Making Your Money Last

Many seniors leaving longtime positions are transitioning to jobs that let them pursue their passions.

Make these changes to your car to get better gas mileage.

In cohousing communities, residents own their units but share a common house to socialize and enjoy meals.

You can set up a scholarship directly with a university or through a community foundation.

This strategy could lower your lifetime tax bite, let you collect higher benefits and extend the longevity of your portfolio.

Several tax law changes went into effect this year. These moves can help keep your 2013 tax tab in check.

Study fund holdings carefully as some bond funds have been wandering beyond their traditional bounds.

Low bond yields have raised troubling questions about whether the 4% withdrawal rule still holds up. Here is what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to stretching a retirement nest egg.

The $3 million cap sounds reasonable, but that's before doing the actuarial math.

Build up your personal wealth by investing in the stock market.

For Amy Nichols, the path to entrepreneurship started with her dog.

Helen and Jeff Brown have built a small fortune thanks to their savvy investing skills.

It takes an enormous shock to trigger runaway inflation, such as a war or a general economic collapse.

Do the math, and then decide how much debt you can stomach.

For a set price, patients receive a full range of medical services.

Dropping your service might not save you any money.

From providing housing to navigating government benefits, adult children have numerous options to assist elderly parents.

For tax savings, convert a vacation home to your principal residence, give an IRA to charity and double your family's estate-tax break with a by-pass trust.

Roll over an inherited 401(k), help your children earn a credit for retirement savings -- and rack up tax savings in the process.

New online tools can help consumers find the best deals on medical care.

A systematic plan will keep investing risk in check and your retirement on track.

Social critics argue that financial progress is impossible for most Americans in today's economy. Powerless victims? No way.

We show you how to get back into the market without heartbreak.

But most of these funds don't pay much more than 1%.

Nothing will erase the emotional toll this disease takes on families. But you can take steps to stem the financial bleeding.

Prepare for the financial impact of this devastating disease soon after a diagnosis.

Some health care providers are offering credit cards designed to cover uninsured costs, but these cards come with a host of potential problems.

Nonspouse beneficiaries who inherit an IRA should watch out for these common pitfalls.

Visit several places, scour the fine print and ask a lot of questions when choosing an assisted-living facility.

The government will no longer allow fixed-rate, lump-sum loans in its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Standard program.

Alternatives are emerging as employers drop retirees from group health plans.

One insurer is set to raise rates for women, and other carriers may soon follow.

Retiring abroad can offer a host of advantages over buying a condo in Florida. Living expenses can be cheaper, cultural experiences richer and the lifestyle ...

Most seniors who own older annuities should spurn financial incentives to relinquish lucrative guaranteed income benefits and death benefits.

Time claiming Social Security benefits, keep careful records of medically necessary improvements to your home or car, and tote up out-of-pocket costs of doing good.

It's business as usual this tax season with federal tax rates and write-offs mostly unchanged from 2011.

A reverse mortgage for purchase may help some seniors finance a new place to live.

Beneficiaries will no longer receive paper checks after March 1.

Now you can do more than just check your earnings record and get benefit estimates.

Knight Kiplinger offers his sage advice on money matters for the recently (or soon-to-be) married.

A grand might not sound like all that much, but our readers sure know how to stretch it.

Rules for hardship withdrawals vary widely from plan to plan. Some plans don't allow them at all.

Invest in stocks, your career and even your love life. Our ideas are designed to pay dividends.

For couples, timing is everything.

For me, the first step was to see how much more I could carve out for my retirement savings.

Prospective residents of continuing-care retirement communities need to do their homework before signing a contract.

Uncle Sam gives you a pass on the early-withdrawal penalty if you follow these complex rules.

Congress may still extend the law allowing retirees to make tax-free transfers to charities.

Private and government insurance programs may pay for some of the costs.