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The article reports that retirees in the U.S. have decided to choose annuities to hedge their retirement portfolio. In 2022, sales of annuities rose by 22 percent to an estimated 310 billion U.S. dollars, according to LIMRA, an insurance industry trade group. Some of the popular annuities that consumers can consider include fixed-rate annuities, registered index-linked annuities and single-premium immediate annuities.

The article reports that Americans will see changes to rules governing retirement savings plans including ability to contribute Individual Retirement Accounts and mentions that the changes are supported by insurance companies and has consumer advocates.

The author discusses for older people invested in stocks, the performance of market in retirement can have effect on one's portfolio and mentions that one needs to sell shares to get the cash that one needs.

The article reports on closing of a retirement savings program that was created by former President Barack Obama for savings accounts to help more people put away money for retirement by the Treasury Department, and comments from treasurer Jovita Carranza about lack of demand of the program.

The article presents suggestions for consumers for shopping for financial advice and investments including fiduciary rule, immediate changes in current accounts or when opening new ones and application of rules to existing retirement investments.

JPMorgan Chase's giant trading loss began as an effort to manage the bank's risks -- a move that turned into something that now looks more like a speculative bet. But don't think this is solely a big-bank problem. Even small investors can run into trouble discerning the fine line between hedging and risk taking. Investors can try to limit their risks by holding down their stock exposure through diversified investments. But many people are still depending on the market's engine -- perhaps more than they might think -- to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in retirement, say, or pay for their children's college educations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So much of our financial lives requires regular maintenance -- whether it's updating who's going to inherit what, checking that you're not paying too much for car insurance or making sure your investments, particularly your retirements savings, are still working for you. As the markets ebb and flow, the mix of investments that you originally put into place will probably change shape over time. And if you let your portfolio roam free for too long, your long-term plan can be thrown off kilter. Your retirement savings could become too heavily invested in stocks, potentially magnifying your losses when the market takes its next dive. Or your savings could become too conservative, and that's a problem, too. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IMAGINE for a moment that your fairy godmother had appeared on Jan. 1, 2000. She told you that, over the coming decade, there would be two recessions, high unemployment and a major financial crisis that reverberated around the globe. With that guidance, would you have done anything differently with your retirement savings? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the latest jobs report provided some reason for tempered optimism, older Americans who find themselves unemployed are typically out of work much longer than their younger peers. And that can make the road to retirement much more challenging. So in this week's Your Money column, I took a look at some of the tricks that older Americans might use to tide them over financially until they find work or manage to eke their way to retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TAMPA, Fla. FRANCES AND JIM LANGERFELD know exactly how much they spent as newlyweds in August 1968. Rent for their house: $115. Groceries at Publix: $12.26. A suit for Mr. Langerfeld: $62.68. It is all meticulously detailed in an orange budgeting book that Mrs. Langerfeld pulled from her garage one recent evening. She kept several others, which offer a window into their family's financial life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

EVEN economic oracles would have trouble predicting their retirement needs with a high degree of precision. But most Americans face that task anyhow, without having the slightest idea about what the future holds. Using sophisticated calculators and other tools can help, but they're only as good as the assumptions you feed into them -- about future earnings, how your portfolio will perform over time, the inflation rate, your tax bracket and more. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many professionals are heading back to the classroom. Executives in ailing industries are trying to reposition themselves in more promising fields, while laid-off workers are strengthening their resumes with fresh skills. But how do you pay for tuition when your existing paycheck has been cut, or has disappeared? How much borrowing is too much? And is it ever smart to use your retirement money? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marcia Tillotson and Joy Kenefick aren't your typical drill sergeants. They run what they call a retirement boot camp, aimed at making sure their investment clients who are contemplating retirement know exactly what they're getting into. The exercise focuses primarily on finances -- after all, the two women are partners in a financial advisory practice that is part of Wells Fargo Advisors in Charlotte, N.C. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Target-date funds have come under fire in recent months for failing to shelter investors, especially those near retirement, from the market maelstrom. Many of the funds -- which are supposed to have an increasingly conservative investment mix as an investor reaches a retirement date -- failed investors last year. But so did a lot of broadly diversified portfolios carefully customized by financial planners. The market collapse spared no one (except for those heavily invested in Treasuries, of course). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]