Lump sum or annuity payments? Single-life benefits or joint-and-survivor benefits? Once you explore the risks and hidden ...

Deciding between taking a lump sum or monthly payments involves assessing a number of factors, including some that are difficult to quantify. The two most important considerations may be when you will ...

Peter Gratton, Ph.D., is a New Orleans-based editor and professor with over 20 years of experience in investing, economics, and public policy. Peter began covering markets at Multex (Reuters) and has ...

In the world of r/ChubbyFIRE on Reddit, someone always wants or hopes to hit a specific number, so they can call it quits on working every day. This is the catalyst of the Financial Independence ...

For the first time in years, a retired teacher in Ohio, a former police sergeant in Massachusetts, or the widow of a federal ...

One of the most significant decisions anyone with a pension can make is taking a lump sum (annuity) versus receiving monthly payments. At some point, you’ll have to make a decision, and this decision ...

Dear Savvy Senior: I’ve read that the Social Security Administration offers a lump-sum payment to new retirees who need extra cash. I haven’t yet filed for my retirement benefits and would like to ...

Is there a downside to taking your pension on a monthly basis vs. taking a lump sum? The monthly payments would be higher than the return I would get on the lump sum. There are certainly some ...

For decades, a particular kind of federal widow learned to live with a strange arithmetic: her late husband paid into Social ...

She taught for 30 years, retired with a CalSTRS pension of $4,800 a month, and then lost her husband at 72. He had spent his ...

In recent years a major focus for employers has been pension risk management. For those companies that sponsor a traditional pension plan, one of the most common strategies is offering a “lump sum ...

Note: Whether it’s health care, retirement benefits, family support and child care, VA benefits or other programs, getting smart about the rewards you have earned is worth your time. Although it is ...