Highlights of the July 11, 2005 Issue of FORTUNE
SPECIAL INVESTOR'S ISSUE: RETIRE RICH 2005
You're on Your Own (And That's Okay), by Justin Fox, page 18
Retirement is changing, and what worked for earlier generations—corporate pensions and social security—may not work for future generations. "You have to pilot your own ship, find your own safe harbor," says FORTUNE editor-at-large Justin Fox. "But getting there will require saving, planning, thinking, taking risks, and possibly continuing to work past retirement age." FORTUNE's annual Retirement Guide offers advice on how to pull this off, with straightforward stock market advice; a seemingly audacious proposal for cashing in on the real estate boom; a portfolio of overseas retirement locales; a guide to do-it-yourself IRAs; an outline of the biggest risks to your retirement security; and a profile of guru Ken Dychtwald.
The FORTUNE 40: The Best Stocks to Buy Now, by David Stires, page 24
FORTUNE's annual portfolio of top picks has been given an overhaul. The original methodology identified stocks with strong year-ahead appeal, but not all of them were solid long-term holdings, with the result that each year's list had a different batch of stocks. So the methodology has been altered, allowing the list to have appeal well beyond the next 12 months. To pick the stocks, FORTUNE studied the strategies of some of the world's greatest investors and market scholars, and selected five whose techniques could be replicated using professional-caliber stock screens. The mix of approaches led to a well-rounded portfolio with domestic and foreign stocks, small and large.
Get Real About Your Future, by Julia Boorstin, page 41
Retirement planning isn't rocket science, but it isn't as easy as it used to be. Among the challenges: a stagnant stock market, low interest rates, and looming cutbacks in Social Security and private pensions. To help readers sort through these difficult issues, FORTUNE's Julia Boorstin assembled a panel of top-flight investment thinkers. While their overall outlook is sobering, they offer valuable guidance that can lead to a prosperous retirement, despite the obstacles.
Is It Time To Cash Out?, by Shawn Tully, page 54
Across the country, America's homeowners are asking the same crucial question: How do I protect the huge gains in my house? For those who haven't saved nearly enough for their golden years, a house can prove to be salvation, and the boom has probably transformed it into a large source of wealth. For those who reside in a traditionally volatile coastal market, that wealth is now sitting in a high-risk investment. Homeowners are rightly worried that prices could slide from today's incredible heights. Shawn Tully looks at several strategies they can use to avoid loss in a volatile market.
Pitchman for the Gray Revolution, by Nicholas Varchaver, page 63
For author and speaker Ken Dychtwald, a historic realignment is on the horizon. He sees the creation of a whole new multi-decade stage of life, which he has dubbed "middlescence"—a period that offers rich opportunities for reinvention and exploration. Along with that, he argues that the linear view of life—birth, school, work, rest, death—is starting to give way to a cyclic approach in which people might return to school in midlife, try a new career, travel, then repeat the whole process in a new field. And, reports Nicholas Varchaver in his profile of Dychtwald, it's the baby-boomers who will form the vanguard of this transformation.
Customize Your IRA, by Oliver Ryan, page 83
Prompted by sluggish, scandal-plagued public markets and a boom in real estate, a growing number of investors are discovering ways to get unconventional with their retirement savings. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which created the IRA in 1974, places surprisingly few restrictions on how retirement money can be invested. Except for life insurance and collectibles, IRA funds can be placed in just about anything, reports Oliver Ryan. But before buying condos, sablefish quotas, a bowling alley, or a racehorse, what's known as a "self-directed" retirement account must be opened.
Five Threats to Your Financial Security, by Cait Murphy and Julia Boorstin, page 90
A host of financial planners and other investment pros FORTUNE consulted warn that even the most diligent savers and savviest investors may face serious threats to their financial health—ones they may not have fully factored into their retirement planning. FORTUNE presents five of the most significant threats—lower stock returns, inflated inflation, piddling interest rates, a Medicare disaster, and longer lives—along with advice on how to counter them.
Paradise Found: Where to Retire Abroad, by Ellen Florian Kratz, page 102
Still nursing a dream of retiring in the sort of place you go to on vacation? FORTUNE found five idyllic places—San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Boquete, Panama; Mérida, Mexico; and Phuket, Thailand—where you can still live like a king on what you've saved.
# # # For further information please contact:
Amy Mahfouz
212-522-2134
amy_mahfouz@timeinc.com
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