ST. LOUIS, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

For thirty-five years Thomas Helbig, founder of the Retirement Advisory Group, has watched several trends in the retirement planning market come and go. But one thing has always remained consistent with all of his clients over the years, not one of them ever lost a dime in principal or gains as a result of following his advice. That is a statement not many financial advisors can make. Helbig, an Independent Advisor and Certified Senior Advisor, is a specialist in all aspects of retirement planning and has been educated so thoroughly in this niche market that he is one of the most knowledgeable authorities in the country. He is also an approved Financial Advisor through the National Ethics Bureau and has been named a Five Star Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager three years in a row in the St. Louis Magazine. This is an honor less than 7% of all Wealth Managers in his area have achieved.

Helbigs book, The Boomers Guide to a Worry-Free Retirement, has proved to be a valuable resource to retirees as well as professional financial advisors. With chapters like The Variable Annuity: Wall Streets Famous Lemon; Safety Meets Growth in a Fixed Index Annuity; and How to Turn Your IRA into a Family Legacy, Helbig has succinctly defined the real risk in securities and outlined a safer path with above average returns. Earlier this year Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and record-breaking shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, Ozzie Smith, joined Helbig at his book launch event attended by many of Helbigs clients. The book is now available through Amazon.

In addition to his role as an author, he is also a sought after speaker to audiences across the country at industry and public events. He was the keynote speaker at a conference attended by the top producers at Brokers International in Dallas, Texas. He has been featured in Newsweek, St. Louis Magazine, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch as being one of the leading retirement planning specialists in the country. Because of his expertise and significant contributions to his industry, he will soon be featured in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today as one of the countrys leading Trendsetters in the financial services and retirement planning world.

Learn More at http://retirementkey.com/about.html

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Retirement Planning Specialist Thomas Helbig is Educating America

NEW YORK, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Adult and Retirement Communities Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0152426/Global-Adult-and-Retirement-Communities-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Medical_F

The global outlook series on Adult and Retirement Communities provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. Illustrated with 56 fact-rich market data tables, the report offers an aerial view of adult and retirement industry, highlights latest market trends, and key market drivers. Regional markets briefly abstracted and covered include North America, United States, Canada, Japan, Europe (including Finland, Monaco, and UK), Asia-Pacific (including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan), Latin America (including Mexico), and Africa (including Morocco). The report offers a compilation of recent mergers, acquisitions, and strategic corporate developments. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory listing the addresses, and contact details of 206 companies worldwide.

1. OVERVIEW 1

Retirement Communities - An Introduction 1

Location & Design - Key Factors for Retirement Units 1

Lifestyle Demands - Vital for Retirement Community Setting 1

Geriatric Living Solutions - An Overview 2

Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) 2

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Global Adult and Retirement Communities Industry

Many baby boomers joke about working until they keel over because they can't afford to retire. That may not be the case, but boomers as a generation might need to work longer than they were planning to. Thomas Hardy, a finance professor at Cleary University and California Lutheran University's Institute of Finance, has some advice for anyone hoping to enter their golden years sooner rather than later.

Has the current economic situation changed retirement planning for baby boomers?

Clearly, the reduction in 401(k) balances and other retirement accounts coupled with the drop in housing prices has made it necessary for many baby boomers to delay retirement. Every extra year of working helps build up retirement account balances, delays the beginning of drawdown and reduces the amount that will be needed in retirement. So as unpleasant as it may be, (delaying) retirement may be the best and sometimes only way to handle the changed situation.

For retirees already on a fixed income, what have been the effects of the recession?

One effect of the recession is low interest rates, which reduces the interest income some retirees count on for living expenses. But while low interest rates decrease income, there is a silver lining. Rates tend to correlate with inflation, and the greatest risk for retirees already on a fixed income is higher prices, but the recession has kept inflation relatively benign. At the current anemic rate of economic recovery, it should be at least several more years before the threat of serious inflation revives.

How can an individual plan for retirement and determine the total amount he or she needs once retired?

The process of estimating needs for retirement requires making a series of carefully thought-out assumptions about savings, retirement age, longevity, lifestyle and long-term investment returns. Just about any Certified Financial Planner would be able to assist in estimating the amount one would need for retirement and put together a plan to reach that goal.

What significant impact has the economic meltdown had on investment plans such as 401(k)s?

As most everyone is aware, the stock market crash of 2008-2009 caused many 401(k) accounts to drop in value by 40 percent or more, but the most significant impact was on investor psychology. After the market crashed, many investors got out of equities and into low-risk, low-return investments and they missed the rebound growth that occurred from the market bottom. Over the very long term, the market has averaged a return of 7 (percent) to 10 percent per year, but the average investor in the market has obtained a return closer to 2 percent since investors often get out of the market after it has fallen to a bottom, and they stay out until the market has run up high again, getting back into the market in time for the next market crash.

Is there an ideal age retirement planning should be put first on the list of savings?

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Retirement sooner than never

According to a recent study by LIMRA, about half of the United States is not saving for retirement at all. The 49% who arent contributing to any retirement plan need an investment strategy and discipline to help them. Can exchange traded funds help?

The findings from this survey were disturbing, given that people will increasingly need to rely on their personal savings to make ends meet in retirement, Matthew Drinkwater, associate managing director at LIMRAs retirement research division said. [Adviser ETF Usage Rose 10% Last Year]

Whats more, people ages 18-34 are the least likely to save, with about 54% of the 2,697 U.S. citizens that were surveyed not contributing to a 401(k) or IRA, reports Blake Ellis for CNN Money. [An ETF Trend Following Plan for All Seasons]

In order to have the adequate savings necessary to meet their financial needs in retirement which could last 20 or more years it is critical that these individuals begin saving systematically early in their working years, Drinkwater said.

Furthermore, investors that did plan for retirement and have a portfolio arent that much better off these days. Investors that put capital into a broad-based large-cap benchmark like the Standard and Poor 500 to grow their retirement savings most likely have not seen their portfolios budge. [ETFs Face 401(k) Hurdles]

Nevertheless, a strict investment disciple is necessary for those that are going to get into the market. A strategy with a goal in mind can also help investors plan a portfolio. Resolve to stick to your discipline. One way to avoid pulling every last hair out of your head in frustration over the uncertainty is to have a plan and adhere to it no matter what.

Currently, Charles Schwab is working on a 401(k) retirement plan that is ETF-based. An all-ETF portfolio for retirement can be ideal, due to the low cost nature of the funds and the added transparency.

As of right now, most 401(k) investors can buy ETFs if their plan has a brokerage option. Around 38% of plans have this option, but only about 2.4% of investors participate in the choice, Jeanne Thompson, vice president of retirement insights at Fidelity mentioned. There is no time like the present to begin planning for the future.[ETFs Breaking into 401(k), 529 Savings Plans]

Tisha Guerrero contributed to this article.

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ETFs and Retirement: You’re Not Saving Enough

Want to terrify yourself, carefree 20-something? Divide 1million by 40 the number of years until retirement and youll see a nice round 25,000. Thats how much, in dollars, youd need to save each year if you were stuffing money under a mattress to save your $1million retirement nest egg. Thankfully, this is not how you save for retirement.

The calculation of I need $1 million dollars by 65, so Ill divide by 40 ... is dramatically off, said Antwone Harris, a certified financial planner with Charles Schwab in the District. Its not accounting for compounding interest or rates of return.

But those compounding interest rates mean one complicated thing: You must invest your savings as soon as possible. Why? According to Ameriprise Financial, waiting even one year can have dramatic effects. If you invest $5,000 every year beginning at age 30 instead of 31, you will have $109,000 in additional savings, assuming an 8percent compounded annual interest rate.

So how much should you invest? What will you need for retirement? And how important is it to start investing every spare penny you make in your 20s? Too many factors go into the calculation to generalize (and theres not enough space here to explain a complex mathematical formula), so we used CNN Money and Charles Schwab Moneywise retirement calculators to get ballpark figures of what you should be saving. Read. Weep. Then invest.

If youre 25

How much will I need to invest each year for retirement?

Low figure: Its assumed that youll need 80 percent of your pre-retirement income when you retire at 65. Lets say you make $50,000 a year. If youre 25 and have no savings, CNN Money says you should be saving $4,550 annually, adjusted for 2.5percent inflation. (This calculator assumes you will be receiving Social Security benefits. More good news: Some experts do not think Social Security will exist in 40years.)

High figure: Charles Schwab MoneyWise Calculator offers a higher figure. If youre 25 and plan to retire at 65 with 80 percent of your pre-retirement income, and expect to receive Social Security benefits, you need to save $6,900 annually.

How much will I need for retirement? CNN Money assumes you will need $1.9million ($572,283 in todays dollars) to retire at 65 years old, with a life expectancy of 85. Charles Schwab estimates you will need $1.8 millionin future dollars.

What should I save each paycheck? If youre paid every two weeks, you should save $175 to $275 each pay period to meet the estimated goal.

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Deal Hunter: Retirement savings shocker

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

American workers, shaken by the realities of the Great Recession, have adjusted their visions of retirement according to the 13th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey released today by the non-profit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (The Center). The Center surveyed more than 3,600 American workers and found that the majority of workers plan to work past age 65 (56 percent) and the majority (54 percent) plan to continue working after they retire. Despite workers demonstrated commitment to saving, just 39 percent believe they are building a sufficient nest egg, thereby underscoring the need to redefine retirement readiness in a way that is better suited to these new realities.

For the past few years, the annual Transamerica Retirement Survey has seen an emerging trend of workers who plan to work past age 65, including some workers who do not plan to retire. This years survey found that these expectations are prevalent to varying degrees among workers of all age ranges, not just older workers.

American workers are adjusting their expectations of retirement, including working past age 65 and planning to work part-time in retirement, said Catherine Collinson, president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. American workers have reshaped their vision of retirement, now its time to provide an updated roadmap to help them achieve retirement income to last throughout their lifetime.

Following careful analysis, The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies proposes the following definition of Retirement Readiness:

A state in which an individual is well-prepared for retirement, should it happen as planned or unexpectedly, and can continue generating adequate income to cover living expenses throughout his/her lifetime through retirement savings and investments, employer pension benefits, government benefits, and/or continuing to work in some manner while allowing for leisure time to enjoy life.

Plan for the Best, Prepare for the Unexpected

According to the survey, more than half of workers polled (57 percent) have a retirement strategy, including 12 percent who have a written plan and 45 percent who have a plan that is not written down. Of those with any form of strategy, only 15 percent have factored in contingency plans for retiring sooner than expected and/or savings shortfalls. Meanwhile, among all workers, many still leave their future retirements up to guesswork; when asked how they estimated their savings needs for retirement, 47 percent admitted to guessing.

The effects of the Great Recession have been reflected in workers changing expectations of retirement. Working past age 65 is an important opportunity to continue to earn income, save more, and help to alleviate a retirement savings shortfall; however, its more important than ever for workers to have a retirement strategy including contingency plans if they are forced to retire sooner than expected. The fact that so few workers have a backup plan is a scary reality that must be addressed, said Collinson. Lifes unforeseen circumstances, such as a job loss or health issues, can have a devastating impact on the best laid plans. The what if scenarios are mission critical for American workers of all age ranges to include in their long-term preparations.

A significant majority (84 percent) prefers a do-it-yourself decision-making style regarding saving and investing for retirement, including nearly half (49 percent) of workers who seek advice but make their own final decisions and 35 percent who do their own research and make their own decisions. Despite these decision making styles, most workers (70 percent) agree that they do not know as much as they should about retirement investing.

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Transamerica Study Shows American Workers Shifting Expectations of Retirement, Reveals Need to Redefine ‘Retirement ...

The average American will face a 28% income shortfall in retirement, according to a recent survey by Fidelity Investments. And that's just the broad percentage: In dollars-and-cents terms, Gen Xers will be scrambling to find an extra $1,700 a month to cover living expenses, while baby boomers will fall a whopping $2,100 a month short of what they need to maintain their current standards of living.

That may sound like an insurmountable problem, but don't throw in the towel. As Fidelity's Kathy Murphy says, "finding the money to fill the income gap is not unattainable."

But if you want to do so, "take action now -- and the sooner the better."

Read the story on DailyFinance here

Here are five relatively easy steps you can take -- some as soon as today -- that will help prevent an income deficiency when you do retire.

1. Boost Your Stock Exposure. If you're 40 or younger, adding a higher percentage of stocks to your portfolio with a lower allocation to bonds will allow your portfolio to grow more quickly than if you were in a "safer" allocation focused on a higher bond exposure.

Stocks have historically grown at roughly 10% a year, but even an allocation of 83% stocks and 17% bonds (as Fidelity hypothetically uses) could return 8.4% a year.

Unfortunately, if you're older than 40, a higher allocation to stocks is riskier and -- although it could help your portfolio grow more rapidly -- could have a detrimental effect on your investments if you retire during a bear market.

2. Save More. A Lot More.

Most Americans still don't participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans like 401(k)s. And this is a colossal mistake.

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A 5-Step Plan to Fill That Scary Retirement Income Gap

Not so long ago debt "was a four-letter word when spoken in the same breath as "retirement." Before waltzing into their golden years, older Americans paid off their loans, then celebrated by burning the mortgage.

How things have changed!

Now a third of folks 65 and older have a mortgage vs. 20% two decades ago, according to recent Census data. Median balance: $56,000.

Meanwhile, seniors 65 and up carry an average $10,235 on credit cards, think tank Demos reports.

The affluent are not immune, either. Among households headed by those 65 and up with incomes over $100,000, 25% have nonmortgage liabilities, says the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

You don't have to be totally debt-free before your golden years, to be sure. But financial planners caution that too much red ink, and the wrong kinds, can diminish your standard of living.

Make sure IOUs won't weigh you down by taking these steps before retirement:

See how you'd manage. Remember that your income is likely to decline once you leave the workforce.

"You don't want to go into retirement with more obligations than you can honor," says Gail Cunningham of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

So use T. Rowe Price's Retirement Income Planner to estimate what you'll get annually from pensions, Social Security, and investments. Then total up the monthly nut on mortgages, car loans, and other installment loans; add on what it would take per month to pay off your credit card in three years and your HELOC in five (you can use CNNMoney's debt-reduction planner to calculate both). Divide the sum by your projected monthly income.

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Don't Let Debt Weigh Down Your Retirement

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -05/16/12)- BMO Financial Group released a study today indicating that many Canadian homeowners are feeling the pinch of balancing mortgage responsibilities with saving for retirement.

The survey, conducted by Leger Marketing, found the following:

"Paying off your mortgage prior to entering retirement is very important, because it will eliminate a significant amount of debt and keep you from having to manage higher debt loads after you stop working," said Tina Di Vito, Head, BMO Retirement Institute. "When you are no longer receiving employment income, it makes it much harder to let go of large amounts of money."

While saving for retirement and paying off a mortgage can often become competing priorities, many experts recommend finding a balance between both but placing extra focus on paying off a mortgage first.

"If your retirement is only a few years away, it is wise to try and pay off your mortgage before you enter retirement," said Laura Parsons, Mortgage Expert, BMO Bank of Montreal. "On the other end of the spectrum, for younger Canadians entering homeownership, it's important to consider options that will ensure mortgage debt can be paid down faster and well before their retirement years."

Ms. Parsons added that choosing a shorter amortization and taking advantage of pre-payment privileges where possible is one way to achieve a mortgage-free retirement.

"If you're buying a home at the age of 30, the difference between paying off your mortgage at 55 instead of 60 can have a significant financial impact on your retirement picture," said Ms. Parsons.

Regionally, the survey revealed:

Trying to pay down your mortgage faster? BMO provides the following advice:

Choose a shorter amortization: Choose a mortgage with a shorter amortization, which allows you to build equity in your home. A shorter amortization will help you pay less in total interest, protect against the possibility of rising interest rates and help secure a debt-free retirement.

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Mortgage Debt Hindering Retirement Planning: BMO Study

The new rules for retirement

This isn't your daddy's retirement. And it's not for the faint of heart.

Do-it-yourself 401(k)s, IRAs and multiple-choice Medicare supplement plans have taken the place of the company pension plan, retiree health benefits and a gold watch.

And working into retirement -- in the form of a second (or third) career or part-time job -- is becoming the norm.

"It's a changing landscape," says Sara Rix, a senior strategic policy adviser with AARP.

But this evolution hasn't happened overnight, she says. "Some of the changes we're seeing began 20 to 25 years ago."

One major adjustment: People are working longer. In 1985, there was fewer than 1 in 5 65- to 69-year-olds in the workforce, Rix says. Today, it's almost 1 in 3 -- a 74 percent increase.

Some would-be retirees need the money, says Rix. Others enjoy their jobs and want to keep at it. And, for some, it can be a combination of the two.

Whether you're 25 or 75, you should know these seven things about retirement in the new millennium.

It's like one of those high school math brain-twisters: The amount you save times your compounded earnings, minus any investment losses and factoring for inflation, equals what standard of living at some (movable) future date?

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7 things you must know about the 'new retirement'