Retirement Income Planning Resource Center^™

Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. It works on a global, national and local level to enhance care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Indexed Annuity Leadership Council was formed in 2011 with a commitment to providing complete and factual information about the use of indexed annuities as a part of any balanced financial plan. Its mission is to help educate consumers, the media, regulators and industry professionals about the benefits of fixed indexed annuities. Namely, that these products provide a source of guaranteed income, principal protection, and interest rate stability in retirement as well as balance to any long-term financial plan.

Kelley Blue Book is focused on providing the trusted information needed in the buying and selling of vehicles.

A Place for Mom was launched in 2000 in the U.S. to give seniors and their families an easier way to find senior care. A senior living referral service in Canada was introduced in 2014. The organization is dedicated to being a comprehensive senior living resource for anyone who is faced with finding the best senior living options for their loved ones.

AARP’s Caregiving Resource Center provides information, tools and tips for caregivers. Benefits and insurance, legal and money matters, caring for yourself, providing care, senior housing, end of life care, and grief and loss are addressed.

About Assisted Living is a comprehensive resource for individuals seeking information about assisted living facilities. It includes a state-and city-specific directory of available facilities.

CarePlanners offers caregiver advisors who help caregivers by providing tools, day-to-day support, and years of caregiving expertise to walk individuals through the essential steps of caregiving, providing a valuable go to resource when a crisis hits. The CarePlanners team represents the full-spectrum of healthcare expertise, including registered nurses, social workers, Medicare experts, insurance and billing specialists, and other healthcare advocates from all over the country.

Eldercare Locator is a nationwide public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging connecting older Americans and their caregivers with information on local support services. The goal is to provide users with the information and resources that will help older persons live independently and safely in their homes and communities for as long as possible.

Bankrate is the Web’s leading aggregator of financial rate information, offering an unparalleled depth and breadth of rate data and financial content. Bankrate continually surveys approximately 4,800 financial institutions in all 50 states in order to provide clear, objective, and unbiased rates to consumers. Its flagship Web site, Bankrate.com, provides free rate information to consumers on more than 300 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees.

Bankrate is the Web’s leading aggregator of financial rate information, offering an unparalleled depth and breadth of rate data and financial content. Bankrate continually surveys approximately 4,800 financial institutions in all 50 states in order to provide clear, objective, and unbiased rates to consumers.

Annual Credit Report is the official site to get your free annual credit reports. This right is guaranteed by Federal law. The site is maintained by Central Source, LLC. Central Source, LLC is sponsored by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion so you have a single site where you can ask for all three of your free credit reports.

Elder Justice Coalition was formally launched on February 10, 2003 to coincide with the introduction of the Elder Justice Act (S. 333). Its goals are to (a) increase public awareness of the tragedy of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation at the local state, and national levels; (b) increase awareness, support, and funding for the Elder Justice Act in the Senate and House of Representatives as a comprehensive approach to addressing elder justic issues; and (c) monitor and appropriately influence other relevant legislation and regulations that pertain to the prevention of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.

Nearly 10% of older adults experience some form of abuse on a monthly basis, yet most occurrences go unreported. The National Council for Aging Care provides resources for helping you identify, address, and prevent elder abuse.

A Shopper’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance was written by The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to help individuals understand long-term care and the insurance options that can help pay for long-term care services.

American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) is the national professional organization exclusively dedicated to promoting the importance of planning for long-term care needs. Founded in 1998, the Association is the nation’s leading independent, organization serving those who offer long-term care insurance and other planning solutions.

Genworth Cost of Long-Term Care Calculator enables you to determine the costs of long term care in each of the 50 states. Research shows that at least 70 percent of people over 65 will need long term care services and support at some point in their lifetime. Long term care can impact people and families in many different ways including finances, careers, lifestyles and state of mind.

Genworth Long Term Care Costs Annual Survey can help families evaluate options to address the increasing long term care costs. Genworth surveys long term care costs across the U.S. each year to help Americans appropriately plan for the potential cost of this type of care in their preferred location and setting. Research shows that at least 70 percent of people over 65 will need long term care services and support at some point in their lifetime. Long term care can impact people and families in many different ways including finances, careers, lifestyles and state of mind.

Life Care Funding was the first to pioneer the concept of converting a life insurance policy into a Long Term Care Benefit Plan. A Long Term Care Benefit Plan is the conversion of an in-force life insurance policy into a pre-funded, irrevocable Benefit Account. The Account is professionally administered and tax-free payments to a long term care provider are made monthly on behalf of the individual receiving care.

Taking Care of Tomorrow – A Consumer’s Guide to Long-Term Care is made available through the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) of the California Department of Aging. It was developed for people concerned about how to plan, provide, and pay for long-term care for themselves, a spouse, parent, or loved one. It contains information to help people make decisions now and in the years to come that will allow them to retain more control of their life if they need long-term care.

HSA Bank is one of the nation’s leading Health Savings Administrators, serving more than 550,000 accountholders with over 2 billion dollars in Health Savings Account assets. HSA Bank focuses on the administration, service and support of its Health Savings products

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer review, and coordinate their regulatory oversight. NAIC staff supports these efforts and represents the collective views of state regulators domestically and internationally. NAIC members, together with the central resources of the NAIC, form the national system of state-based insurance regulation in the U.S.

National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association (NOLHGA) is a voluntary association made up of the life and health insurance guaranty associations of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. State guaranty associations provide coverage (up to the limits spelled out by state law) for resident policyholders of insurers licensed to do business in their state. NOLHGA assists its member associations in quickly and cost-effectively providing coverage to policyholders in the event of a multi-state life or health insurer insolvency.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation of the securities industry. FINRA is not part of the government. It’s an independent, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to protect America’s investors by making sure the securities industry operates fairly and honestly.

FINRA Broker Check is part of FINRA’s ongoing efforts to help investors make informed choices about the FINRA-registered brokers and brokerage firms with which they may wish to do business, as well as to provide the public with access to information about formerly registered brokers who, although no longer in the securities industry in a registered capacity, may work in other investment-related industries or may seek to attain other positions of trust with potential investors and about whom investors may wish to learn relevant information. The information contained in the reports is collected through the securities industry’s registration and licensing process.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the primary overseer and regulator of the U.S. securities markets. Its mission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. The SEC oversees the key participants in the securities world, including securities exchanges, securities brokers and dealers, investment advisors, and mutual funds. Here the SEC is concerned primarily with promoting the disclosure of important market-related information, maintaining fair dealing, and protecting against fraud.

Medicare and You is the official U.S. government Medicare handbook. Some additional links include: Medicare Enrollment | Sign Up/Change Plans | Medicare Costs | What Medicare Covers | Drug Coverage (Part D) | Supplements and Other Insurance | Claims and Appeals | Forms, Help, and Resources

Bankrate Mortgage Calculator will show you how much your monthly payment will be. It can also show the effect of adding extra payments.

Bankrate Mortgage Rates is offered by Bankrate, the Web’s leading aggregator of financial rate information, offering an unparalleled depth and breadth of rate data and financial content. Bankrate continually surveys approximately 4,800 financial institutions in all 50 states in order to provide clear, objective, and unbiased rates to consumers.

Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving. Founded in 2001, it has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. In its quest to help donors, its team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. They’ve used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 7,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities.

GuideStar has a mission to revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving. It gathers and disseminates information about every single IRS-registered nonprofit organization. GuideStar provides as much information as they can about each nonprofit’s mission, legitimacy, impact, reputation, finances, programs, transparency, governance, and much more.

IRS Exempt Organizations Self Check is an on-line search tool that allows users to search for and select an exempt organization and check certain information about its federal tax status and filings. This includes organizations that (a) are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions, (b) have had their tax-exempt status automatically revoked under the law because they have not filed Form 990 series returns or notices annually as required for three consecutive years, and (c) have filed a Form 990-N (e-Postcard) annual electronic notice.

Renaissance is the nation’s largest independent provider of charitable planning and charitable trust administration. It works with financial advisors, attorneys, CPA’s, and other trusted associates to design a plan to maximize tax-advantaged wealth planning strategies. Renaissance uses powerful tools such as charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and private foundations to create strategies based on each client’s unique assets and needs.

Zillow is a home and real estate marketplace dedicated to helping homeowners, home buyers, sellers, renters, real estate agents, mortgage professionals, landlords and property managers find and share vital information about homes, real estate, mortgages and home improvement. Zillow is transforming the way consumers make home-related decisions and connect with professionals with its database of more than 110 million U.S. homes.

Bankrate Beneficiary Required Minimum Distribution Calculator can be used to determine your Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) as a beneficiary of a retirement account. When you are the beneficiary of a retirement plan, specific IRS rules regulate the minimum withdrawals you must take.

FINRA Required Minimum Distribution Calculator can be used to determine your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from a traditional 401(k) or IRA. In general, you must begin withdrawing money by April 1 of the year following the year that you turn 70½. In general, your age and account value determine the amount you must withdraw.

Bankrate publishes original and objective personal finance stories to help consumers make informed financial decisions. Its staff of award winning reporters and editors provides expert advice on just about every major financial decision facing its readers: from purchasing their first home, to selecting a new car, to saving for retirement.

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has been recognized by the New York Times as “…the nation’s leading center on retirement studies.” The Center’s research covers any issue affecting individuals’ income in retirement. Main areas covered are Social Security, state and local pensions, health/long-term care, financing retirement, and older workers.

CNBC Retirement provides daily coverage of a wide variety of timely retirement planning topics.

Cogent Retirement Reports are syndicated research studies produced by Market Strategies International. The reports are a cost-effective solution for firms seeking valuable market insight. They provide the perspective necessary to strengthen brands and products, by focusing on attitudes, behaviors and the most effective way to influence target audiences.

EBRI Annual Retirement Confidence Survey is the longest-running annual retirement survey of its kind in the nation. Sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), and Mathew Greenwald & Associates (Greenwald), the annual RCS is a random, nationally representative survey of 1,000 individuals age 25 and over. The survey contains a core set of questions that is asked annually, allowing key attitudes and self-reported behavior patterns to be tracked over time.

FEDweek is the most widely-circulated information resource in the federal government. For over 20 years FEDweek has helped federal and military employees and retirees get the most out of their careers and the federal benefits they have earned.

Fox Business Retirement provides excellent coverage of all things pertaining to retirement and retirement planning.

Gallup Retirement Surveys. Gallup delivers forward-thinking research, analytics, and advice to help leaders solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 75 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of the world’s constituents, employees, and customers than any other organization.

Huffington Post has a section dedicated entirely to articles related to retirement.

If you rely on life expectancy as the basis for all of your retirement planning decisions, there’s a 50% chance that you’re projected to outlive your assets.

MarketWatch Retirement features content focused exclusively on retirement. Retirement Income Center’s Bob Klein is also a columnist at MarketWatch.

NBC News Retirement provides daily coverage of stories relating to retirement.

The American College New York Life Center for Retirement Income was created to elevate the knowledge of financial service professionals in order to improve retirement security for Americans. The Center envisions changing the level of professionalism in the area of retirement income security by (a) making sure that more financial advisors understand the basic issues involved in retirement income planning, (b) teaching advisors the newest ideas coming out of the retirement income research, and (c) creating a larger community of credentialed advisors who have gone through a rigorous educational process (RICP®) suited to serve this market place.

Next Avenue Retirement Planning is part of Next Avenue which was created for individuals over the age of 50 who are in the Adult Part 2 life stage that lies somewhere between young adulthood and “old-old” adulthood. It’s designed to help people in this age group navigate the physical, health, work, and financial shifts that inevitably accompany this phase and apply their knowledge and experiences in a meaningful way.

RetireMentors is a section of MarketWatch.com that features insight, opinion and conversation from financial-services professionals who’ve been working to steer investors toward a comfortable and secure retirement. RetireMentors showcases financial advisers, 401(k) consultants and managers, researchers and analysts, and other industry veterans with down-in-the-trenches experience in all things retirement-related. Bob Klein is one of the contributing writers.

If you are a homeowner age 62 or older and have paid off your mortgage or paid down a considerable amount, and are currently living in the home, you may participate in FHA’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. The HECM is FHA’s reverse mortgage program that enables you to withdraw a portion of your home’s equity.

Since 2000, the HECM Advisors Group has been dedicated to providing truthful, relevant content and conversation about the HECM reverse mortgage to professionals serving people at or in retirement. Through its network, they provide critical expert analysis from professionals spanning various disciplines pertaining to retirees.

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) works closely with 300 member companies and over 2,000 individual members as well as with Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, bank regulatory agencies, and state legislatures to review and refine the reverse mortgage delivery process.

Reverse Mortgage Daily is the premier independent source for news, commentary, and analysis covering the reverse mortgage industry.

Treasury Direct is the first and only financial services website that lets you buy and redeem securities directly from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in paperless electronic form. You enjoy the flexibility of managing your savings portfolio online as your needs and financial circumstances change – all the time knowing your money is backed by the full faith of the U.S. government. Treasury Direct offers product information and research across the entire line of Treasury securities, from Series EE Savings Bonds to Treasury Notes. Treasury Direct accounts offer Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds, Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), and Series I and EE Savings Bonds in electronic form in one convenient account.

Yahoo! Finance provides financial news, data and commentary including stock quotes, press releases, financial reports, and original programming. It also offers some online tools for personal finance management.

Fidelity – How to Get the Most From Social Security explains when and how to take Social Security.

Laurence Kotlikoff’s Public Broadcasting Service Blog publishes articles each Monday addressing a wide range of issues about Social Security and answers questions about benefits. Mr. Kotlikoff is an economics professor at Boston University and developer of Maximize My Social Security, a fee-based Social Security calculator.

In the United States, Social Security is primarily the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) federal program. Important links include: Social Security Administration | Social Security Benefits Statement | Apply for Retirement Benefits | Retirement Planner

Great Places to Retire researched a top collection of 99+ towns and cities across the U.S. You can compare the cities using twenty quality of life characteristics, such as home price, air quality, water quality, medical care, taxes, climate and cost of living.

Huffington Post – Where to Retire considers some of the top spots for retirement, plus places to avoid.

MarketWatch – Retire Here, Not There surveys every state to find less-expensive alternatives to the best-known retirement destinations. For the more than 36 million Americans who will turn 65 in the coming decade, the best cities and towns for retirement can’t just be great places to live—they also have to offer great value.

Top Retirements is a directory for finding the best retirement communities, active adult communities, and places to retire. The site differentiates itself from other “Where to Retire” sites by featuring peer generated content in a Wikipedia-based format that encourages users to create and edit reviews of their communities.

Where to Retire Magazine is America’s foremost authority on retirement relocation. Where to Retire can help you find the ideal setting for a happy and fulfilling retirement.