Retire with MONEY

Do This With Your Tax Refund and You Could Have $127,000 in 20 Years by Alix Langone Seeing your tax refund hit your bank account is a moment when you feel like you have a little extra money to burn thanks to Uncle Sam. Even though it’s tempting to spend your refund check, treating yourself to a vacation or a shopping spree — or even something more practical like paying down debt — there’s only one option that will actually make you more money: Investing it.

This is the Age When Most People Claim Social Security — and When Experts Say You Really Should by Elizabeth O'Brien When it comes to claiming Social Security, the early bird gets a smaller worm. And many retirees fall into this category, claiming early and locking themselves into lower monthly benefits for life. The most popular age for claiming Social Security is also the earliest age at which you’re eligible for (non-disability) benefits: 62.

3 Mistakes That Are Costing You Tons of Money at the Grocery Store, According to a Budget Food Blogger by Allana Akhtar Beth Moncel counts every penny she spends on her meals. The chef behind the food blog Budget Bytes has created hundreds of recipes, going above and beyond to calculate the cost to produce each meal — down to the last cent. Broccoli cheddar tots? Those cost $3.22. Her taco bowls come in at $1.72 (made with exactly 3 cents worth of salt and pepper).

Suspected Elder Abuse Claims Quadrupled in 4 Years — Here's What to Know and How to Protect Your Loved Ones by Alix Langone Older Americans are at risk for losing more money than ever, thanks to a rise in financial exploitation targeting the elderly. Financial scams and other crimes singling out older Americans quadrupled from 2013 to 2017 and involved more than $6 billion in fraud, according to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

This Man Wants to Retire in a Holiday Inn. Here’s Why That’s a Terrible Idea by Elizabeth O'Brien As a retirement plan, it sounds pretty irresistible: “No nursing home for us. We’ll be checking into a Holiday Inn!” A Texas man posted this vision for his golden years on Facebook, and the Internet agreed it sounded pretty sweet. Who wouldn’t want to pay $59.

This Common 401(k) Oversight Could Cost You Big Time in Retirement by Alix Langone When it comes to Americans and their 401(k)s, too many workers are abiding by the mantra “set it and forget it.” But if you don’t increase your contribution every year, you’ll miss out on thousands in savings — and potentially compromise your financial security in retirement.

Meet the Record-Setting Olympian Who's Now a Certified Financial Planner for Broke Millennials by Elizabeth O'Brien Lauryn Williams had plenty of wins during her athletic career. She became the first American woman to earn a medal at both the summer and winter Olympic games, scoring a gold medal in the 4X100-meter relay in London in 2012 and a silver in the two-woman bobsled in Sochi two years later.

List Your House During This Month and It Could Sell for $1,600 More by Shaina Mishkin Any homeowner knows a new coat of paint and a well-manicured lawn can make a difference when it comes to selling your home — but so can the time of year. Across the U.S., homes that hit the market in the first half of May generally sell for $1,600 more than the average $226,500, according to a new analysis by real estate listing company Zillow.

We Traded Our Home for a $50,000 RV in Retirement — and We've Never Been Happier by Paul Schrodt Living on the road isn’t everyone’s dream, but for a surprising number of Americans, it has become an idyllic, affordable way to cruise into their golden years. For Al and Greta Boldt, a nomadic retirement has brought them solace. “One of my objectives is to always be somewhere I’d be comfortable in shorts and sandals,” says Al, 69.

How to Simplify Your Investments and Boost Returns by Sergei Klebnikov Investing can often seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, when it comes to managing your portfolio, a streamlined approach with few funds and fewer accounts can help you make the most out of your money – and could even boost your returns, according Morningstar Director of Personal Finance Christine Benz.

This Woman Is a Master at Making Money From Gig Economy Apps — and Wants to Teach You Too by Julia Glum Kaylania Chapman spends upwards of 25 hours a week alone in her Ford Focus, but she always has an audience. That’s because she’s constantly filming for The Blessed Driver, a YouTube channel where she chronicles her adventures driving for apps like Uber and Postmates.

Here’s How to Save $1 Million by 65 No Matter How Old You Are Now by Alix Langone Right now is a good time to start saving for retirement if you want to be able to brag about your millionaire status to your Pickleball partner down the line. Becoming a millionaire is something many people aspire to, but — unless you hit the jackpot or sign with a major sports franchise — you have to start saving much earlier than you might think to achieve that financial goal.

Why You Should NEVER Tell Starbucks Your Birthday, According to a Cybersecurity Expert by Kristen Bahler We’ve gotten a lot better, collectively speaking, at protecting our identities. Online registration forms now require strong, hacker-proof passwords. Vigilant IT teams have trained us to avoid the phishing scams lurking in our inboxes. And it’s been a REALLY long time since grandma tried to wire cash to a Nigerian prince. But massive data breaches are only getting worse.

The Founder of Girls Who Code Says You Should Send at Least One Professional Email With a Typo. Here's Why by Alix Langone Women: Send an email with a typo in it. Do it. Right now. Sounds crazy, right? Not as crazy as you may think, says Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the number of girls in computer science and tech.

Here's What Professional Athletes Can Teach Us All About Preparing for Retirement by Alix Langone By the time he was playing his second year in the NFL, Andrew Hawkins was surrounded by Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys. He decided it was time to buy himself a nice car. Nothing too flashy, though, maybe a Mercedes or an Audi. Whatever it was would be an upgrade from the used 2005 Chevy Impala he bought in college.