Question: My mother-in-law, who’s in her early 60s, was recently widowed. She now has Social Security and approximately 0,000 from a life insurance policy to live on. She’s not comfortable taking on much, if any, risk but she does need to generate income from the life insurance proceeds. Any recommendations for how she should invest [...]

The midterm elections are nine months away, but it’s not too early to begin handicapping them — from a dollars and cents vantage point, that is.
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Ira and Hope Moskowitz, both 44, have lived within a 10-mile radius of Philadelphia their whole lives. City kids, they met in junior high, got married in Philly in 1989, and settled in nearby Cherry Hill, N.J., where Hope manages a hair salon and Ira headed up software administration for a mortgage-servicing firm.
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Question: I’m 34 and have yet to begin saving for retirement. I’m considering participating in my company’s 401(k) plan, but I’m unsure whether to do so since my employer doesn’t match my contribution. What do you advise? –Nikia, New York, New York
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At times the market acts like the fool. Protecting yourself from its folly is simpler than you might think.
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You’ve probably heard that the restriction barring those earning more than 0,000 from converting a traditional IRA to a Roth will soon be history. This means that as of January, anyone with an IRA can create tax-free income in retirement.
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Want to give your teens and preteens a gift they’ll use long after they’ve outgrown Guitar Hero and Hannah Montana? Use the holiday shopping season to teach them some real-life budgeting skills they can apply now and throughout their lives. (Bonus: If you get them to stretch their own dollars, less has to come out [...]

Question: I’m 33 years old and seem to live paycheck to paycheck. I’ll be coming into ,000 soon, however, and I don’t want to blow it. What’s your advice on how I should invest this money once I have it? –Jay, Lowell, Mass.
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Consider this, if you have doubts about any lingering damage to your retirement savings from the financial crisis: Although stocks are up more than 60% since March, the 401(k) of a typical boomer at the same company for at least 10 years is still worth less than it was two years ago — even with [...]

Question: I’m 22 and want to get an early start on saving and investing for retirement, but I don’t know where to begin. How do I start a retirement plan? –Jacklyne S., Kileen, Texas
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