Retirement is four problems, not one

Which accounts to build retirement savings in, where near-term cash belongs, how to compare senior care on the record, and what inheritance costs.

Building it

Two decisions, in this order: which account the money sits in, and what it is invested in once it is there. Most people spend their attention on the second, and the first is where the larger and more permanent difference is made. Our research covers the Roth versus traditional decision and where to open the IRA, brokerages for a first account, robo-advisors for anyone who would rather not choose, and what to hold once it is open: index funds, ETFs and mutual funds compared, and how to build a portfolio you can leave alone.

Making it last

The years either side of stopping work have the most moving parts. The mix shifts as the date approaches, money you will need within a few years should stop behaving like an investment, and the order accounts are drawn down in starts to matter as much as what is in them. See how the mix should change, where near-term cash belongs across savings, money market and CDs, current high-yield savings rates and CD rates, and how to find an advisor when the decision outgrows a guide.

Arranging care

The chapter families reach with no notice, usually after a fall or a hospital discharge, and the one where the least useful information is published. We built the comparison ourselves: every certified nursing home, home health agency and hospice in the country set against what inspectors actually found, how many hours of nursing each resident gets, and how far away it is. Start with planning for care before you need it, or go straight to the comparison at care.investingandretirement.com.

Passing it on

The part almost nobody plans and every family runs into. Two things do most of the damage: not knowing how inherited accounts are taxed, and not knowing what selling a parent's house does to the bill. See taxes and inheritance, and what borrowing against a house costs when selling is not the answer yet.

Run your own numbers

The retirement calculator shows whether the current savings rate reaches the income you want, and the compound interest calculator shows what a lump sum plus monthly contributions becomes over ten, twenty or thirty years. Both run entirely in your browser: nothing you type is saved or sent to us.