How to Save for Retirement in the New Year

By Dan Caplinger | More Articles | Save For Later
January 4, 2014 | Comments (1)

The New Year has started, and among financial resolutions that many people are making, saving for retirement is among the most popular. But given how tough times have been lately, many people don't know how to take steps to boost their retirement savings.


In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, offers help on how to save better for retirement. Dan suggests first looking at your employer to see if you have access to a 401(k) or other retirement plan at work. Especially at companies that match your 401(k) contributions, it's essential to take advantage of what's essentially free money. Next, use IRAs to your maximum advantage, looking at Roth IRAs to see if the less stringent restrictions on withdrawing money and the potential for tax-free growth make them more attractive than traditional IRAs. Finally, Dan points to low-cost investments as a must-have for retirement portfolios, with individual stocks being attractive as well as low-cost ETFs like SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEMKT: SPY  ) , Vanguard Total Stock (NYSEMKT: VTI  ) , and various ETFs from Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW  ) . By following these simple rules, you can save more for retirement and meet all your financial goals.

How to invest for retirement
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Subject: My 3 favorite retirement stocks

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