirement spending: $894,461 (3rd least)

• Avg. cost of living: 13.6% less than avg. (3rd lowest)

• Avg. monthly homeownership cost for senior citizens: $357 (6th lowest)

• Pop. 65 and older: 17.0% (18th highest)

In Alabama, residents need an average of about $894,000 to live out their retirement years in relative comfort – below the national average of about $1.1 million. Retirees in Alabama need less retirement savings..."

Resource: www.usatoday.com

How to Increase Your FERS Annuity by 10% for Life

Article Excerpt: "... If you’re in FERS, you can actually lock in a 10% increase to your retirement annuity for the rest of your life..."

Resource: www.fedsmith.com

Retiring at 61 vs 62, FERS,

When retirement is more valuable than disability compensation

Article Excerpt: "... simulations found that, for those on Reduced FECA, FERS retirement benefits generally offered greater value if the employee had served more than 19 years as a federal employee without an injury. Meanwhile those on regular FECA saw only slightly greater FERS value once they had served 30 years or more..."

Resource: www.federaltimes.com

Forbes: The Best Places To Retire In 2020

Article Excerpt: "...Forbes compared more than 750 locales in America, measuring everything from housing costs and taxes to healthcare and air quality. These are the top 25 cities for retirees..."

Resource: www.forbes.com

Best Places To Retire In 2020,

How average are you and what does it matter?

Article Excerpt: "...According to the Congressional Research Service, the average person retiring under CSRS in FY 2108 got an annuity of $4,973 per month compared to $1,834 for FERS retirees. This is another reason those covered by the FERS plan must contribute to the TSP if they hope to match income in retirement..."

Resource: federalnewsnetwork.com

Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage?

Article Excerpt: "...If you’re carrying a home mortgage in the 3% or 4% range, accelerating your payments or retiring the loan entirely may offer a better return than letting cash sit around earning next to nothing--and the numbers can be even more attractive for paying down higher-rate debt on credit cards or student loans. Wait, retirees don’t typically have that kind of debt on their balance sheets, right? Not exactly: A rising number of older households are carrying significant debt..."

Resource: www.morningstar.com

Retirement, Mortgage,