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Financial Planning Library
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The articles below can be used by individuals, or in plan administrator and advisor newsletters and websites, for one year from the date next to each title.
The articles cover six broad categories:
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Retirement Planning
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| 06/16/08 |
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Dismantling the Myths of Annuities (PDF)
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Annuities have a bad reputation among some people - but not necessarily a well-deserved one.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Let Us Count the Ways (PDF)
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TIAA-CREF offers several different ways to receive retirement income.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Retirement Savings Tax Planning Tips (PDF)
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Saving for retirement in a constantly changing tax environment.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Saving More With Roth 403(b)s/401(k)s (PDF)
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TIAA-CREF actuaries, Michael Heller and Benjamin Goodman, examine how these plans might fit with your retirement and long-term planning goals.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Combine Your Assets for a Simpler Plan (PDF)
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You can generally simplify your financial life by consolidating your assets in one place.
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| 02/27/08 |
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How Supplemental Plans Can Increase Your Savings (PDF)
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Take advantage of your employer's supplemental savings plan for retirement and other financial goals.
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| 01/31/08 |
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Retirement Planning x2: Tips for Couples (PDF)
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Couples have a lot to gain by planning together for retirement.
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| 01/31/08 |
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Put It All Together (PDF)
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Consolidating retirement assets can make it easier to assess your savings and develop a cohesive investment and income strategy.
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| 01/31/08 |
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Five Ways to Save and Invest More Money for Retirement (PDF)
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Here are some strategies you can use to help increase your nest egg.
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| 01/08/08 |
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Six Good Reasons for Considering an IRA (PDF)
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Six reasons why IRAs can be used to help increase your retirement savings.
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| 01/08/08 |
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Tax Guidelines for Consolidating Retirement Assets (PDF)
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To avoid costly mistakes, make sure you fully understand each plan or product's tax rules before consolidating you assets.
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| 01/08/08 |
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Consolidating Retirement Savings in an IRA? (PDF)
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Sometimes it makes sense to bring all your retirement savings together in one place.
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| 01/08/08 |
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Supplement Your Savings (PDF)
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Consider contributing to a supplemental retirement plan to help build more money for tomorrow.
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| 01/08/08 |
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IRA FAQs (PDF)
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Basic questions and answers about IRAs.
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| 01/08/08 |
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Retirement: If You're Over 50, It's Catch-up Time (PDF)
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If you're 50-plus, "catch-up" contributions can help you save more for retirement
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| 10/04/07 |
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You Can Change Your Annuity Income Allocation (PDF)
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The allocation flexibilities available, even when receiving annuity income.
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| 07/25/07 |
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Your Retirement Income: Help Maintain Its Value (PDF)
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Inflation and poor investment performance are the chief enemies of steady, reliable retirement income.
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| 05/23/07 |
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Payback Time: How to Receive Retirement Income from TIAA-CREF (PDF)
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A well thought-out income payment plan should be part of your financial strategy.
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| 05/16/07 |
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Six Steps To Improve Your Retirement Planning (PDF)
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Tips for reaching your retirement goals, whether you're a beginner or longtime saver.
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| 05/16/07 |
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When Should You Take Social Security? (PDF)
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Review how receiving Social Security benefits can affect your amount of retirement income for life.
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| 05/08/07 |
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What to Look for in a Retirement Plan Provider (PDF)
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Four features a good retirement plan carrier should provide.
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| 04/23/07 |
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Should You Change Your Annuity Allocation in Retirement? (PDF)
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Why it's prudent to review and perhaps adjust your annuity income strategy in retirement.
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| 04/04/07 |
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Should You Put All Your Eggs in One IRA Basket? (PDF)
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Combining your retirement savings into one IRA may offer advantages, but is it always wise?
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| 04/01/07 |
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Retirement Online: Four Great Sites to Help You Plan (PDF)
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| 03/29/07 |
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Two Steps to Reviewing Your Retirement Plan (PDF)
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How to keep abreast of your retirement planning goals and accumulations.
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| 02/05/07 |
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Getting It All Together: Consolidate Your Assets (PDF)
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In today's labor market, people change jobs more often than they used to.
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| 12/01/06 |
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Withdrawing or Consolidating Retirement Assets: Know the Rules (PDF)
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Know the tax and estate planning factors that may affect you when you withdraw your retirement assets.
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Personal Finance
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| 03/28/08 |
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The Alternative Minimum Tax: A Tax Trap for the Unwary (PDF) |
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An increasing number of taxpayers are getting caught by the Alternative Minimum Tax, and it's not necessarily because they're wealthy. |
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| 02/27/08 |
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Do You Have a Plan? (PDF) |
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A good way to reach your financial goals is to develop a sensible plan. |
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| 01/31/08 |
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Are Your Beneficiaries Up-to-Date? (PDF) |
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Your beneficiary designations have significant legal standing; they even supersede whom you name to receive funds in your will. |
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| 12/10/07 |
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TIAA-CREF Services and Products - Meeting Your Financial Needs (PDF) |
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We offer a wide range of services and products that can help you realize your financial goals. |
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| 08/28/07 |
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How to Make Better Financial Decisions (PDF) |
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Behavioral finance studies the psychological reasons behind investors' decisions. |
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| 07/25/07 |
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Private Colleges Make Prepaid Tuition Plan Available (PDF) |
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Independent 529 Plan lets you prepay private college costs at a savings. |
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| 07/25/07 |
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Protect Your Financial Identity (PDF) |
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Identity theft affects millions of Americans each year. |
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| 05/16/07 |
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Get on Top of the Paper Chase (PDF) |
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How organizing your paperwork can make managing your finances easier. |
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| 05/08/07 |
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Teach Your Kids About Money (PDF) |
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If you're a parent, teach your children about the value of money. |
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| 05/01/07 |
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Keeping Your Health Care Coverage When Leaving Your Job (PDF) |
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The importance of maintaining medical coverage, whether retiring or changing jobs. |
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| 05/01/07 |
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Phasing Into Retirement (PDF) |
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The basics of phased retirement programs. |
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| 04/23/07 |
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How Can Budget Deficits Influence Inflation? (PDF) |
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TIAA-CREF economist, Leo Kamp, discusses the impact of budget deficits on inflation. |
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| 04/23/07 |
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Long-Term Planning for Young Investors (PDF) |
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How to start a savings and investment plan for life's phases |
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| 04/13/07 |
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Should You Sell Your Home? (PDF) |
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If your home has appreciated in value, consider these eight points before selling it for a profit. |
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| 04/13/07 |
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Five Steps for Reducing Your Credit Card Debt (PDF) |
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What to do when you have more credit card debt than you can handle. |
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| 04/02/07 |
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Important Conversations to Have With Your Parents (PDF) |
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Some future planning matters to discuss with your elderly parents. |
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| 04/02/07 |
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An Umbrella for a Rainy Day (PDF) |
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How to set up an adequate emergency fund. |
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| 03/21/07 |
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Digital Planning (PDF) |
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Saving time and money by using Web resources. |
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| 02/05/07 |
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Keep the Tax Man at Bay (PDF) |
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Some useful ideas for reducing your tax bill. |
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| 02/05/07 |
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An Economics Primer (PDF) |
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A few basic terms to help you better understand economic reports. |
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| 02/05/07 |
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Four Advantages of 529 College Savings Plans (PDF) |
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If you're interested in saving for a child's college education, you can choose from a wide variety of products. |
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| 02/05/07 |
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The Alternative Minimum Tax: A Tax Trap for the Unwary (PDF) |
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An increasing number of taxpayers are getting caught by the Alternative Minimum Tax, and it's not necessarily because they're wealthy. |
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Investing
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| 02/27/08 |
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TIAA-CREF Protects Your Investments (PDF) |
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TIAA-CREF has long had safeguards in place to protect our customers from market timing and other trading abuses.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Consolidating Your Mutual Funds: Yes or No? (PDF) |
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Does it make sense to consolidate any of your mutual fund assets for better record keeping and overall organization?
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| 02/27/08 |
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Bonds and Bond Mutual Funds: What's the Difference? (PDF) |
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A bond is basically a loan from you, the bond owner, to the bond issuer.
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| 02/27/08 |
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Reduce Your After-Tax Bite with Munis (PDF) |
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Municipal bonds can help you diversify your after-tax portfolio, provide income and reduce your taxes, but first do the math.
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| 02/27/08 |
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The Perils of "Star" Gazing (PDF) |
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A few tips on saving for retirement from TIAA-CREF's Scott Evans.
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| 01/31/08 |
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Lifecycle Funds: Asset Management Made Easy (PDF) |
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If you want a convenient, one-step strategy for retirement investing, lifecycle funds can be a good choice for getting you to where you want to go.
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| 01/31/08 |
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The Ins and Outs of Value and Growth Funds (PDF) |
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Here's a primer on how value and growth funds work and TIAA-CREF's approach to selecting stocks for them.
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| 08/28/07 |
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Are You a Rational Investor? (PDF) |
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By understanding the emotional biases that color our perceptions and affect our decision-making, we can become better investors.
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| 07/16/07 |
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Check Your Asset Allocation Seatbelt, Again (PDF) |
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The markets have performed well in recent years, but no one knows how they'll do in the future.
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| 06/05/07 |
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Investing with Inflation-Linked Securities (PDF) |
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Why developing a long-term strategy that includes inflation-linked bonds may make sense.
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| 05/16/07 |
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Life Annuities: What They're Saying Isn't So (PDF) |
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Making a case for annuities in your retirement income portfolio.
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| 05/16/07 |
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Six Rules for Retirement Investors (PDF) |
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Six useful investment rules to follow when pursuing savings goals.
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| 05/08/07 |
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How Much Do Your Investments Cost? (PDF) |
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It pays to know how expenses affect your investment returns.
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| 05/01/07 |
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Do Your Assets Correlate? (PDF) |
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How asset correlation can improve a diversification strategy.
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| 04/04/07 |
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Keep Your Annuity Income Allocation in Balance (PDF) |
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Review your TIAA and CREF annuity allocations periodically to make sure they still meet your needs.
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| 04/02/07 |
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Investing With Mutual Funds (PDF) |
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How mutual funds can help you reach your short- and long-term financial goals.
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| 03/29/07 |
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What's the Best Fit? (PDF) |
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When investing for retirement, make the right choices for your needs.
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| 03/29/07 |
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Maintain the Balancing Act: How to Rebalance Your Portfolio (PDF) |
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Market performance over time can change your portfolio and risk exposure.
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| 02/22/07 |
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Socially Responsible Investing Comes of Age (PDF) |
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After 15-plus years of socially screened investing, TIAA-CREF's Social & Community Investing department is born.
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| 02/05/07 |
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Spread it Around (PDF) |
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Diversifying your investments across asset classes may help reduce your portfolio risk.
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| 09/15/06 |
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Life Annuities: What They're Saying Isn't So (PDF) |
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Making a case for annuities in your retirement income portfolio.
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| 09/13/06 |
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How - and Why - Variable Annuity Income Changes (PDF) |
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The basics of how we calculate variable annuity income.
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| 08/03/06 |
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When Inflation Rises... (PDF) |
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How to help stabilize your retirement income in the face of inflation.
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Estate Planning
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| 02/27/08 |
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Gifts to Individuals Can Benefit Your Estate (PDF) |
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Ways to make gifts to individuals that are free of federal gift taxes. |
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| 02/27/08 |
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Estate Planning 101: Fitting Your Assets into Your Estate Plan (PDF) |
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Retirement makes you rethink almost every aspect of your life, including your estate plan. |
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| 02/27/08 |
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A Charitable Gift Annuity - Is It for You? (PDF) |
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A gift annuity may be an appropriate way to supplement your retirement income. |
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| 05/13/07 |
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The 2001 Tax Act Approaches Sunset (PDF) |
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Recognizing the remaining opportunities created by the 2001 Tax act. |
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| 05/08/07 |
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Estate Planning Scenarios for the Single Person (PDF) |
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Estate planning strategies you can use if you're single. |
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| 05/08/07 |
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Take Care of Everyone (PDF) |
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Gifting strategies that allow you to provide for charities and your family. |
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| 05/08/07 |
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Divide Your Estate - Not Your Family (PDF) |
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Basic estate planning tools you can use to help manage family conflict even after you're gone. |
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| 04/23/07 |
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Estate Planning: The Watchword Is Flexibility (PDF) |
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Why estate planning needs to be as flexible as possible. |
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Insurance
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| 08/28/07 |
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Does An Insurance Policy Illustration Influence Your Purchase? (PDF) |
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Computer-generated illustrations should only guide - not determine - your life insurance purchase decision. |
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| 07/16/07 |
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The Importance of Life Insurance (PDF) |
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How to use life insurance for key financial planning needs. |
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| 07/16/07 |
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The Life Insurance Solution (PDF) |
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Reasons why life insurance belongs in a total financial plan. |
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Lifestyle
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| 06/22/07 |
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Continuing Care Retirement Communities (PDF) |
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How to decide which one is best for you. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Sharing the Load (PDF) |
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A retired husband moves past traditional role definitions. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Should You Lend Your Children Money? (PDF) |
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Restrain the nurturing urge to lend your children money. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Teach Your Grandkids About Money (PDF) |
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How to get your grandkids excited about money management. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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12 Tips for Writing Your Memoirs (PDF) |
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If you've ever written a friendly letter, you can write your life story. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Care for the Caregiver (PDF) |
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Give It Your All Without Letting It Get All of You. |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Love is Golden (PDF) |
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How to Find a Partner Later in Life |
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| 06/22/07 |
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Savings Roadmap for the "Sandwiched" (PDF) |
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Saving for the kids' education, your retirement and your parents' possible financial needs. |
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| 05/16/07 |
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Safe and Sound - An Interview with Terry Fulmer, Ph.D., R.N. (PDF) |
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Terry Fulmer, Ph.D., R.N. speaks about how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from being mistreated |
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| 05/08/07 |
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When Your Spouse Dies: Ways to Cope (PDF) |
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Pointers for dealing with the guilt, anger or resentment that comes with a spouse's death. |
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| 04/23/07 |
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Forewarned Is Forearmed (PDF) |
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Defending yourself against criminals who target seniors' finances. |
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| 04/04/07 |
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The Grays' Gladiators (PDF) |
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How elder law attorneys help seniors address their unique issues. |
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