Labor Department tightens blackout rules for 401(k) plans
Beginning next year, participants in 401(k) plans will receive 30 days' notice prior to "blackout" periods that prevent employee access during administrative changes.
( By Chris O'Malley, The Indianapolis Star, 10/22/2002 01:47 PM PDT)

Investors look to add real estate to 401(k)s
Low interest rates and a tumbling stock market have persuaded some investors to add real estate assets to their portfolio. Responding to employee demand, more companies are offering a real estate fund option in their 401(k) plans. About 8.6 percent of all companies now offer a real estate option, up from about 6.3 percent a year ago, according to the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America.
( By Tim Lemke, The Washington Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, 10/22/2002 08:03 AM PDT)

Asking yourself the right question
John Nash, the character in the movie "A Brilliant Mind," was a Nobel Prize winner in 1994 for his experiments in game theory: the process of making mathematically rational decisions based on calculations of probability.
( By STEVE BUTLER, Columnist , 10/21/2002 09:52 AM PDT)

Deferring retirement a few months could pay off
If you've been putting off the retirement you've been planning for decades, it might pay to wait just a little longer if you have an old-style pension fund.
( By Julie Claire Diop, NEWSDAY, 10/14/2002 09:41 AM PDT)

Online retirement planning tools more sophisticated, valuable now
Can you go online and truly plan your retirement? No, not every single detail. But you will find some very helpful tools that allow you to outline your financial future, whether you plan on retiring 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
( BY HARRIET JOHNSON BRACKEY, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 10/14/2002 09:27 AM PDT)

Private retirement plans decline
Fewer workers participated in retirement plans last year as the weakened economy led more private employers to scale back benefits.
( 10/08/2002 08:05 AM PDT)

Reverse mortgages gaining in popularity
Baby boomers aren't the only ones jumping on record low mortgage rates and high home values to finance their dreams. Older homeowners dreaming of ways to stay in a home and draw on its value for living expenses, health care or home improvements are also getting in on the action, according to a national group of lenders that make what are known as reverse mortgages.
( By SANDRA FLEISHMAN, Washington Post, 10/07/2002 10:59 AM PDT)

Don't let bad news deter you
Bunker Hunt of Texas lost several billion dollars when, with his brother, he tried to corner the silver market back in the 1970s. At the time, he told reporters, "A billion dollars isn't what it used to be." Some of us have seen a lot of money evaporate from our retirement plans over the past two years, but we need to remember that these losses haven't exactly been our hard-earned dollars.
( By STEVE BUTLER, Columnist, 10/07/2002 10:55 AM PDT)

Retirees need open mind on Social Security
A recent letter objecting to a column advocating personal Social Security accounts was a perfect example of why privatization is needed to protect younger Americans' stake in the system.
( By JERRY HEASTER, Columnist, 10/06/2002 09:07 AM PDT)