Saving for retirement in rocky economic times

The last few years have been tough on retirement savings. Finding and keeping a job has been a challenge for many. Those who were laid off had to dip into their 401K plans just to survive. Home values — which often served as the backbone of a retirement plan – have plunged in value. Low interest rates, market volatility, and rising health care costs make saving for retirement even more complicated. A survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that 56% of workers have saved less than $25,000, according to USA Today. “People are frightened, confused and scared about their prospects for retirement in today’s economy amid changing rules” said Valerie Coleman Morris, a former CNN financial journalist. “In order to plan for tomorrow, you must understand your options for today.” Morris and Mary Beth Frankin, a contributing editor at InvestmentNews, will be discussing how to plan for retirement at an all-day seminar on Friday, April 27. Financing the New Retirement: A One Day Seminar for Changing Economic Times, is being sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a continuing education program for people over 55. Situated at UC Berkeley, OLLI  offers courses, lectures, special events year-round for older […]